MURFREESBORO – The Chowan University volleyball team opened CIAA play with a pair of victories here Saturday afternoon, but suffered a setback on Sunday.

The Hawks kicked-off the CIAA –Round Up with a 3-0 win over Saint Augustine’s University and captured a five-set thriller over Fayetteville State University.

In the opening match, the Hawks grabbed a 25-13 win over the Lady Falcons to grab the momentum early in the contest. Chowan earned 25-18 and 25-19 wins in sets two and three respectively to secure the 3-0 match victory.

Suraya Chase led all players in the contest with 12 kills for Chowan. Courtney O’Keefe and Morgan Spencer each notched nine kills for the Chowan Blue and White while Karisa Patterson dished out 19 assists. Bailey Zavala recorded nine digs to aid the effort.

Olivia Porter paced Saint Augustine’s with 11 kills in the setback. Shakera Hall added 10 kills with Meghan Mahon accounting for 19 assists and 14 digs.

The Hawks carried the momentum into the final contest of the day against Fayetteville State. Chowan grabbed a 25-19 win in set one before falling 25-18 in set two against the Lady Broncos. Fayetteville State picked up a 25-19 victory in set three to pull away 2-1 in the match, but the Hawks stormed back, earning 25-15 and 15-10 wins in sets four and five respectively.

Chase notched a match-high 20 kills in the nightcap with Spencer grabbing 11 kills. Patterson handed out 31 assists while Zavala hauled in 25 digs. Chase and Spencer each added 11 digs in the victory.

Samira Luis paced Fayetteville state with 15 kills followed by Arlicia Ortiz with 14. Ortiz also notched a team-high 19 digs in the setback.

Chowan concluded play at the CIAA Round-Up on Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 setback against Shaw University. The Hawks move to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in league play with the loss while the Lady Bears improve to 5-5 and remain perfect in CIAA crossover play with a 3-0 mark.

The Hawks earned a 25-20 win in the opening set before falling to Shaw 25-22 and 25-19 in the second and third sets, respectively. Chowan recovered to earn a 25-21 set four win, forcing a fifth and final set. The Lady Bears raced to an early lead and hung on to the momentum to grab the 15-7 victory in set five.

Kelly Murphy notched 14 kills for the Lady Bears while Keveesha Wattley and Tapanga Moten added 11 and 10 kills each, respectively. Michelle Olmeda-Gonzalez dished out a match-high 43 assists while Tiffany Brooks accounted for 21 digs in the win.

Chase paced the Hawks with 18 kills in the setback while Spencer and O’Keefe added 14 kills and 11 kills respectively. Patterson handed out 41 assists while Bailey Zavala grabbed 18 digs for the Chowan Blue and White.

In set one, both teams battled for control early in the contest before a 6-0 run by Chowan left the Lady Bears trailing 20-14. The Hawks never looked back and secured the 25-20 win behind a kill by Sydney Miller.

Shaw raced to a 12-5 advantage in set two and held the Hawks’ at-bay despite a late rally by the Chowan Blue and White. A kill by Murphy confirmed the 25-22 set two win for Shaw.

The Lady Bears continued to build on the momentum in set three and used a late 4-0 run to grab a 25-19 set victory.

The momentum shifted in favor of the Hawks in set four. With the score knotted 21-21, two Shaw errors and kills by Spencer and Miller secured the 25-21 win for Chowan, forcing a fifth set.

The Lady Bears quickly took control in set five after establishing a 4-0 lead. Chowan trailed by as many as eight points (13-5) in the set before falling 15-7 to Shaw.

The Hawks return to action on Thursday as Chowan plays host to Elizabeth City State University. First serve for the CIAA Northern Division match-up is slated for 6 pm in the Helms Center.