BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Kentucky State completed its dominant run through the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament, defeating Albany State 3-1 to claim the conference championship on Friday at the Birmingham Crossplex.
The SIAC championship was the Thorobrettes' fifth overall and fourth in the last six years. With the victory, they will be headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
Aside from dropping the second set 25-21, Kentucky State was in control for most of the match, jumping out to early leads in the other three sets and pulling away to win. The Thorobrettes won the first set 25-15, the third set 25-11, and closed out the match with a 25-16 win in the fourth set. In four SIAC Tournament matches, the Thorobrettes managed to lose just the one set along the way.
As was the case throughout the tournament, Kentucky State got several strong individual performances. Four players tallied double digit kills in the match, led by Kirtrice Ploucha, who had 14 kills with seven blocks. Micah Rogers added 13 kills with 12 digs, while Tahje Ochs and Payton Richardson each had 11 kills with Richardson adding nine blocks. SIAC Setter of the Year Anjelique Kyle had 43 assists with three aces, while Defensive Player of the Year Kiara Rivera had 17 digs.
Kentucky State improves to 25-12 on the season with the win, while Albany State closes out its year at 20-16. The Thorobrettes will find out their NCAA Tournament opponent and destination during the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament Selection Show on Monday at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
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COURTESY KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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