Benedictine University Mesa men's volleyball showed stretches of grit and high-level execution on Saturday but ultimately fell in straight sets to nationally ranked OUAZ, 25–13, 25–21, 25–22. Set 1: 
OUAZ jumped ahead early, capitalizing on a series of Redhawk attack errors to build a 7–2 lead. Benedictine responded with a block from Travis Kelly and Maurice O'Brien that helped stop the run, and later kills from Russel and Cunningham trimmed the deficit to 10–17.

However, OUAZ's serving pressure and timely transition kills kept BenU from mounting a full comeback. Service errors gave the Redhawks a handful of late points, but OUAZ closed the frame 25–13. Set 2: 
Benedictine came out more organized in Set 2, responding point-for-point after OUAZ opened with a 3–0 run. Kelly and Russel each put down early kills, while the block of Ryder Kelley and Washington sparked momentum and pulled BenU within 5–8.

A big turning point came when the Redhawks trailed 12–20 but answered with eight straight points, powered by three consecutive service aces from Kelley, a Washington kill, and consistent ball control from libero Blake Ross. The surge brought BenU within 20–22, forcing an OUAZ timeout.

Despite the comeback push, OUAZ closed the set on a pair of kills to take it 25–21.

Set 3: 
The Redhawks opened Set 3 with their strongest start of the night. Pressure from the block—featuring Raphael Mkoegue, Russel, and Kelley—ignited a 7–3 BenU lead, forcing OUAZ to burn an early timeout.

Russel continued his standout performance with multiple kills that held the advantage at 9–3 and 16–13. Washington added a pair of key kills to help maintain the lead.

OUAZ responded with a mid-set serving run that tied the match at 17–17. Benedictine kept battling, tying it again at 19–19 on a Washington kill and 21–21 thanks to a Cunningham service ace.

A late OUAZ push, capped by tough serving and transition offense, swung the momentum as the Spirit closed the match 25–22.