Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (4-22) gave it their all Friday night, but came up short in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the rival North Carolina A&T Aggies (5-21, 1-6 MEAC).

The two teams battled for all five sets in a classic battle between the two squads. After taking a pair of losses in the first two sets, the Lady Rams showed their heart and tied the match with back-to-back wins in the third and fourth set of the match. The final set also saw the Lady Rams fall behind early, but battled to the very end in the 12-15 fifth set loss.

The two teams were evenly matched as the squads recorded 44 kills and 131 total attacks each in the match. WSSU held a 12-11 edge in service aces while North Carolina A&T held the 41-39 edge in assists. Only two digs separated the two squads as well with North Carolina A&T holding a 41-39 advantage.

A host of Lady Rams gave some great efforts in the match with junior hitter Annika Barnwell’s 18 kills leading the way. The effort was the second-highest kill total for a match. Coordinating the match was senior utility Valentina Pushkina, who had a great senior night effort with 32 assists and nine digs in the loss. Three Lady Rams recorded double-digit digs in the loss as well with freshman Ebony Brown recording a career-high 16 digs in the match. Sophomore Erica Cole added 15 digs as well.

The Lady Rams had some early struggles in the match as the team was dominated early, totaling just four kills in the first set. The Lady Rams were never able to get a lead in set. After falling behind 7-17, the Lady Rams were never able to get back into the set, falling 13-25. The second set looked like more of the same with the Lady Rams struggling early, 6-14. The team was able to fight their way back into the set, however outscoring the Aggies 13-11. The run was too late for the Lady Rams however, as the team took the 19-25 second set loss.

Though the momentum of the late run in the second set gave the Lady Rams an early push, the team slipped, falling behind the Aggies, 13-18. The Lady Rams stormed back, however, outscoring the Aggies, 10-5 and tied the match 23-23. Down the stretch of the match, the Lady Rams would not go away until back-to-back kills by Barnwell and fellow junior middle blocker Georgette Allen put the match away for the Lady Rams. The Lady Rams found themselves in the midst of a battle in the fourth set as the team fell behind, 9-11. The team would once again show their heart, outscoring the Aggies 16-5 and sent the match into a fifth set with a 25-16 win.