MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Albany State University volleyball team wrapped up the first day of the Bobcat Classic on Friday, dropping a pair of matches at the Centennial Center. Despite the results, the Lady Golden Rams showed resilience throughout the day, highlighted by a third-set comeback against Carson-Newman.
Albany State vs Carson Newman (3-1): Carson-Newman took the opening two sets, 25-16 and 25-15, before the Lady Golden Rams responded with a gritty 27-25 victory in the third set. The Eagles closed the match with a 25-10 win in the fourth.
Albany State's offense was led by
Jarianis Perez, who finished with a team-high seven kills while adding 10 digs and a block assist.
Amiria Anderson and
Aleiah Carr each contributed six kills, while
Shaniya Banks added five kills and hit .250. Anderson also recorded six digs and a block solo.
Defensively,
Gabby Moore led the Lady Golden Rams with 13 digs, while Perez added 10.
Aurora Rieck contributed five digs and three kills on eight attempts for a .375 hitting percentage.
Liannette Burgos directed the Albany State offense with a team-high 18 assists, while
Onyinyechi Nwosu added seven assists.
The Lady Golden Rams showed their fight in the third set after falling behind early. Albany State battled its way back into the frame and turned the momentum in its favor, eventually fighting through a tightly contested finish to claim the set, 27-25. The third set proved to be ASU's strongest offensive performance of the match, as the Lady Golden
Rams recorded 16 kills and hit .227.
Carson-Newman responded in the fourth set, however, pulling away to secure the match.
Albany State finished the contest with 37 kills, 33 assists and 48 digs. The Lady Golden Rams also recorded two service aces and two total team blocks.
University of West Alabama vs Albany State: (3-1): The Lady Golden Rams came out strong, taking the first set 25-21 before West Alabama responded to win the next three sets, 25-16, 25-14 and 25-14.
Albany State put together its best offensive performance of the match in the opening frame, recording 17 kills with just two errors on 38 attempts for a .395 hitting percentage. The opening set featured seven ties as the two teams battled back and forth before the Lady Golden Rams pulled away to take a 1-0 advantage.
Jarianis Perez turned in a strong all-around performance for Albany State, leading the team with 13 kills while hitting .423. Perez committed just two attacking errors on 26 attempts and added a team-high 13 digs along with two block assists.
Shaniya Banks joined Perez in double figures with 10 kills on 23 attempts, finishing with a .304 hitting percentage. Banks also added four digs and a block assist.
Amiria Anderson contributed eight kills while hitting .300 and added two digs, one solo block and one block assist.
The Lady Golden Rams received contributions from several players offensively, with
Maya Ogbogu recording four kills,
Aleiah Carr adding three and
Serenity Jackson finishing with two kills on six attempts without an attacking error.
Albany State used multiple setters throughout the match, with
Onyinyechi Nwosu leading the team with 12 assists and
Trinity Britt adding 11.
Defensively, Perez's 13 digs paced the Lady Golden Rams, while Britt added nine and
Myra Lopez finished with seven. Albany State also totaled four team blocks in the contest.
Albany State finished the match with 45 kills on 128 attempts, hitting .258 as a team. The Lady Golden Rams also recorded 35 assists, 50 digs and four total blocks.
The Lady Golden Rams will be back in action tomorrow for Day 2 of the Bobcat Classic with the first set against Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) at 11:30 am, and Georgia College at 7:00 p.m.
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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 12 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and football, with all teams competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
