Benedictine Mesa shook off a slow start and surged past La Sierra on Friday afternoon, 3–1, riding a wave of blocks, timely serving, and balanced attacking to close out the final three sets in convincing fashion.

After La Sierra controlled the opening frame behind a flurry of pressure from the pins and the service line, the Redhawks recalibrated. Benedictine's response in Set 2—sparked by middle presence from Raphael Mkpegue and high-efficiency swings from Ryder Kelley—flipped the match's momentum. From there, the Redhawks leaned on their depth: Chase Jensen and Maurice O'Brien entered and made an immediate impact, while setter John Jakaitis kept the offense humming and the block in rhythm. How It Happened
Set 1 – La Sierra 25, Benedictine 18
Benedictine traded points early as Travis Kelly and Tucker Cunningham registered kills and combined on multiple blocks, but La Sierra's mid-set push stretched a tight frame into separation (from 11–13 to 12–18). A strong blocking sequence from Riley Hurdiss and terminal swings by Tucker Ellis helped the Golden Eagles close the opener, 25–18.

Set 2 – Benedictine 25, La Sierra 23
The Redhawks answered with grit. Trailing 8–12 after a run fueled by Ellis at the line, Benedictine steadied behind Mkpegue at the net—stuffing attacks and finishing in transition—to tie it at 12–12 and then nudge ahead 13–12. Down the stretch, the serve/receive game turned: Carson Lee delivered a clutch ace to put Benedictine up 21–20, and O'Brien and Mkpegue produced key sideouts. A late defensive stand on La Sierra's right side sealed the set, 25–23.

Set 3 – Benedictine 25, La Sierra 22
Jensen ignited the third with a kill on the first ball and helped build a 3–0 start, while Kelly and Ethan Russel teamed up for back-to-back blocks to make it 3–0 and 4–1. O'Brien's terminal swings on the left pin and Mkpegue's quicks through the middle stretched the margin to 13–7. La Sierra trimmed it late behind Matthew King and Ellis, but Benedictine's first-ball sideout held firm, and the Redhawks closed it out at 25–22.

Set 4 – Benedictine 25, La Sierra 16
The Redhawks saved their most complete frame for last. A dominant blocking wall—Kelly/Ethan Russel and Kelly/Chase Jensen—stacked early points. Mkpegue capped a multi-point run with a service ace for 18–10, and Benedictine never looked back. O'Brien and Jensen continued to terminate in-system, and Jakaitis' tempo kept La Sierra's block guessing. A final swing from Mkpegue ended it convincingly, 25–16.