COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College men's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 match to the two-time defending SIAC champions Fort Valley State on Wednesday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.
The Tigers played the Wildcats tough before dropping the match 27-29, 25-20, 25-22, 25-16.
The Wildcats (7-12 overall, 1-0 SIAC) hit a season-high .380. The Tigers (5-5 overall, 2-1 SIAC) hit .186, but took advantage of a FVSU season-high 21 service errors.
Hakan Godoy recorded 10 kills and four solo blocks to lead the Tigers.
Jared Brown, the defending SIAC Offensive Player of the Week, had eight kills and two solo blocks.
Matthew Dimapan had a season-high 28 assists.
Cameron Long and
Mallik Foreman had five digs each.
The first set was a close back-and-forth affair. The Wildcats had a 21-17 lead before the Tigers scored six of the next seven points to take a 23-22 lead.
Camron Petillo had a kill to give Benedict a 24-23 lead, but the Wildcats scored a kill to tie the set. The two teams traded points with the score tied at 27 before Benedict was able to score the final two points on a pair of FVSU errors.
Fort Valley State scored the first six points of the second set, and later had a 14-8 lead. The Tigers rallied to cut the lead to 15-14 and the teams traded points until the score was 20-19. Fort Valley State scored five of the final six points to clinch the second set.
The third set was another tight affair, with FVSU holding a 17-16 lead midway through the set. The Wildcats scored the next three points. Benedict made a late run to cut the lead to 24-22, but Fort Valley State closed out the set with a kill.
The Wildcats took command in the fourth set, using an early 6-0 run to build a 10-3 lead, and later held as much as a 20-7 lead. Benedict cut the lead with a 7-1 spurt. FVSU had a 24-14 lead, but Benedict held off by scoring the next two points before the Wildcats scored a kill to end the match.
Benedict and Fort Valley State will have a rematch in Fort Valley, Ga., on Saturday at 3 p.m.
