Pembroke, N.C. – The Albany State Lady Golden Rams opened play at the UNC Pembroke Invitational on Friday with two tough matchups, falling to Virginia State (0-3) in the opener and UNC Pembroke (1-3) in the nightcap. With the results, ASU closed out day one of the tournament at 0-2, moving to 0-7 overall on the young season.

In the opening match against Virginia State, the Lady Golden Rams couldn't find a consistent rhythm, dropping sets by scores of 13-25, 13-25, and 16-25. Despite the loss, ASU had strong efforts from Jayda Watson (5 kills), Shaniya Banks (4 kills, .500 hitting percentage), and Josiya Teague (5 kills). Defensively, Talia Smith anchored the back row with 14 digs, while Liannette Burgos added 14 assists to guide the offense.
 
In their second match of the day, Albany State started off strong by winning the first set against host UNC Pembroke, with a score of 25-22. However, the Braves bounced back, winning the next three sets 25-13, 25-14, and 25-13 to claim the match. The Lady Golden Rams were led by Jarianis Perez, who recorded 8 kills and 13 digs. Shaniya Banks contributed with 6 kills and 2 blocks, while Maya Ogbogu made an impact at the net with 4 kills and 5 block assists. Libero Talia Smith once again anchored the defense with 21 digs.

Up Next:
Albany State will look to bounce back on Day 2 of the tournament, beginning with an 11:00 a.m. matchup against Wingate, followed by the tournament finale at 5:00 p.m. versus Coker.

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ABOUT ALBANY STATE ATHLETICS
Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 11 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's soccer, baseball, and football with all teams compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), except women's soccer, which participates in the Peach Belt Conference.