ROCKY MOUNT, NC — Bowie State (14-16) lost to Livingstone (29-5) 3-0 on Tuesday, falling by set scores of 22-25, 15-25 and 16-25 during the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Volleyball Semifinal from the Rocky Mount Event Center. The Bulldogs finished with 32 kills and a .085 hitting percentage, while Livingstone totaled 46 kills and hit .281. Bowie State opened postseason play with an impressive 3-1 upset over second-seeded Virginia State in the CIAA Quarterfinals, advancing to the conference semifinals for the second consecutive season.
To start the match LC moved ahead 3-1 in the opening set behind two Da'Maia Bryant kills, BSU worked back with Payton Swinton's kill, two Abena Asomani-Martin kills and a Livingstone attack error to go in front 6-4. Livingstone later turned an 8-8 tie into a 12-8 lead on two Hailey Henriquez kills, a Bryant kill and Nylin Blue's ace, and still led 14-10 before a service error, a Swinton kill, two Bryant attack errors and a Melisa Anacius/Spring Terry block pushed the Bulldogs ahead 15-14. From there, the teams traded ties at 16-16, 18-18, 19-19 and 21-21, with Asomani-Martin's ace pulling BSU even at 21-21, but LC took four of the final five points and closed the set 25-22 on Masa Simovic's service ace.
The Lady Blue Bears moved ahead 4-1 early in the second set before the Bulldogs answered with five straight points, using kills from Terry, Swinton and Anacius to take a 6-4 lead. Livingstone tied the set at 6-6, and after Anacius and Swinton helped BSU trade points to 8-8, LC scored the next two on a Henriquez kill and an Oliwia Jaroszewicz ace for a 10-8 edge. The Bulldogs got kills from Terry and Swinton to stay within 15-12, but Livingstone pushed the margin to 18-13 and later 22-14 behind kills from Bryant and Jaroszewicz. Asomani-Martin put down a late kill for BSU, but Livingstone took the final three points, closing the set 25-15 on two Destiny Drakeford kills and a Jaroszewicz service ace.
The Bulldogs moved from a 2-2 tie to a 9-3 lead in the third set, with Asomani-Martin, Jy'Asha Cousins and Swinton recording kills during the stretch and Cousins adding a block on a Livingstone attack error. LC cut the margin to 9-7, but BSU pushed back to 12-7 behind two more block-assisted points involving Cousins and Gabrielle Hale. The Lady Blue Bears then scored seven straight points to take a 14-12 lead and later used a five-point run to move from 16-14 to 21-14. Taylor Johnson and Swinton added kills for the Bulldogs late, but Livingstone took the final four points to close the set 25-16.
Swinton led BSU with 14 kills and added five digs. Hale finished with 25 assists, seven digs and a block assist, while Asomani-Martin collected 14 digs, five kills and a service ace. Cousins added four kills on a .375 hitting percentage and totaled three blocks, including two solo.
The 2026 season proved to be an uphill battle for Bowie State, as the Bulldogs navigated adversity, inconsistency, and the challenges of finding their identity throughout the campaign. Under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Edric Potier, Bowie State continued to battle through the highs and lows of the season, ultimately finding its stride when it mattered most.
Despite the challenges faced throughout the season, Bowie State's campaign was highlighted by the outstanding performances of Gabrielle Hale and Jyasha Cousins, who both earned All-CIAA honors. Hale added to those accolades by being named the 2026 CIAA Setter of the Year. These honors celebrate not only their individual contributions, but also the talent, perseverance, and competitive spirit that defined the Bulldogs throughout the season.
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