ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Benedict College Lady Tigers defeated rival Claflin in a five-set thriller on Friday night, improving their record to 12-10 overall and 8-7 in the SIAC.
Benedict won the match 21-25, 25-19, 28-30, 25-18, 20-18. Claflin falls to 6-16 overall and 6-8 in the SIAC.
Adrionna Washington led the Lady Tigers with 18 kills and a season-high seven blocks.
Brianne McMillian had 45 assists, her second-best total of the season.
Majda Cisic had 28 digs, one shy of her season high.
Arneshia Parrish had a season-high 14 kills, while
Torcealon Kelley had a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs.
In the first set, Claflin used a four-point run to take a 16-10 lead. After Benedict closed the gap to 20-19, Claflin scored the next three points and went on to take the first set. In the second set, Benedict used a seven-point run to build a 22-13 lead and held on to take the second set. McMillian served an ace and Washington recorded three kills in that key span.
Claflin won the marathon third set 30-28 by taking the final two points. Claflin had a 20-17 lead, but the Lady Tigers rallied late with a six-point run to take a 23-20 lead. Claflin scored the next three points to tie the set at 23 and the score went back-and-forth until Claflin pulled the set out.
The Lady Tigers used a seven-point run in the fourth set to take a 19-14 lead, then scored four of the last five points. A kill by Kelley was the clincher in the set, sending the match to a deciding fifth set. Claflin took an 11-7 lead, but Benedict rallied with six straight points for a 13-11 lead. The set went back-and-forth again until Benedict scored the final three points to win the match. Benedict got the final three points on a Claflin service error and back-to-back Claflin attack errors.
Benedict wraps up the regular season next week, starting with road trips to Paine on Wednesday and Johnson C. Smith on Thursday. The Lady Tigers will return home to celebrate senior day on Friday with a double-header, taking on Clark Atlanta at 6 p.m. and turning around to play Edward Waters at 8 p.m.
