Box Score PETERSBURG, VA- The Chowan University volleyball team captured a 3-0 victory over Saint Augustine's University in the opening round of the CIAA Championship on Friday afternoon.  The Hawks entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed from the CIAA Northern Division while the Lady Falcons were the No. 4 seed from the Southern Division. 

The Hawks edged the Lady Falcons 27-25 in the opening set and picked up a 25-16 win in the two.  Chowan downed Saint Augustine's 25-15 in set three to secure the win. 

CIAA Player of the Year Suraya Chase led all players in the contest with 16 kills in the match.  Morgan Spencer added eight kills for the Hawks in the victory while Karisa Patterson and Alyssa Born notched 16 and 13 assists, respectively.  Bailey Zavala recorded 21 digs in the contest with Chase adding 11 digs for the Chowan Blue and White. 

Shakera Hall led the effort for the Lady Falcons with 14 kills.  Zoey Isom recorded 23 digs over the course of the competition with Olivia Porter notching 13 digs in the setback.

The Hawks and Lady Falcon battled for control of the momentum early in the first set with neither team managing a lead of more than five points.  Saint Augustine's held a 13-8 lead midway through set two before a 6-0 run by the Hawks gave Chowan a 14-13 edge.  With the score knotted 25-25, back-to-back kills by Chase and Caitlin Turner secured the 27-25 win for the Hawks. 

In the second set, Chowan raced to a 7-3 lead at the start of the second set.  The Lady Falcons fought to stay within striking distance but were unable to overcome the early deficit.  The Hawks led by as many as nine points (20-11) before closing out the 25-16 win behind a kill by Chase.

Chowan continued to build on the momentum in the third set.  After battling for a 17-14 advantage, a 5-0 run for the Hawks late in set three left the Lady Falcons trailing 22-14.  Holding a 22-15 lead, a kill by Courtney O'Keefe along with back-to-back kills by Brittany Tschida propelled the Hawks to the 25-15 victory. 

Chowan advances to the CIAA Semifinal match with the win.  The Hawks enter the contest with a 21-9 overall record and will take on the winner of Friday's Virginia Union University/Fayetteville State University match on Saturday at 3pm.  Saint Augustine's season ends with a 9-14 overall record.