Box Score COLUMBIA, S.C. – Savannah State University staged two rallies to defeat Benedict College 3-2 in the home volleyball opener for the Lady Tigers on Wednesday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.
Benedict won the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead. After Savannah State took the next two sets to force a fifth set, Benedict jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the final set, only to have Savannah State rally to take a 16-14 victory and clinch the match.
Benedict falls to 0-2 on the abbreviated non-traditional season, with both losses coming in five sets to Savannah State. Savannah State wraps up its spring season at 2-0, with both wins coming against Benedict.
Benedict scored the final five points of the first set to win 25-23. Benedict had a 22-17 lead in the second set, only to see Savannah State rally to tie the score at 22-22. With the score tied at 23, Benedict closed out the set on a Savannah State service error and a kill by
Daija Walton.
Savannah State took the third and fourth sets to tie the match at two sets each. After Benedict scored the first six points and seven of the first eight, Savannah State went on a run, scoring seven of the next eight points to tie the set at 8-8. Benedict had a 14-12 lead and could have closed out the match, but Savannah State scored five of the final six points, including the final three in a row, for the victory.
Freshman
Cana Smith led the Lady Tigers with 14 kills, while Walton had 13 kills and
Kayla Stephens added 12 kills.
Selena Upshur had a team-high 18 digs, and
Ashleigh Reeves recorded 40 assists.
Benedict will play a pair of exhibition scrimmage games at Albany State on April 7, and then take on Albany State in a pair of exhibition scrimmages in Columbia on April 14.
