MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Albany State University volleyball team split its opening two matches of the Warhawk Invitational on Friday at the AUM Athletics Complex, falling in a five-set battle against Arkansas-Fort Smith before responding with a straight-set victory over host Auburn University at Montgomery.
The Golden Rams (6-5) opened the day with a 3-2 loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith before bouncing back to sweep AUM, 3-0, behind a season-high 18 kills from Jarianis Perez.
Game One: Arkansas-Fort Smith 3, Albany State 2
Albany State came out firing in its opening match, taking the first two sets against Arkansas-Fort Smith before ultimately falling in five sets, 22-25, 19-25, 25-11, 25-8, 15-12.
The Golden Rams were efficient in the opening frame, recording 12 kills with just one attack error for a .344 hitting percentage. ASU followed with 14 kills in the second set to build a 2-0 advantage in the match. Arkansas-Fort Smith responded by taking the next two sets to force a deciding fifth frame, where the Lions edged Albany State, 15-12.
Perez led the Golden Rams with 17 kills on a .282 hitting percentage while adding 19 digs, three service aces and two total blocks. Shaniya Banks added eight kills and four total blocks, while Amiria Anderson finished with nine kills. Maya Ogbogu contributed seven kills on 13 attacks with just one error for a .462 hitting percentage.
Trinity Britt led Albany State with 20 assists and added 12 digs, while Liannette Burgos dished out 17 assists and added eight digs. Myra Lopez helped anchor the Golden Rams defensively with 13 digs. Albany State finished the match with 47 kills, 43 assists, five service aces and 71 digs.
Game Two: Albany State 3, AUM 0
Albany State quickly put its opening loss behind it and closed the night in impressive fashion, sweeping tournament host AUM, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23. The victory improved the Golden Rams to 6-5 on the season.
Perez delivered one of her strongest performances of the season, putting down a season-high 18 kills in just three sets to lead the Golden Rams offensively. The senior outside hitter hit .375 on 32 attacks while adding five service aces, 10 digs and two total blocks for a match-high 24.5 points.
The 18-kill performance came just hours after Perez recorded 17 kills against Arkansas-Fort Smith, giving her 35 kills across Albany State's two matches on the opening day of the Warhawk Invitational.
Perez helped set the tone as Albany State produced exactly 15 kills in each of the three sets against AUM. The Golden Rams were particularly effective in the second frame, hitting .393 with 15 kills and only four attack errors en route to a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 match advantage.
Aleiah Carr and Anderson each added eight kills for the Golden Rams, while Banks finished with five kills on a .400 hitting percentage and four total blocks. Ogbogu was perfect offensively, putting down four kills on four attacks.
Britt directed the offense with a match-high 21 assists and added nine digs, while Burgos contributed 15 assists. Lopez led the Golden Rams with 11 digs and also recorded three service aces.
Albany State finished the victory with 45 kills, 45 assists, eight service aces and 49 digs while hitting .257 as a team.
Up Next
The Golden Rams will wrap up play at the Warhawk Invitational on Saturday with two matches. Albany State will face Arkansas-Fort Smith at 9:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. CT before closing the tournament against Middle Georgia State at noon ET/11 a.m. CT.
