The Benedictine Mesa Men's Volleyball team delivered a dominant performance, sweeping Arizona Christian in straight sets with scores of 25-23, 25-15, and 25-20.
Set 1Â
Set 1 was a tightly contested battle filled with momentum swings and standout plays. Benedictine's Dapre Rogers got things started with a kill off a set from John Jakaitis, but an early service error allowed Arizona Christian to level the score. Arizona began to find rhythm behind the strong arm of Connor Monahan and the setting of Josiah Flores, pushing ahead 8-5 after a flurry of kills and a service ace by Brysen Torneanu.
Benedictine responded with a trio of kills—two from Rogers and one from Trevor Weinert—to tie it at 8-8. Arizona countered with more firepower from Korbin Torres, Joel Romero, and Monahan, stretching their lead to 16-13 and forcing a Benedictine timeout. Monahan then added a service ace to make it 17-13.
Benedictine refused to go away. Rogers continued to thrive offensively, and the introduction of Landon Fuller gave the Redhawks a spark. A service ace from Daniel Compton and a late 6-1 run tied the match at 22. Arizona briefly reclaimed the lead with a kill from Flores, but Benedictine answered with a Rogers kill and a clutch service ace from Ben Turcinec to close out the comeback, 25-23.
Set 2Â
Benedictine dominated from the opening whistle in Set 2. Back-to-back kills by Josh Beymer and Rogers, both assisted by Jakaitis, set the tone for what would be a lopsided set. Arizona struggled with errors early, allowing Benedictine to jump ahead 9-2. Rogers was electric during this stretch, tallying a kill, an ace, and taking advantage of Arizona's missteps.
Despite a timeout and several substitutions, Arizona couldn't stem the tide. Brief flashes from Romero and Chiriac offered some resistance, but Benedictine kept the pressure on. Jayden Rodriguez made his presence felt with aggressive play at the net, and a final kill from Weinert wrapped up the set 25-15, putting Benedictine up 2-0.
Set 3Â
Arizona Christian showed fight in Set 3, but Benedictine Mesa was too strong down the stretch. Rogers once again sparked the Redhawks with a kill, an assist, and a service ace to open a 3-0 lead. Arizona quickly answered with a run of their own, fueled by Monahan and aided by a Benedictine miscue, to tie it at 3.
The set remained close through the midpoint, but Arizona edged ahead 10-8. Jakaitis kept Benedictine composed, assisting on a series of kills that helped turn the tide.
Arizona errors at critical moments allowed Benedictine to regain control, flipping a 12-11 deficit into a 14-12 lead. Despite late kills, ACU couldn't contain Fuller and Rogers. After a Jakaitis service error gave Arizona a sliver of hope at 23-20, Rogers responded with a kill, and a block from Rogers and Beymer sealed the match, 25-20.
Key Players – Benedictine Mesa
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return to action on the road as they face OUAZ at 6 PM for their last regular season game.
