The Benedictine Mesa Men's Volleyball Team won both of their matches on Saturday, defeating Viterbo in three sets and Jamestown in four.

Match 1: Benedictine Mesa vs. Viterbo

Benedictine Mesa delivered a strong offensive and defensive performance, achieving 39 kills with a hitting percentage of .216. Trevor Weinert led the team with an impressive .667 hitting percentage, totaling 12 kills on 15 attempts, along with three blocks and 13.5 points. Rylon Raczka contributed eight kills and five digs for a total of 10.5 points, despite a .158 hitting percentage.

Daniel Compton added seven kills and two blocks, hitting .333 while also recording two service aces and six digs for 9.0 points. Ben Turcinec had five kills but struggled with seven errors, finishing with a -.091 hitting percentage; however, he contributed two service aces and five digs. Travis Kelly chipped in three kills and five digs, totaling 5.5 points.

Defensively, Blake Ross stood out with 14 digs, three assists, and two service aces. Alberto Fontanabona led in distribution with 16 assists, adding four digs, two blocks, and one kill. Yajnesh Kumar-Naicker and Jayden Minarcik also made significant contributions, with Kumar-Naicker recording three kills and Minarcik adding 16 assists.

Despite some costly errors, the team's balanced effort kept them competitive throughout the match. The Redhawks won with set scores of 31-29, 25-7, and 25-16.

Match 2: Benedictine Mesa vs. Jamestown

Set 1: Benedictine Mesa secured a tightly contested 25-20 victory over Jamestown. After an early lead aided by a UJ attack error, both teams exchanged points. Landon Fuller and Ben Turcinec played key offensive roles, with Fuller delivering several kills set up by John Jakaitis. Strong plays from Tomasz Swiderski and Gabriel Ocasio kept UJ competitive, but service errors hindered their momentum. Dapre Rogers and Trevor Weinert made crucial blocks to stifle UJ's attack. Turcinec sealed the set with a decisive kill assisted by Jakaitis.

Set 2: In the second set, Benedictine Mesa dominated, winning 25-16. They started strong with a kill from Fuller, assisted by Jakaitis, and quickly capitalized on UJ's attack errors. Fuller delivered a service ace to extend the lead, while Jakaitis facilitated key kills for Turcinec, Weinert, and Rogers. Despite a brief rally from UJ, errors and strong serving from Rogers and Fuller widened the gap. A service error momentarily delayed the win, but a subsequent UJ error sealed the set for BENU.

Set 3: The third set was intense, with BENU falling 25-21. Ethan Hoffert opened the scoring for BENU, but UJ regained momentum with kills from Swiderski. Both teams exchanged points, but UJ's series of service aces from Gaven Hackley pushed the score to 19-24. BENU fought back, but UJ sealed the set.

Set 4: BENU responded with a strong 25-21 victory in the fourth set. An attack error from UJ gave BENU an early lead, and they maintained momentum with key contributions from Dapre Rogers and Ben Turcinec. As the set approached its climax, BENU demonstrated resilience, concluding with a block by Josh Beymer and Jakaitis.

Key Players:

• Trevor Weinert: 12 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs
• Rylon Raczka: 8 kills, 5 digs, 10.5 points
• Dapre Rogers: 12 kills, 2 aces, 4 blocks, 6 digs
• Landon Fuller: 13 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks, 7 digs

Looking Ahead:
The Redhawks return to action on Sunday, February 9, against Westcliff at home.