COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Lady Tigers won their fifth straight match by straight sets, cruising to a 3-0 victory over Fort Valley State on Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Senior Day.
 
Benedict won the match 25-9, 25-11, 25-15 to improve to 16-7 overall and 19-7 in the SIAC. Fort Valley State falls to 11-15 overall and 5-13 in the SIAC.
 
Benedict hit .409 in the match, their third-highest of the season, scoring 46 kills on 88 attacks with just 10 errors. Fort Valley State hit just .039, scoring 20 kills on 79 attacks and committing 17 errors.
 
Cana Smith, one of the three Lady Tigers seniors honored during the match, led the attack with 11 kills and a solo block, while hitting .450. Freshman standout Desire' Young had nine kills, while hitting .438, and added three blocks. Jordan Gilbert, another senior, had six kills and two blocks. Kaiah Green, the third senior, had five kills.
 
Jadyn Murry recorded 25 assists and had a team-high 13 digs.
 
Benedict used a six-point run in the first set to take a 12-3 lead as Willow Alls served a pair of aces. Benedict increased the lead to 18-6 and 21-7, before closing out the set with the final four points.
 
The Lady Tigers jumped out to a quick start in the second set, scoring the first five points and taking an 11-3 lead. A five-point run made it 18-5 and Benedict cruised to the second set victory.
 
The third set was close early on, with Benedict holding an 8-7 lead before back-to-back kills by Mya Dixon. Benedict started to pull away and held a 17-11 lead after a three-point run. Fort Valley State cut the lead to 18-14, but the Lady Tigers reeled off the next four points for a 22-14 lead. After a Fort Valley State point, Benedict closed out the match with the final three points.
 
Benedict will play at Allen University on Friday at 6:30 p.m., before closing out the regular season with a home match against Clark Atlanta on Saturday at 9 a.m.