The Benedictine Mesa women's volleyball team showed plenty of resilience Friday evening, rallying from a set down on two occasions before ultimately falling to OUAZ, 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-9), in a GSAC matchup at Faith Arena.
OUAZ came out strong in the opening set, hitting .364 as a team and pulling away for a 25-15 victory. Benedictine responded in the second set, using a balanced offensive attack and strong net play to erase an early deficit. The Redhawks closed the frame on a 15-10 run and evened the match with a 25-22 win.
The third set remained tight throughout, but OUAZ used a late push to secure a 25-23 win and regain the match lead. Facing defeat in the fourth, the Redhawks answered again. Benedictine fought through 10 ties and multiple lead changes before surviving set point and scoring two of the final three points to force a decisive fifth set with a 26-24 victory.
In the final set, the Spirit jumped ahead early and used a .500 attack percentage to build separation. Benedictine was unable to close the gap as OUAZ secured the 15-9 win and the match.
Sophie Drollinger paced the Redhawk offense with a match-high 18 kills while adding 16 digs for a double-double.
Kylie Malone contributed 11 kills, while
Marley Cortez added nine kills on a .233 attacking percentage.
Camille Collins anchored the defense at the net with nine block assists as Benedictine finished with 13 team blocks.
