Kentucky State Wins SIAC Centennial Volleyball Championship

ALBANY, Georgia -- In a match that went down to the wire, the Kentucky State University Thorobrettes pulled off a remarkable fifth set comeback to defeat the Claflin University Panthers, 3-2, to claim the SIAC Centennial Volleyball Championship on Friday evening at the HPER Arena on the campus of Albany State University.

Emily Grieshaber, named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, led the way with 20 kills in the match. Scoring the game's winning point, Latosha Scott added 18 kills and five digs to lead Kentucky State to its third title in four years. Scott and Grieshaber were also named to the All-Tournament team. Anjelique Kyle added a match-high 49 assists for the Thorobrettes.

Chelcey Foster tied a match-high 20 digs and Caleen Hawkins recorded 42 assists to lead the runner-up Lady Panthers.

The Thorobrettes will now compete in the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament, which will be played Thursday, December 4 through Saturday, December 6.

After dominating the competition through the first three matches of the tournament, Kentucky State had to battle in its match against Claflin.

Claflin came out aggressive and won the first set convincingly.  Kentucky State regrouped, however, to win the second and third set 25-21 and 25-19, respectively. Led by Chelcey Foster, the Lady Panthers dominated the fourth set for a 25-18 victory.

In the final set, Claflin raced out to a 9-5 lead, until Kentucky State stormed back to tie the set at 10-10. With the momentum on their side, Kentucky State outscored Claflin 5-1 to take the match and the SIAC Championship title.

All-Tournament Team
Cori Smith, Outside Hitter, Clark Atlanta
Emily Grieshaber, Outside Hitter, Kentucky State
Latosha Scott, Outside Hitter, Kentucky State
Chelcey Foster, Outside Hitter, Claflin
Caleen Hawkins, Setter, Claflin

Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament: Emily Grieshaber, Kentucky State
Most Outstanding Setter of the Tournament: Anjelique Kyle
Most Outstanding Libero of the Tournament: Courtney Person, Claflin
Most Outstanding Coach of the Tournament:  Christina Coleman, Kentucky 


COURTESY KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION