Benedictine University Mesa opened play with a dominant performance Friday, defeating Lake Forest College in straight sets, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22.
In the opening set, the Redhawks seized control early behind kills from Marley Cortez, Kylie Malone, and Addy Green. A 6-1 run helped BENU build a comfortable lead, and the advantage grew to 20-13 following a kill from Camille Collins. Lake Forest rallied late, cutting the deficit to 21-19, but Benedictine responded with four of the final five points. Malone recorded a kill to set up set point before a Lake Forest bad set sealed the 25-19 victory.
The second set featured a stronger challenge from the Foresters as Lake Forest built an early 4-2 lead. Benedictine quickly answered behind a string of points from Drollinger and Malone to regain the advantage. The teams traded points throughout the middle portion of the set before kills from Marley Cortez, Addy Green, and Drollinger helped BENU establish a 24-20 cushion. Lake Forest fought off two set points, but an attack error by the Foresters ended the set at 25-22 and put the Redhawks ahead 2-0.
Lake Forest once again started quickly in the third set, taking an 8-6 lead and later holding a narrow 18-18 tie. Benedictine responded with one of its strongest stretches of the match. Addy Green delivered a key kill before Drollinger took over from the service line, recording back-to-back service aces as the Redhawks scored three consecutive points to move ahead 21-18. After Lake Forest closed within two points, Benedictine maintained its composure. An ace from Adina Ortiz and a late kill from Kylie Malone helped the Redhawks close out the match with a 25-22 third-set win.
Malone paced the Redhawk attack with several key kills across all three sets, while Drollinger contributed offensively and added crucial service aces late in the third set. Cortez, Collins, Green, and Wilson each played significant roles in helping Benedictine control the match offensively and at the net.
