COLUMBIA, S.C. --  The Benedict College Lady Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and then held off a late Albany State rally to upset the Lady Golden Rams 3-2 in an SIAC volleyball contest Thursday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

Benedict won 25-20, 27-25, 18-25, 21-25, 15-12 to improve to 10-6 overall and 7-3 in the SIAC. Albany State fell to 7-6 overall and 5-3 in the SIAC.

Lorena Leao had 14 kills and 12 digs to lead Benedict, while Aaliyah Lawson added 11 kills and 2.5 blocks. LaPromise Boone had a double-double with 48 assists and a team-high 25 digs. Kelsey Green had 23 digs.

Kristen Randolph had 20 kills for Albany State, while Jennifer Evans added 19. Kaliah Carter had 23 digs and Tiffany Roesler had 28 assists.

In the first game, Benedict scored the final three points, including the final point on an ace by Green, to secure the win. Albany State had a 23-19 lead in the second game, but Benedict scored five straight points to make it 24-23. Jocolby Brown had a kill in that crucial run, while Albany State committed four errors. Albany State tied it at 24 on a kill by Evans. The teams traded points again to tie the game at 25. Another error by Albany State gave Benedict a 26-25 lead, then Green served an ace for the clinching point.

Albany State regrouped and won the next two games. The fourth game was tied at 16 when Albany State scored the next three points. Benedict cut the lead to 21-19 on a kill by Arneshia Parrish, but Albany State scored the next two points for a 23-19 lead. A kill by Jennifer Evans was the game-winning point for the Lady Golden Rams.

The deciding fifth game was close the entire way. With the game tied at 11, Benedict scored three straight points, getting kills by Leao and Brown for a 14-11 lead. Albany State scored the next point, but the Lady Tigers clinched the match with a kill by Brown.

The Lady Tigers continue their homestand on Friday, taking on Fort Valley State University at 6 p.m.