Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kentucky State continued its run through the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament, advancing to the semifinal round with a 3-0 win over Albany State on Thursday at the Birmingham Crossplex.
In picking up their fourth straight victory, the Thorobrettes quickly dispatched of the Rams, sweeping the three sets by the scores of 25-16, 25-18, and 25-17.
Payton Richardson had 10 kills and three blocks while hitting .533 in the match, and
Kirtrice Ploucha also had 10 kills with a .412 hitting percentage.
Micah Rogers and
Tahje Ochs contributed eight and seven kills respectively, while
Anjelique Kyle led all players with 34 assists.
All three sets were closely contested early on before Kentucky State pulled away. In the first set, the Thorobrettes led 16-13 before outscoring the Rams 9-3 down the stretch, including five straight points to take a 24-15 lead.
Kentucky State was forced to battle back from an early 6-1 deficit in the second set, but took nine of the next 11 points to go back in front at 10-8. Finding themselves tied at 12, the Thorobrettes scored the next four points and held on the rest of the way. The third set played out similarly to the first, with Kentucky State holding a slim 17-16 lead before taking six straight points to pull away.
Kentucky State improves to 23-12 on the season with the win, while Albany State drops to 18-13. The Thorobrettes advance to the semifinal round of the double elimination tournament, where they will meet Claflin at 10 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday in a rematch of the championship match of the 2014 SIAC Tournament championship game.
