COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kai Harris recorded 14 kills, and
Clark Atlanta won three consecutive sets after dropping the opener to defeat
Benedict 17-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19 on Friday at HRC Arena.
The Lady Panthers improved to 17-9 overall and 9-8 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Benedict fell to 12-11 overall and 8-9 in the SIAC.
Harris led Clark Atlanta in kills and added seven digs and two service aces.
Brianna Little paced the Lady Panthers with a .545 hitting percentage, recording seven kills and one error on 11 attempts.
Antonique Coleman,
Carmella Jones and
Reagan Gatlin also finished with seven kills apiece, with Coleman hitting .375.
Sydney Ray directed the offense with a match-high 30 assists and added nine digs and one ace. Jones led Clark Atlanta with 10 digs and tied Little for the team lead with three blocks. Both recorded one solo block and two block assists.
Jayanna Shannon supplied a team-high three service aces.
Clark Atlanta finished with 44 kills, 34 assists, 49 digs, seven aces and six team blocks. The Lady Panthers hit .261, including .400 in the third set and .357 in the fourth, while holding Benedict to a .141 hitting percentage.
Clark Atlanta built a 10-7 lead in the opening set, aided by consecutive Harris aces and another from Shannon. Benedict answered with seven straight points to take a 14-10 advantage and maintained the lead the rest of the way. The Lady Tigers hit .382 with 17 kills to claim the opener, 25-17.
The Lady Panthers responded in the second set, moving ahead 13-8 during a three-point stretch that included a Harris kill and a Ray ace. Benedict later cut the deficit to 18-16, but Clark Atlanta scored five of the next six points to extend its lead to 23-17. Harris delivered a late kill before Gatlin and Little combined for a block to secure the 25-19 victory and even the match.
In the third set, Clark Atlanta erased an early 4-1 deficit with six consecutive points. Gatlin supplied three kills during the run, Jones added another, and Coleman and Jones teamed for a block to help establish a 7-4 lead.
The Lady Panthers maintained control and later used a five-point run to stretch an 18-15 advantage to 23-15. Jones began the run with a kill, Gatlin added another, and Coleman delivered consecutive kills to cap the stretch. Harris finished the set with a kill as Clark Atlanta took a 2-1 match lead.
Clark Atlanta overcame a 7-3 deficit in the fourth set and later broke a 12-12 tie with eight consecutive points. Harris and Little each recorded two kills during the run, while
Sawyer Arbuckle added another to help the Lady Panthers build a 20-12 lead.
Benedict responded with five straight points to pull within 20-17, but a Harris kill halted the rally. Arbuckle followed with a kill, and a Benedict attack error pushed Clark Atlanta's lead to 23-17. Jones later brought the Lady Panthers to match point with a kill before Coleman's kill off a Ray assist sealed the victory.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) headquartered in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.