The Benedictine Mesa Women's Volleyball team fell to OUAZ in four sets, with final scores of 20-25, 24-26, 25-11, and 19-25.
In the first set, Benedictine Mesa got off to a rocky start, trailing 0-5 after a series of early kills and service aces from the Spirit. A timeout helped the team regroup, with players like Kylie Bartel and Hailey White leading a brief comeback to close the gap to 4-8. Despite spirited play from Megan Hicks and timely kills from Railey Druxman, Benedictine struggled to keep pace as OUAZ's aggressive serves maintained the pressure. Late kills from White and Bartel narrowed the score to 19-23, but OUAZ ultimately took the set 25-20.
The second set saw Benedictine Mesa fighting hard and showing resilience. They rallied from an early deficit, tying the game at 7-7 after a service ace from Annika Wallace. Capitalizing on attack errors by OUAZ and kills from Druxman and Bartel, the Redhawks took the lead and pushed the score to 21-20. OUAZ managed to regain control, reaching 24-22, but Benedictine tied it at 24-24 with strong kills from Gracelynn Nez. However, OUAZ closed out the set 26-24 after a service ace.
Benedictine dominated the third set, winning 25-11. Strong play from Druxman and Bartel, combined with defensive blocks by Nez and White and strategic setting from Wallace, helped Benedictine build an early lead that OUAZ couldn't overcome. Despite timeouts by OUAZ to regroup, the Redhawks kept up their momentum, sealing the set with a service ace from Wallace and a series of kills by Bartel.
In the fourth set, Benedictine Mesa fought hard, with Druxman and Bartel's standout performances keeping the Redhawks competitive. After an early 0-4 setback, they tied the score at 9-9. Although OUAZ pulled ahead again after a timeout, Benedictine's late surge—including forced errors from OUAZ—narrowed the gap. Despite their efforts, OUAZ's Katy Shockey clinched the set with a final kill, ending it 25-19 in favor of OUAZ.
Key Players:
Looking Ahead:Â The Redhawks return to action on Friday, November 8th, facing Park-Gilbert on the road in their final regular season game.
