CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens volleyball (9-5) scored their second consecutive sweep when they overtook Winston-Salem State University (7-10) Wednesday night at Oven. Playing in front of another rowdy crowd of 150-plus fans, the Royals fed off the energy to improving to 7-1 at the Oven in 2010.

The Royals got off to a smooth start to the match, easily taking the first two sets with duplicate 25-19 scores.

With the early lead, head coach Angela McGuire was able to experiment with a variety of new combinations on the court.

"Tonight was a total team effort and we got a chance to get a lot of players some significant court experience," said McGuire. "That is only going to make us stronger as we enter the second half of the season."

Coming out of the break, the Royals found themselves in a quick 7-14 hole. With the risk of the Rams forcing a fourth set, Freshman Brittney Barren (Ham Lake, Minn., Blaine) took serve and found a groove. Four service aces and eight points later, Barren had the Royals in control of the set. Queens would continue to build on their lead and would eventually go up 24-15.

Winston-Salem's Kiara Brown would take serve and rally the Rams to within one point at 23-24. With the set slipping away, the Royals regained their composure, calmly executed their offense, and pounded home the game-winning point to complete the three-set sweep.

Barren served six of the Royals' 11 match aces – their most in the last 11 games. Also having a nice night for the Royals was Alexa Sparrell (Winter Park, Fla., Winter Park), who tallied six kills and three aces.

"Brittney Barren did a phenomenal job behind the line keeping WSSU out of their offensive system.  She really served aggressively and stayed consistent throughout the match, which has been a main focus for her.

Ashlyn Dibrell (Arlington, Texas, Lamar) made her presence known in the second set, killing three of her four attacks.

Winston-Salem wasn't without a pair of stars; Brown and Ashley Harris kept the Rams competitive throughout the night. Brown assisted on a match-high 25 points while Harris put down a match-high 11 of her 23 attacks to hit .348.

With each Royal contributing in the match, the team goes into the weekend with a head full of steam.

"I am really proud of this team as we head into two big conference matches with Limestone and Converse this weekend."

The Royals are back in action Friday, October 1st at the Oven when they welcome conference foe Limestone College for a 6:30 p.m. match.