GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Benedictine University Mesa women's volleyball team split the Labor Day Classic matches defeating Justice College in the first and dropping a five-set thriller to Arizona Christian. The Redhawks defeated the Lions, 25-9,25-11,25-12 for their fifth sweep of the season and lost to the Firestorm, 18-25,22-25,25-14,25-20,13-15, for their first loss of the season. The Redhawks are now 7-1 overall before heading into Cal Pac play.
 
The Redhawks held a 35-to-11 advantage on kills against the Lions and finished with a .355 hitting percentage through three sets. Courtney Ely and freshman Sophie Drollinger both had 9 kills in the match while Amanda Klotz had 7 kills. Drollinger also had 7 service aces and 10 digs to lead the team in both categories.
 
The Redhawks dropped a five-set match to the Firestorm after battling back form a 2-0 deficit. BenU came out firing on all cylinders in the third set to win by 11 points. The Redhawks forced 10 errors on the Firestorm while finishing the third set with 11 kills and a .231 clip. BenU improved in the fourth set with a .273 hitting percentage and landing 14 kills. The fifth set went back and forth but went to the Firestorm, 15-13.
 
Courtney Ely had a career high of 14 kills to lead the Redhawks while Brianna Rivera had 11 kills. Kylie Bartel also hit double digits with 10 kills. Hailey White led the block with 6 blocks and freshman Jewel Carling added four blocks.