SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University volleyball team defeated Shepherd in four sets to claim victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Heiges Field House. The Raiders dropped the first set of the match before taking the next three to claim their seventh conference win. Set scores were 25-27, 22-25, 26-24 and 25-16.
 
Shippensburg (16-7, 7-1 PSAC East) got a match-high 14 kills from freshman Gracen Nutt, who hit .195 on a team-high 41 attempts.
 
Senior Kaitlyn Townsend finished with 12 kills, posting a .300 hitting percentage, to go along with a solo block and three block assists. Junior Emily Gardner (Avon, Ohio/Avon) also notched 12 kills and eight digs in her return to her position as an outside hitter after serving as the team's libero in the previous two matches.  
 
Freshman Hailey Cappleman and junior Maddie Clabaugh each tacked on nine kills. Cappleman equaled her career high set in the season opener against Saginaw Valley. The two combined for seven block assists in the match and Clabaugh posted 18 digs defensively.
 
Junior Kat Negron burned the Rams with five service aces while Nutt and sophomore setter Kearstin Davis added two each. Davis racked up 43 assists, two block assists and a team-high 19 digs. Berkley Simmons transitioned to the libero role and had 15 digs and four assists.
 
Both sides fought back-and-forth through the first three sets as each of those sets was decided by no more than three points. The first set featured 13 tie scores and four lead changes, while the third set featured 11 tie scores and five lead changes.
 
Shepherd (10-12, 5-3) held a 24-22 lead in the third set looking to take an important advantage, but the Raiders stole the set with a four-point run to claim a 2-1 advantage. Shippensburg then took care of business with a 25-16 victory in the fourth set.
 
The visitors came out hot with the first five points of the match. The Raiders responded with a three-point run and it was back-and-forth from there. Consecutive kills by Townsend and Nutt gave the Raiders a lead midway through the first set. The Rams led 24-22 but the Raiders saved three set points before Shepherd won 27-25.
 
It was the Raiders who found momentum early in the second set, getting a fast 4-0 advantage. The Rams brought the set to 6-5 before Clabaugh responded with a kill to spark a 7-1 run for a 13-6 lead. Shippensburg held the big advantage until Shepherd made it a one-point affair at 22-21. Two massive kills by Cappleman put the Raiders at set point, and Nutt finished it with another kill to take the set 25-22.
 
It was an entertaining third set as all but two points separated the sides for the entirety. The Raiders remained in front for the majority of the set until the Rams grabbed an advantage at 20-19. Shepherd held set-point at 24-22, but a kill by Townsend kept the Raiders alive. Two attack errors by the Rams gave the Raiders a 25-24 advantage, and Gardner earned a big kill to cap off an incredible finish to the set.
 
Shippensburg came out with fire in the fourth set, taking a 5-0 lead thanks in part to two kills by Nutt and two service aces by Negron. The Raiders held a 12-4 advantage before the Shepherd fought all the way back to a one-point deficit at 13-12. Shippensburg responded with a couple of three-point runs to help get to a 20-16 lead where the Raiders finished the match with an exclamation point scoring the final five points. The Raiders finished with a .355 hitting percentage in the fourth set.
  
SU is back in action at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Heiges Field House, hosting Pitt-Johnstown in the final non-conference match of the season.