Box Score COLUMBIA, S.C. – Lorena Leao had a double-double with a team-high 14 kills and 17 digs to help lead the Benedict College Lady Tigers to a thrilling five-game victory over rival Claflin University in a battle between the top teams in the SIAC East Division.

Benedict won 21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-25, 15-10 to improve to 10-2 overall and 9-1 in the SIAC. Claflin fell to 10-11 overall and 8-3 in the SIAC.

"This was a big win," Benedict volleyball coach Gwendolyn Rouse said. "The kids decided they could play and put it all together. I told them, 'If you've got heart, you can play.'"

The win snapped a disappointing weekend for the Lady Tigers. On Friday, Benedict suffered its first loss of the season to Clark Atlanta, in a match that saw Tatyana Robinson, a key frontcourt player, go down with an injury. The Lady Tigers were still reeling from the loss and the injury when they had to turn around right away and play a non-conference match against Talledaga College, and lost a tough five-game contest.

After losing the first game against Claflin, Rouse made a lineup adjustment for the second game. The move worked, as Leao had three aces in a row to give Benedict an early 10-6 lead. Benedict then pulled away from a 14-14 tie to take a 23-17 lead on another ace by Leao, the nation's leader in aces per game. Claflin closed the gap back to 24-21 before Leao won the second game with a kill.

The third game was a pivotal game in the match. The game was tight until Benedict took a 20-17 lead on a kill by Leao. But Claflin rallied back to tie the score at 20. Terae Sweeting scored two straight points on a kill and an ace to give Benedict a 23-20 lead. Benedict scored the next point after a long, spirited rally on a kill by Ashley Jackson to ignite the large, vocal home crowd of 1,100. Jackson finished the game with another kill.

Claflin tied the match by winning the fourth game 25-15. Benedict tied the game 9-9, but Claflin outscored Benedict 11-2 to take a commanding 20-11 lead.

Benedict pulled away from a 4-4 tie in the deciding fifth game with three straight points. Claflin cut the lead to 9-7, but Liyah Davis scored a kill. Claflin scored to cut the lead to 10-8, but Benedict reeled off three straight points, including a big kill from Asia Bailey for a 13-8 lead. A block by Bailey gave Benedict a 14-9 lead, and the Lady Tigers won the game when a Claflin attack sailed out of bounds.

Benedict finished with 11 service aces, and Bailey had three blocks. Sweeting had 12 kills for the Lady Tigers. Ashley Jackson finished with 37 assists, while Je'Nae Saunders and Jennifer Anderson had 15 digs each. Sanders had a team-best five service aces.

"Terea really played well, and of course Lorena," Rouse said. "Asia blocked her butt off. All of them were an asset. All of them played a key role. And our students were really into it."

Benedict is back in action Tuesday on the road at Paine College. The next home match is Oct. 22 against Johnson C. Smith in a non-conference contest.