SAN MARCOS, Calif. - The men's volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to Saint Katherine tonight.
The first points of tonight for Simpson belonged to a
Jean-Paul James kill.
Simpson tied the game 14-14 on a service error followed by two straight points which included an ace by
Caleb Nishimura.
The Red Hawks and Firebirds jostled late in the first set before a kill by
Flavio Mercado closed out the 25-23 first-set victory to give Simpson the 1-0 match lead.
Saint Katherine scored the first two points of the second set before a kill by
Nathan Richards got Simpson on the board.
Simpson could not overcome the early deficit as they dropped the second set 25-18 to tie the match 1-1.
Deja vu, the Firebirds scored the first two points of the third set before a kill by
Akira Davies put Simpson on the board.
Simpson fell to an early 5-1 deficit before the Red Hawks scored four straight points.
Set three proved to be another thriller as the Red Hawks and Firebirds were deadlocked 18-18.
Three straight points including kills by
Travis Kelly and
Nathan Richards put Simpson up 21-18 late in the third set.
A one-point game saw Simpson go on a 3-1 run to close out the third set victory, 25-22 to grab the 2-1 match lead.
Simpson looked to close out the game in set four but the Firebirds had other plans.
The Firebirds grabbed the 3-2 lead and never looked back. They never relinquished the lead and took set four 25-19 to force a deciding fifth set.
Saint Katherine reached the five-point mark first to begin the fifth set, 5-3.
Simpson pulled within two points late in the fifth set after a kill by James to make the score 11-13.
However, two straight Firebird points closed out the fifth set 15-11 to give Saint Katherine the match victory.
Nathan Richards had a team-high 19 kills to go along with three total blocks.
Jayden Minarcik had a stellar night as he recorded a season and personal-best 47 assists on the night to go along with nine digs.
Simpson looks to bounce back tomorrow as they take on Westcliff University at 6 PM.
