Benedictine University Mesa women's volleyball picked up its first victories of the season in dramatic fashion, edging Bushnell University (OR) in five sets before powering past Simpson University (CA) in four on Saturday.

Redhawks Outlast Bushnell in Five-Set Battle
In a back-and-forth clash, the Redhawks fought through momentum swings to claim a hard-earned 3–2 victory (19–25, 25–22, 25–22, 17–25, 17–15).

Bushnell controlled the opening set, taking advantage of Benedictine errors to secure a 25–19 win. The Redhawks responded in set two behind serving runs from Adina Ortiz and key swings from Sophie Drollinger and Camille Collins, pulling even with a 25–22 win.

Momentum carried into the third frame as Benedictine jumped out to a 7–1 lead behind Railey Druxman's offense. Though Bushnell made a late push, the Redhawks held firm to take the set 25–22. The Beacons answered with a dominant 25–17 fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth.

In the winner-take-all frame, Benedictine showed resilience. A 10–7 lead was fueled by kills from Drollinger and Collins and an ace from Vivianna Galvan. Bushnell rallied to tie the score at 14–14, but the Redhawks delivered in the clutch—Druxman slammed down a key kill, followed by a Galvan finish and a Druxman ace to seal the 17–15 victory.

Redhawks Roll Past Simpson
Benedictine carried its momentum into the second match of the day, overcoming a slow start to defeat Simpson 3–1 (15–25, 25–20, 25–16, 25–12).

After dropping the opener, the Redhawks found their rhythm in set two. Behind Galvan's distribution, Drollinger and Druxman provided the offensive spark, while BelleRose Branconier's late kill secured a 25–20 win.

Set three saw Benedictine dominate at the net, with Druxman leading a decisive run and Collins and Branconier contributing big blocks in a 25–16 win. The Redhawks then turned in their sharpest performance of the night in the fourth, storming to a 25–12 finish to close out the match.

Standout Performers

• Railey Druxman: 17 kills, 4 aces, 14 digs vs. Bushnell; 17 kills, 2 aces, 7 digs vs. Simpson

• Sophie Drollinger: Career-high 21 kills and 16 digs vs. Bushnell; 8 kills, 4 aces, 6 digs vs. Simpson

• Adina Ortiz: 3 aces, 9 digs vs. Bushnell; 2 aces, 16 digs vs. Simpson

• Vivianna Galvan: 37 assists, 3 aces, 7 digs vs. Bushnell; 33 assists, 5 digs vs. Simpson

Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return home on August 28 for their season opener, hosting Haskell Indian Nations and Simpson in a doubleheader.