TUSKEGEE, Ala.- The Albany State women's volleyball team opened the 2016 season with a tough defeat, but it recovered later in the day to win its first match of the year. After falling to LaGrange College 3-0, the Lady Rams regrouped to beat Talladega College 3-2 in their night cap at the Tuskegee Spikefest.
 
 
LaGrange College 3, Albany State 0
 
It took Albany State some time to adjust to the opening of the season. The Lady Rams were taken out of the match early, losing the first game of the match by the score of 25-7.
 
After settling down, ASU was able to keep the remaining games close in defeat. The second contest was a thriller, with the Lady Rams only losing 22-25. The match ended when LaGrange won 25-17 in Game 3.
 
Justice Howard and Keonna Hobbs led the ASU with seven kills apiece. Chelona Holmes and Kiara Thompson both recorded five digs. Setter Jahkishma Soto had 13 assists.
 
 
Albany State 3, Talladega 2
 
After losing 23-25 the first game and being massacred in Game 2 8-25 for a 0-2 deficit, the Lady Rams made a furious comeback in the remaining contests to snatch victory from defeat.
 
Albany State took the lead in the third game and never looked back, winning 25-16. The Lady Rams were able to win the next two thrilling games by the scores of 25-23 and 15-11.
 
Junior Brittianni Phillips led the way with 11 kills, while Howard added another seven. Holmes had six kills and 10 digs. Soto recorded the first double-double of her career with a career-high 26 assists and 11 digs. Thompson also had a career-high of her own. She tallied a game-high 32 digs.
 
Albany State returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 3 with two more matches in the Tuskegee Spikefest. The Lady Rams will face North Greenville at 8 a.m. and will close out their participation in the event with a 12 p.m. contest against Limestone College. All times are in the central time zones.