The Lady Rams, who finished 6-2 in the tournament, beat Benedict College 3-2 and Claflin University 3-1 in early games on Friday, but lost 0-3 to the Thorobrettes in the final match. The Lady Rams lost 20-25, 12-25 and 22-25.
Freshman middle hitter Jillian Anderson led the Lady Rams’ effort with nine kills against Kentucky State. Junior outside hitter Sabrina Garcia had eight kills and sophomore middle hitter Tiffany Butler added seven. Senior setter Priscila Sena recorded 19 assists, and junior setter Jennifer Johnson led the Lady Rams in defense with nine digs and Adrienne Morris, a sophomore libero, added eight. Both All-SIAC selections, Garcia and Sena were named to the SIAC’s All-Tournament Team. Johnson received Libero of the Tournament honors.
The Thorobrettes, who finished 4-0 in the tournament, were led by Mercedes Parker with 15 kills and Brittany Stewart with 42 assists. Parker was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and Stewart was named Setter of the Tournament.
On losing out on a chance at a 10th consecutive SIAC championship, Skinner said although the Lady Rams are sad about the loss, there are lessons to be learned.
“We are heart-broken to say the least. We are really hurt over the loss to Kentucky State,” said head coach Robert Skinner. “We played well, we just ran out of gas. We had two close matches against Benedict and Claflin where we played nine games and then had to come back and play three more against Kentucky State.
Things don’t always work out the way you plan. There is a reason for our loss. Something good will come from this,” Skinner said. “There are valuable lessons that can be learned from this experience and we are not going to let this stop us. We finished in second place and ended our season with a winning record. We’ll be back!”
In their match against Benedict, the Lady Rams won the first game 25-18, but lost games two and three 12-25 and 16-25. The Lady Rams rallied back to win 32-30 in game four and 15-12 in the deciding game. Anderson led the Lady Rams with 21 kills, and senior outside hitter Latrice Lewis added 14 kills and led the defense with 17 digs. Butler and Garcia had eight kills each. Sena recorded 48 assists, and she and Morris added 10 digs each in the Lady Rams’ win.
Against Claflin, Albany State won 25-20 and 25-18 in the first two games, but lost game three 19-25. The Lady Rams won the final game 25-19. Garcia led the way with 18 kills and Anderson added 11. Johnson led the Lady Rams in defense with 16 digs. Sena recorded 37 assists and 11 digs, and Morris had 11 digs.
Now that his volleyball season is over, Skinner says he will have time to focus on recruiting and his other jobs.
“My goal now is to focus on recruiting for next volleyball season and getting my basketball Lady Rams’ season off and running. And softball season is right around the corner,” the coach said. “And, on top of that, the Golden Rams are getting ready for football championship!”
Albany State Athletics Director Richard H. Williams said the Lady Rams are to be commended for their great tournament play and season.
“Although we didn’t win the championship title, the Lady Rams gave their best effort … they gave it their all,” Williams said. “They showed much class throughout the tournament. Kudos to them and the coaching staff for their never-give-up attitude.”
Kentucky State will represent the SIAC in the NCAA South Regional in Tampa, Fla. on Nov. 18-21.
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