LAKEWOOD, NJ --The Bowie State volleyball team was close to clinching its first win of the season but fell in five sets (25-6, 18-25, 16-25, 25-19, 11-15) to the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas at GCU Wellness Center Friday afternoon.

The non-conference loss moved Bowie State to 0-5 on the season while St. Thomas Aquinas improved to 1-2 overall.

Freshman Madyson Brinson finished with 11 kills to lead the Bulldogs offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .35. BSU got 12 digs from junior Rayah Burge along with a season-high eight blocks from freshman Nina Edwards and five rejections from freshman Melisa Anacius to lead them defensively.

Game Notes
» Freshman Haley Pelham had a team-high four aces in the loss.
» Bowie State never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-6.
» BSU served up five aces on the way to a first-set victory.
» The Bulldogs never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 25-19.
» BSU attackers were helped by a team-high 18 assists from freshman Mekenna Scott.

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Bulldogs won the first point and held the lead the rest of the way to secure the first set 25-6. Bowie State opened up its biggest lead, 38 points, to close out the set. Bowie State also supplemented its offense with five aces in the opening set.

SET 2 | BSU dropped the second set 25-18 to tie the match 1-1. The Bulldogs fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set.

SET 3 | Bowie State then dropped its second set in a row, falling behind in the match two sets to one. The Bulldogs fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before losing the set 25-16.

SET 4 | BSU snapped its two set losing skid and forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory in set number four. The Bulldogs led from the first point on in the set to earn the victory. Bowie State opened up as much as a 13 point lead at 32-19 before finishing off the stanza. Bowie State got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four attacks in the stanza.

SET 5 | The Bulldogs fell behind on the first point and never took the lead after, losing the final set 15-11 and the match 3-2. 

Up Next 
The Bulldogs will host its home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 12 against Virginia University of Lynchburg at 6 p.m. in McKeldin Gymnasium.    

For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com.