COLUMBIA, S.C. – The injury-depleted Benedict College volleyball team opened the 2017 season with a 3-0 loss to Fayetteville State University Tuesday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

Fayetteville State won the match 25-10, 25-12, 25-23 to claim their season opener.

The Lady Tigers started the match with V'Aira Harris, the SIAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, sophomore middle blocker Taylor Stephens and freshman Ka'Tia Wright all missing the game with injuries. Just six points into the first set, Benedict's Aaliyah Lawson went down with an injury and missed the remainder of the match.

Benedict was trailing 4-2 when Lawson went out and Fayetteville State took advantage of the rattled Lady Tigers to score the next 12 points for a 16-2 lead. A late four-point run by Benedict made it 24-10, but the Broncos clinched the first set on a kill by Alicia Ortiz.

Benedict stayed close to Fayetteville State at the start of the second set and led 6-5 after a Bronco service error. But Fayetteville State scored the next eight points to take a 13-6 lead and pulled away. The Broncos scored three points in a row for a 23-11 lead before a FSU error gave Benedict a point. Fayetteville State won the second set on back-to-back errors by Benedict.

Benedict came out strong in the third set and had an early 4-2 lead before the Broncos regrouped with six straight points for an 8-4 lead. The Lady Tigers scored six of the next eight points to tie the match at 10-10 after a kill by Kiarra Pettway. Fayetteville State scored the next three points before Benedict coach Gwendolyn Rouse called a timeout. The Lady Tigers surged ahead by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to take a 22-15 lead after a kill by Torcealon Kelley and back-to-back FSU errors.

A kill by Pettway gave Benedict a 23-18 lead, two points away from sending the match to a fourth set, but Fayetteville State scored the final seven points to win the match. Ortiz scored kills for the final two FSU points.

Benedict had a .000 hitting percentage for the game with 26 kills and committing 26 errors. Kiarra Pettway led Benedict with 10 kills. Brianne McMillian had 22 assists and Majda Cisic had 15 digs.

Benedict, 0-1, returns to action with a road match at Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte on Friday. The next home match will be Sept. 13 against Columbia College at 6 p.m.