FRANKFORT, Ky. —
Kentucky State women's volleyball opened the 2026 season Friday with a pair of matches during the first day of the KSU Invitational at Bell Gymnasium.
The Thorobreds fell to Young Harris in four sets, 21-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-21, before closing the day with a three-set loss to Shawnee State, 25-14, 25-19, 25-17.
YOUNG HARRIS 3, KENTUCKY STATE 1
Kentucky State began the season on a strong note, taking the opening set against Young Harris, 25-21. The Thorobreds limited the Mountain Lions to a .027 hitting percentage in the frame while recording 12 kills.
Young Harris responded by winning the next three sets to secure the four-set victory.
Ananiah Huguely led Kentucky State with 10 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double.
Kyeana Biggs followed with nine kills, while
Jayla Collins finished with six kills, three service aces and three total blocks. Collins committed no attacking errors on 15 attempts to post a team-best .400 hitting percentage.
Jada Knight recorded 14 assists and 15 digs, while
Sienna Stewart added 13 assists and seven digs.
Zora Nooks paced the defensive effort with a match-high 17 digs.
Kentucky State finished the match with 41 kills, 66 digs, six service aces and five total blocks.
SHAWNEE STATE 3, KENTUCKY STATE 0
In the nightcap, Shawnee State hit .286 and recorded 38 kills to earn the sweep.
Jaazaniah Calvert led the Thorobreds with a match-high 10 kills.
Laila Wheaton added six kills on 13 attempts for a team-best .308 hitting percentage and contributed two service aces and two block assists.
Huguely recorded four kills, seven digs and an ace, while Nooks led Kentucky State defensively with 12 digs.
Sienna Stewart distributed 16 assists.
The Thorobreds recorded 25 kills, 36 digs, six aces and three total blocks.
Kentucky State (0-2) returns to Bell Gymnasium for the second day of the KSU Invitational on Saturday. The Thorobreds will face Georgetown at 11 a.m. before concluding the tournament against Kentucky Wesleyan at 5 p.m.
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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 eight women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
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