Red Wolves Win Conference Opener against Shawnee State

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – The IU East women's volleyball team started conference play on the right foot Friday night.

The Red Wolves defeated new RSC member Shawnee State 3-0 (25-13, 27-25, 25-21).

The win gives the Red Wolves an 8-5 record and 1-0 in conference play. They now have won five in a row.

Reigning RSC Attacker of the Week Jessica Swimm led IU East with 11 kills. Teah Barrett Matthews was next with seven. Brooke Lepper tallied six. Reece Shirley had 30 assists and five digs.

Shawnee scored the first point of the set but the Red Wolves would never trail the rest of the first. Winning 13-12, the Red Wolves went on a massive 12-1 run to close out the set. Shirley's kill marked the 25^th point of the set.

The Bears looked primed to tie the match at 1-1. They held a 24-22 lead late in the second. Head coach Kim McConaha called a timeout to regroup. The Red Wolves would score the next three points to lead 25-24. But the Bears tied it 25-25. IU East was the beneficiary of two errors from Shawnee State that eventually led them to the Set 2 win.

In the third, both teams exchanged early leads. Tied 21-21, the Red Wolves closed the door and the match. A kill from Swimm was good for the 22^nd point. The Bears committed two attacking errors before Shirley's ace sealed the deal.

The Red Wolves will make their conference home-opener on Saturday against Ohio Christian. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.