SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The
Kentucky State men's volleyball team continued its early-season road swing Friday night, falling in straight sets to UC Irvine (25-9, 25-7, 25-5) at Rob Gym.
The Thorobreds (0-2) faced a high-powered Anteater offense that found its rhythm early, hitting .580 as a team. Despite the scoreline, Kentucky State showed flashes of defensive grit, recording 11 digs while navigating a challenging neutral-site environment.
MATCH BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC Irvine 25, Kentucky State 9 The Anteaters opened the match with a strong service run, jumping out to an early 10-1 lead. Kentucky State settled in midway through the frame, finding offensive contributions from
Jacob Herman and
Jackson Moffitt, who each recorded a kill to break up UC Irvine runs. However, the Thorobreds were hampered by early errors, allowing the Anteaters to claim the opening set.
Set 2: UC Irvine 25, Kentucky State 7 Kentucky State looked to regroup in the second set, with
Charles Ababio finding a gap in the UCI defense for a kill. Raider Paja added a kill of his own to keep the Thorobreds within striking distance in the early rotations. The Anteaters countered with a .556 hitting percentage in the set, fueled by a 10-kill performance that prevented KSU from building sustained momentum.
Set 3: UC Irvine 25, Kentucky State 5 In the final frame,
Jamir Patterson provided a spark for the Thorobreds, connecting on a kill assisted by Moffitt. Kentucky State continued to battle at the net, but the Anteaters' service game proved difficult to neutralize, as UCI recorded five aces in the set to close out the match.
STAT LEADERS
UP NEXT
Kentucky State concludes its stay at the Asics Invitational tomorrow, Jan. 10, with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against No. 11 CSUN.
FOLLOW KSU SPORTS
For complete coverage of Kentucky State Athletics, follow the Thorobreds on social media @KYSUAthletics (X), @ksuthletics (Instagram), Kentucky State Athletics (Facebook) or visit the official home of Kentucky State Athletics at
ksuthorobreds.com.
FOLLOW THE SIAC
Stay connected by following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on
Facebook,
Instagram and
X @TheSIAC.
SIAC NEWS
Sign up for SIAC News to be among the first to receive media releases, updates and more!
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.