Central State defeats Benedict to advance to SIAC Finals


FORT VALLEY, Georgia - The Central State Marauders beat Benedict in four sets on Thursday to advance to the SIAC Finals.


CSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match with wins of 25-13 and 25-17. BC took the third set, 25-20 before CSU closed out the match with a 25-15 victory in the fourth set.


The CSU offense combined for 47 kills and 14 errors on 117 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .282. BC hitters combined for 38 kills and 24 errors on 124 attacks and finished with a .113 hitting percentage. 


CSU had a balanced attack as the trio of Cameron Lee, D'Aaron McCraney and Ljubisa Novakovic finished with 11 kills each. McCraney also led all blockers with six on the night. Opting to run the offense through two setters, Marcus Franck had 21 assists and Carlos Pinto recorded 20 assists. CSU libero Victor Scherer led all players with 19 digs.


Friday's final will be a rematch of last year's final as the Marauders will attempt to defend their 2022 title against Edward Waters at 1 pm.