Bowie, MD. - The 2024 CIAA Volleyball Championship continued Saturday afternoon, as the two semifinal matches took place with each team competing for a spot in the championship final. Fayetteville State kicked off the day with a straight-set sweep over Virginia State, while Shaw took down Bluefield State in four sets as they will compete for the title yet again.
(2S) Fayetteville State vs. (1N) Virginia State
Fayetteville State came out the gate hot in the first set, grabbing an 8-4 lead but Virginia State responded well by taking three of the next four points and cutting the deficit to 9-7. Later in the set still down 17-14, VSU rattled off five consecutive points to claim their first lead of the match. The Broncos put their foot down and re-claimed the lead and ultimately won the first set in close fashion, 25-23.
Both teams traded points back and forth for the first half of the second set until, down 13-12, Fayetteville State went on to take nine of the next 10 points and climb to a 21-14 lead, which would propel them to a 25-18 second set victory.
The third set followed suit of the second, as the back-and-forth nature created for an exciting environment, however FSU would slowly pull away in the latter half of the set thanks to a 8-3 stretch which gave them a 17-13 lead. Later in the set, the Trojans fought back in a big way and trailed 22-21, but the scrappy Broncos squad held onto the lead and went to defeat Virginia State in straight sets.
(1S) Shaw vs. (2N) Bluefield State
Shaw came into the first set on a mission, as they were firing on all cylinders and pushed to an astounding 18-1 lead. Bluefield eventually ended the lengthy point streak with five consecutive points of their own, however were unable to contain the Bears who took the first set, 25-13.
The second set saw a much better showing by the Big Blue who got out to an early lead. Both teams traded points for a large majority of the set, leading to an eventual 20-19 lead for the Bears. Shaw then finished out the set on a five-point run to claim the second set and find themselves one win away from a championship berth.
The Bears continued to dominate early in the third set getting out to a 6-2 lead, but Bluefield State chipped away at the lead and would eventually grab their first lead of the match, 13-11 which forced Shaw to call their first timeout of the set. The Big Blue kept firing away after the timeout, growing the lead to 21-12. The Bears, however, remained resilient and rattled off eight consecutive points to cut the deficit to one, and would eventually take a 23-22 lead. Bluefield State were determined to come out on top, and would re-claim the lead and ultimately take the set, 25-23.
Shaw refused to let the match go to five, as their offense gained traction early leading to a 13-8 lead roughly halfway through the fourth set. They'd continue to find open court, as the lead ballooned to 21-11 as the Bears had their sights on a return to the final. They would do just that, as they'd claim the final set, 25-
Shaw and Fayetteville State are no strangers to the championship final, as the two teams have combined to win seven of the last 10 championships. They're also no stranger to facing each other in the championship final, as they went head-to-head in the 2021, 2019, and 2016 title matches, with the Broncos winning the '21 and '19 matches and Shaw coming out on top in '16.
The championship match will take place on Sunday, November 24 at 12PM and can be streamed here.