BOWIE, MD -- Bowie State women's volleyball will travel to Ettrick, Va., to compete in the first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Round-Up hosted by Virginia State on Saturday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, Oct. 1. The Bulldogs will face members of the CIAA Southern Division that include Winston-Salem State, Livingstone, Johnson C. Smith and Shaw during the two-day event. 

When: Saturday, Sept. 30 vs. Winston-Salem State (8 a.m.), Livingstone (2 p.m.)
When: Sunday, Oct. 1 vs. Johnson C. Smith (9 a.m.), Shaw (3 p.m.)
Where: VSU Multipurpose Center (Ettrick, VA)
Bowie State Athletics Social Media: @BSU_Sports_Info (Twitter), @bowiestatebulldogs (Instagram)

Last Timeout
Bowie State (2-12) opened conference play with a 3-1 (17-25, 16-25, 25-20, 10-25) setback to Virginia State on Monday. The Bulldogs trailed 2-0 in the match before edging the Trojans 25-20 in the third to force a fourth set. Madyson Brinson finished with 11 kills on the day to lead the Bulldogs attack while Tristynn Kerr finished with 10 digs to lead them defensively.

Brinson Named CIAA Rookie of the Week
Bowie State women's volleyball freshman Madyson Brinson has been named the CIAA Rookie of the Week after a pair of strong performances last week, the conference announced Tuesday. In the match against Notre Dame (MD) on Sept. 23, she had 14 kills, with only two errors on 26 attempts for a .462 hitting percentage. The Jacksonville, Fla., native also had three block assists, a pair of digs and a service ace.This is the program first weekly honor for 2023 and Brinson's first accolade.

The Nina Affect
Despite the 2-12 record and a very young roster, the Bulldogs have top-10 rankings in the CIAA from Nina Edwards who ranks eighth in the league for hitting percentage (.232) and third in blocks per set (.95).

A Look at the Opponents
Winston-Salem State (2-7, 0-2 CIAA) have lost its last four outings and stand 2-3 at neutral locations this season. Last timeout, the Rams were swept by Fayetteville State, 3-0 (17-25, 21-25, 17-25) led by Raven Gray with 10 kills. Brooke Norwood finished with 12 assists while Gray and Jewel Pitt both registered double digits in digs with 13 and 11 stops, respectively. WSSU ranks ninth in points, averaging 12.59 per game and a hitting percentage of .114 (8th in CIAA) while its opponents average hitting percentage of .163 (6th in CIAA).

The Lady Blue Bears of Livingstone enter this weekend's round-up 1-7 overall, 0-2 in the league and 1-1 at neutral locations. The two conferences losses came from Shaw (3-0) and Claflin (3-2) but most recently, LC dropped a 3-2 decision to Benedict in non-conference action on Sept. 27. Three players charted double figures in kills led by Mya Dalpiaz with 15, followed by Takiya Curry (13) and Jessica Lawson (10). Defensively, the Lady Bears were led by MacKenzie Morgan with 20 digs, Aubree Reyes (15) and Dalpiaz (15). Tkeyah Peterson finished wtih a match-high 36 assists. Livingstone ranks 13th in the CIAA in regards to its hitting percentage (.080) while its opponents have a mark of .215.

Johnson C. Smith has lost its last three outings entering the weekend. The Golden Bulls (2-6) are 0-2 in the league and 1-2 at neutral locations for 2023. In league action, JCSU fell to St. Augustine's and Shaw by the scores of 3-0. The match was the Golden Bulls last and most recent outing where the Lady Bears recorded a 25-18, 25-10 and 25-21 victories in three-straight sets. John C. Smith had no players in double figures as far as kills and assists but Camri Goodwin (13), Monique Reid (13) and Eliana Moultrie (12) all finished with double digits digs.The Golden Bulls are last in total points (231) averaging 10.91 per set while its opponents average 12.7 on a hitting percent of .177.

With the best record in the CIAA and favored to win the CIAA championship, the Shaw Lady Bears (13-4) have won six-straight conference games and currently own a three-match winning streak, coming off the 3-0 sweep over Johnson C. Smith on Sept. 27. The Lady Bears were led by Amari Earl with 12 kills, Lauren Janok registered 17 assists and Jasmine Culp tallied 19 digs. Shaw leads the conference in points (1026), averaging 17.10 kills per set while only allowing its opponents to 9.3 kills per set (.119). In fact, SU leads the league in the following: assists (697), kills (769), hitting percentage (2.18), service aces (151) and digs (1064). The Lady Bears are 4-2 at neutral locations.

Up Next
Bowie State will remain on the road on Oct. 5 and Oct. 9 when the Bulldogs visit Elizabeth City State and Virginia Union for 6 p.m. starts in division action.

For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit BSUBulldogs.com.