REDDING, Calif. - The men's volleyball team opened its 2024 conference schedule at home against the #7 team in the country Benedictine University. 

The battle of the Red Hawks fell in favor of Ben U as they edged Simpson in a four-set thriller.

The first points of the night belonged to freshman Akira Davies who slammed down a kill to end a 3-0 Ben U run to open the game. 

A kill by Flavio Mercado tied the game at 11 followed by a Mercado service ace gave Simpson its first lead of the game.

The Red Hawks grabbed a commanding 20-15 lead late in the first set after a kill by Davies and back-to-back miscues by Ben U. 

However, a 6-1 Ben U run following a timeout swayed the momentum back in favor of the #7 ranked team in the country as they tied the game at 21. 

But Benedictine held off the Red Hawks as they played beyond the standard 25-point mark and defeated Simpson 26-24 in set one. 

A Davies kill drew first blood in set two followed by a 7-2 Red Hawks run to open the second set. 

Davies earned four out of the seven Red Hawks points with a kill and three service aces. 



A tied game at 17 after a 4-0 Ben U run helped set up another thrilling set. 

Kills by Mercado and Davies with Ben U facing match point pushed it past the standard 25-point mark. 

But Ben U edged the Red Hawks again in set two by the score of 27-25 to grab the 2-0 match lead. 

With its backs against the wall, Simpson clawed its way back with a thrilling set three victory. 

Davies once again put the first points on the board for Simpson in set three. 

Followed by back-to-back kills by Mercado helped Simpson grab the early 5-4 lead. 

The battle of the Red Hawks raged on in the James M. Grant Center as they exchanged rallies back and forth. 



Huge kills by Jacob Shelton and Travis Kelly helped Simpson grab the 16-15 lead mid-way through the third set.

Facing a 26-25 deficit, Simpson reeled off three straight points with kills by Davies and Richards to earn the 28-26 match-three victory. 

Benedictine flexed its muscle in set four as they took the set convincingly 25-16 thanks to a couple of long rallies to earn the hard-fought road victory. 

Flavio Mercado had a huge game with a team-high 14 kills to go along with a solid .355 hitting percentage on the game. 

Nathan Richards had a solid game with 14 kills to go along with a team-high seven digs. 

Akira Davies rounded out the double-digit kill performances with 11 kills to go along with a .304 hitting percentage for the game. 

Jayden Minarcik played a vital role for the Simpson attackers as he registered a season-high 36 assists. 

Simpson continues its two-game home stand tomorrow night when they take on Park-Gilbert University at 6 PM.