COLUMBIA, S.C. – Savannah State volleyball suffered their first loss in two weeks on Tuesday dropping a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) match, 1-3, to Benedict College.

The Lady Tigers fall to 7-11 on the season and 6-8 in the SIAC, while Benedict improved to 11-10 and 3-5 in conference. The loss broke a three-game winning streak for the Lady Tigers.
Savannah State returns to action on Friday with a non-conference home match against Middle Georgia State. First serve in Willcox-Wiley is set for 6 p.m.

Savannah State delivered a commanding performance in the opening set, winning 25-14 and seemed poised to repeat their earlier victory over Benedict this season—a 3-2 win in Tiger Arena on Oct. 11.

Tied at 20 in the second set, Benedict finished up a 5-0 run with a kill from Daija Walton and an SSU error to win the game 25-20 and tie up the match. Benedict carried over the momentum from the second set in a complete rout of SSU in the third set, winning 25-12.

The fourth set opened with a point-for-point trade off through the opening. Benedict broke an all-8 tie with a 9-1 run for a 16-9 lead. SSU fired back late in the set, cutting the home team's lead to 23-20. But the Lady Tigers couldn't hold on as Benedict took the set 25-22, sealing up the match win.

The Lady Tigers were led by Iamni Williamson, who recorded 17 kills on 27 attacks, 3 service aces and 7 digs. Valerai Aldarondo recorded 38 assists in the loss, while Destini Williams led on defense with 10 digs. Senior Jamese Scott led the Lady Tigers at the net with 4 blocks.