Williamsburg, KY – After dropping the first set, the UC volleyball team rallied to win three straight sets to defeat Shawnee State 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-9) in Mid-South Conference play Wednesday night at the UC Volleyball Gym. With the win the Patriots improve to 13-7 overall and 3-3 in MSC play, while the Bears fall to 10-10 overall and 1-5 in conference play.

It was an evenly played match to start the first set as UC used a 5-0 run, which included a pair of service aces from Jen Stein to give the Patriots an 8-7 edge.  Shawnee State responded scoring seven of the next eight points to take a 14-9 lead.  Cumberlands answered with a 7-2 run of their own, aided by a pair of Megan Jackson blocks, to even the score 16-16.  Shawnee State would regain control and hold on to take the first set 25-20.

The second set started in a similar fashion with the Bears jumping out early however the Patriots would score four straight points to take a 7-6 lead.  The lead change twice more before UC recorded six unanswered points, including Lynsey Short find Mackenzie Koch for a pair of kills, to put Cumberlands in front 14-10.  The Patriots added a five-point run later in the set en route to winning the set 25-19 and tying the match at 1-1. 

The third set began with the score being tied on six different occasions be a Tara Routliffe service ace gave the Patriots an 8-6 advantage.  The two teams traded points, before Jackson notched back-to-back service aces to extend the lead to 13-9.  Shawnee State continue to battle however the Patriots never surrendered the lead and took the set 25-23 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Cumberlands came out strong in the fourth set tallying the first seven points of the set and extending their lead to 10-1.  The run featured three service aces by Lily Chapman and three kills from Jackson.  The Patriots continued their strong play, using runs of three, four, and five points to take the set 25-9 and the 3-1 final.

Chapman led the way for Cumberlands with 16 kills, ten digs, and four blocks.  Mackenzie Koch added ten kills, while Jackson finished with eight kills and three blocks.  Short finished with 25 assists and five digs, while Anna Zuniga chipped in 15 assists and seven digs.  Leah Crist made finished with five kills and four blocks, all of which came in the fourth set. Routliffe added a team-high 18 digs and four assist.

After dishing out 25 assists tonight, Short moves into fourth place in program history with 1,113 career assists.

The Patriots will return to action Friday, October 5, when they travel to Pikeville, KY to face the Bears.  The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. with  live stats available here.

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