ASHLAND, Ore. - The women's volleyball team kicked off its 2024 season at the Southern Oregon University Raider Invitational today as they took on host school SOU at 10 am. 

Simpson faced a tough task from the get-go as they battled the #10 ranked SOU squad in the nation. 

The Raiders grabbed the early 2-0 lead before a 6-2 Red Hawks run gave SU the 6-4 advantage on kills by Katie Graham and Tiara Manns. 

However, a 14-7 Raider run gave them a commanding 19-13 lead followed by a Manns kill out of a Simpson timeout. 

The Raiders went on to close out the first set 25-13 to grab the 1-0 match advantage. 

But SOU kept the momentum rolling as they grabbed the commanding 12-1 lead in the second set as a kill by Graham helped put Simpson on the board. 

Set two proved to be all SOU as they won convincingly 25-8 to take the 2-0 match lead. 

But the Red Hawks did not go quietly as a kill by sophomore Mariah Napoleon got Simpson on the board early in the third set. 

The Red Hawks and Raiders tussled back and forth as two straight kills by Napoleon pulled Simpson within two as they faced a 13-11 deficit. 

An 8-2 Rider run helped create some breathing room as they grabbed the 21-13 lead. 

A few Raider errors combined with Napoleon's fifth kill of the third set caped off Simpson's comeback efforts as they fell 25-17. 

Mariah Napoleon had a solid first game in her second year as she had a team-high seven kills to go along with a .538 hitting percentage. 

Sierra Murphy, Tataryn Mackenzie, and Abigail Shackelford combined for 19 assists with Murphy recording a team-high 11. 

Simpson looked to bounce back in its second game of the day against #12-ranked Corban University. 

The Red Hawks drew first blood on a Warrior error to take the early lead. 

Back-to-back kills by Mariah Napoleon and Tiara Manns gave Simpson the early 6-3 lead. 

The Red Hawks and Warriors went back and forth as they exchanged rallies. 

With the game tied at 17, the Warriors created some breathing room as they reeled off five straight points.

Simpson rallied back late as they went on a 4-1 run which included a kill by Manns to pull Simpson within two points late in the first set. 

However, the Warriors closed out the first set with back-to-back points to take set one 25-21. 

But the Warriors could not be contained as they won sets two and three convincingly as they won 25-14 in both sets. 

Dani Rydjord and Katie Graham both registered two kills a piece in the second set while Napoleons notched two kills in the third set. 

Tataryn Mackenzie had a solid game as she notched a team-high five assists and six digs. 

Simpson looks to bounce back tomorrow as they take on Bellevue at 11 AM.