RALEIGH, N.C. – Saint Augustine's University had Shaw University on the ropes in its women's volleyball match Wednesday night (Oct. 14, 2015).

The Lady Falcons needed only two points to win the match, but the Lady Bears scored seven straight points to steal a 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 19-25, 26-24, 13-15) CIAA Southern Division win at Emery Gymnasium. The Lady Bears (11-6 overall, 5-3 CIAA) maintained their hold on second place in the division at 4-1, while the Lady Falcons (7-9 overall, 3-5 CIAA) dropped to 1-4 in the division.

The match between the crosstown rivals featured outstanding play on both sides. For the Lady Falcons, Olivia Porter (Jr./Bakersfield, CA) finished with 17 kills and 20 digs  and Brittany Jamison (Fr./Summerville, SC) added 12 kills. Juliseea Thomas (Sr./St. Croix, US Virgin Islands) totaled 31 assists, 11 digs and three service aces, and Zoey Isom (Fr./Phoenix, AZ) recorded 29 digs.

Marley Parker (So./Langley, British Columbia) added 13 digs and Meghan Mahon (Jr./Houston, TX) contributed 12 assists for the Lady Falcons. Akera McPhaul (So./Greensboro, NC) and Mikayla Pettyjohn (So./Jamestown, NC) combined for nine of the Lady Falcons' 13 blocks.

For the Lady Bears, Kelly Murphy tallied 30 kills and 23 digs and Michelle Olmeda-Gonzalez amassed 66 assists and 19 digs. Keveesha Wattley registered 18 kills and Tiffany Brooks had 27 digs. Deja Simpson totaled 17 digs and Courtnie Cook collected 15 digs.

The student-athletes on both teams played with great effort and intensity, but the match will be remembered for its climatic finish in the fifth set. After climbing back to tie the match in the fourth set, the Lady Falcons opened a 13-8 lead in the fifth set. Victory seemed certain but the Lady Bears went on a furious rally to pull out the win.

The loss spoiled a valiant effort by the Lady Falcons, who bounced back after losing the first set and trailed 2-1 heading into the fourth set. The margin of victory in four of the five sets were three points or less.

The defeat was the second to the Lady Bears this season. Both teams met last month in the Shaw Tri-Match with the Lady Bears winning in four sets. They will meet once more during the regular season on Nov. 13 at Spaulding Gymnasium.

The contest was designated as the Dig Pink Match to promote breast cancer awareness. Between the second and third sets, cancer survivor Rochelle Cozart was recognized by the Lady Falcons, and the fans gave her a standing ovation. She is the wife of Lady Falcons' assistant coach Bruce Cozart.

The Lady Falcons are back in action on Monday, Sept. 19, against Johnson C. Smith University at Emery Gymnasium. The match begins at 6 p.m.