Bowie, Md (Sept. 26, 2024)- Playing in their first conference game of the season the Virginia State University Volleyball team traveled to Bowie State University and won 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 25-14). The team is now 29-2 against Bowie State in season conference play. 

The Trojans started the game on a 6-1 run with Gracie Darville registering two kills and Adrianna Bacon obtaining two service aces. Darville and Morgan Green would get back-to back kills making the score 9-2 forcing a Bowie State timeout. After the Bulldogs got to five points kills from Green and back-to back from Helena Eubanks gave the Trojans their largest lead to this point at 13-5. Bowie State would not give up on the set and fought back to make it a five-point game 16-11. However, Darville would get three of the next four kills to get VSU to the 20-point mark. Green would eventually get the set winning kill, 25-17, putting VSU up 1-0. 

The second set started just like the first with VSU being up 5-0 early. Virginia State would get the 10-point mark first after a Bulldogs attacking error making it 10-5. Bowie State would mount a comeback making it a two-point game at 13-11, but the Trojans still held the lead. Virginia State would score seven of the next 10 points to be up 20-14 after a Green service ace. Back-to-back errors by Bowie State would make the score 23-17 with an advantage to VSU. Then a kill by Denver Watkins and another error gave VSU the second set as well, 25-19. 

To start the third set Bowie State doubled VSU 6-3. The Bulldogs would continue their hot start to the third set getting to 10 points first at 10-6. The game would continue to go back and forth until Bowie State took a six-point advantage 16-10. VSU managed to make it a two-point game late 21-19 after a Peyton Reese kill, but Bowie State would win the third set 25-20. 

After the fourth set was tightly contested the Trojans would use a Green kill and a Bowie State attacking error to take a three-point advantage 8-5. The Trojans would hold on to their two-to-three-point advantage until Anya McKinley registered a service ace followed by a Bowie State error made it 14-9. Those two points were the start of a 7-2 run where Amaya Cooper and Eubanks were the only two plays to get kills and made the score 18-11. With Kelle Craig serving she recorded two service aces and Watkins added a kill to make it 23-12. The Bulldogs would commit two errors to give VSU the set and the match 25-14. 

Eubanks lead the team with nine kills with Darville, Watkins and Green each recording eight kills. Resse had a game high 19 assists and 14 digs. The Trojans are now 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA while Bowie State drops to 2-10 and 0-1 in the CIAA. Virginia State will next play Lincoln University on Monday September 30 at 6 p.m.