BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Albany State's 2018 campaign came to an end on Tuesday at the SIAC Volleyball Championship Tournament. Facing elimination, the Golden Rams pulled off two victories and pushed the defending champion, Kentucky State, to the brink before ultimately falling in five sets to the Lady Thorobreds.

In the opening match of the day, the Golden Rams took down Clark Atlanta 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-18). Albany State out hit the Panthers .239 to .116 while also committing nine fewer errors. Jannai Cheeks once again led the way with 14 kills.

Game two saw ASU defeat Tuskegee 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 25-13). After splitting two tightly contested sets, the Golden Rams dominated the Golden Tigers to take the match and move on in the tournament. ASU ended the game with a 50-30 advantage in kills while also dominating defensively, 91-61 (digs). Cheeks had a game-high 18 kills followed by Jordyn Terrell who registered 13 kills. Ciara Chapman finished with 40 assists and Jolesia McClenton had 30 digs and six aces.

The Golden Rams jumped out early on the two-time defending champions, building a 2-0 lead behind a strong hitting percentage and limited errors. Kentucky State could not be held down though as they out hit ASU over the final three sets .199 to .074 to storm back and take the match 3-2 (20-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-9). Keonna Hobbs and Yadira Lyons both posted 12 kills each while Chapman added 40 assists for the Golden Rams.

After starting the season 0-9, Albany State finishes the year with a 15-15 overall record while going 12-4 in conference play and winning the SIAC East.