The Benedictine Mesa Women's Volleyball Team started their season strong with back-to-back wins against Indiana Tech (25-22, 25-17, 25-20) and Campbellsville University (25-22, 26-24, 25-19).
 
Match 1: Benedictine Mesa vs. Indiana Tech
In the first set against Indiana Tech, the Redhawks opened with a kill by Railey Druxman. The teams traded points until the Redhawks sparked a 3-point run, highlighted by a kill from Kylie Bartel, leading to an Indiana Tech timeout. Despite a brief comeback by Indiana Tech, Benedictine maintained their lead and secured the set with a kill from Bartel.
 
In the second set, the Redhawks again started strong, taking the first two points. After a back-and-forth exchange, Benedictine went on a series of runs, including a 4-point streak with contributions from Bartel and Jewel Carling. Indiana Tech attempted a comeback but ultimately fell to a kill by Druxman.
 
The third set saw Indiana Tech take their first lead of the match during a 4-point run. However, the Redhawks quickly reclaimed the lead with a 4-point run of their own, driven by kills from Bartel and Druxman and back-to-back aces from Bartel. The Redhawks finished the match with consecutive kills from Gracelynn Nez and Annika Wallace.
 
Match 2: Benedictine Mesa vs. Campbellsville
In their second match against Campbellsville, the Redhawks opened set one with a 3-point run. The teams traded points until Benedictine went on a 4-point run fueled by Campbellsville errors and blocks from Megan Hicks, Carling, and Bartel. Despite a 5-point run by Campbellsville, the Redhawks finished the set with a 4-point run, including a kill from Hailey White and three from Bartel.
 
Set two saw Campbellsville take an early lead, but the Redhawks responded with two 3-point runs to regain control. After a tight exchange, Benedictine tied the set at 23-23 with kills from Druxman and Bartel. Campbellsville reached set point, but the Redhawks closed out with a 3-point run to win the set.
 
In the final set, Campbellsville scored first, but Benedictine responded with a 5-point run. Campbellsville tied the game at 7-7, but the Redhawks regained the lead at 17-15 and extended it with kills from Bartel, Druxman, White, and Carling. Campbellsville made a final push, but Benedictine secured the match with a kill from Druxman and an ace from Vivianna Galvan.
 
Key Players:
Kylie Bartel: 16 kills in both matches, 5 aces in the first game, 1 ace in the second, 12 digs overall.
Railey Druxman: 10 kills in the first game, 15 in the second, 2 aces across both games.
Hailey White: 3 kills in the first game, 6 in the second, 2 blocks in the first game, 5 in the second.
 
Looking Ahead:
On the second day of the Viper Sports Academy Classic, the Redhawks will face St. Thomas University on Saturday, August 17th, at 9:00 AM, followed by a match against Truett McConnell at 1:00 PM.