REDDING, Calif. - The women's volleyball squad finished its three-game homestand tonight as they took on La Sierra University. 

The Red Hawks and Golden Eagles took part in a five-set thriller late Saturday night. 

Katie Graham put the first points of the night on the board with a kill as Simpson jumped out to the early 7-2 lead. 

Graham notched three kills to go along with a block with Abigail Shackelford while Mariah Napoleon picked up two kills. 

Simpson continued to roll as they took the 15-6 lead on an 8-1 run that included a kill by Shackelford, two aces by Napoleon, and two kills by Mallory Swenson to go along with a block with Dani Rydjord. 

Simpson took the commanding 23-14 lead on an ace by Graham as they closed out the first set 25-17 victory. 

The Golden Eagles jumped out to the early 4-0 lead before Graham put Simpson on the board to start the second set. 

La Sierra took the 14-6 lead before the Red Hawks began to chip away from the eight-point deficit. 

The Red Hawks pulled within one after a kill from Tiara Manns as they went on a 6-2 run. 

Simpson pulled within two late in the second half on a block by Manns and Graham. 

But the Golden Eagles prevailed and took the second set 25-22 to tie the match. 

Simpson looked to bounce back as they took the early 4-0 lead as they exchanged rallies. 



Facing a two-point deficit, the Red Hawks went on a 9-1 run to take the third set 25-19. 

Madison Kammuller posted three aces while Manns and Swenson each picked up kills. 

The fourth set proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions as both teams went back and forth in a set that went beyond the standard 25-point mark. 

Simpson had the opportunity to close out the game on three different occasions as they had match-point opportunities. 

However, the Golden Eagles flipped the script and scored three unanswered points to take the fourth set 29-27 to force a fifth and final set. 

Simpson looked to close the door in the fifth set as they jumped out to the early 5-0 lead as Graham notched two kills and a block while Mackenzie Tataryn picked up an ace. 

However, the Golden Eagles battled back as they took the 10-8 lead on a 10-3 run. 

A huge kill by Graham tied the game at 13 but the Golden Eagles scored two straight points to take the fifth set 15-13 to claim the 3-2 match victory. 

Katie Graham had a tremendous night as she posted a team-high 17 kills and nine total blocks to go along with a .406 hitting percentage. 

Mallory Swenson had a big night as well as she notched a team-high 17 kills to go along with two blocks. 

Abigail Shackelford and Mackenzie Tataryn combined for 38 assists and 10 digs. 

Madison Kammuller had a huge night on defense as she picked up 26 digs to go along with three aces. 

With the loss, UC Merced has clinched the #1 seed in the Cal Pac standings as they hold a one-game lead over La Sierra for the second spot. 

Simpson looks to be back in action on the road this Thursday at Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA.