REDDING, Calif. - The men's volleyball squad returned home tonight as they took on its second consecutive DII opponent, Jessup University. 

The boys are coming off a loss in its season opener yesterday as they took on Menlo College in Atherton, CA. 

The Warriors jumped out to the early 3-0 lead before a kill by Nathan Richards got Simpson on the board. 

Two kills by Flavio Macado and a block by Jacob Shelton pulled Simpson within one as they trailed 6-5. 

Jessup took the commanding 18-10 lead before Simpson reeled off four straight points to pull within four on a trio of Warrior misplays combined with a setter dump.

Simpson's last gasp came late in the first quarter on back-to-back attacking errors by the Warriors capped off by an ace by Nakasato. 

However, the Warriors took the 1-0 match lead as they took the 25-19 first-set victory. 

Simpson took its first lead of the second set on an ace by Akira Davies and later regained the lead midway through the second set as they scored three unanswered points on Warrior errors to take the 12-11 advantage. 

The Warriors and Red Hawks battled in a tightly played second set as kills by Kaleb Cui tied the game at 15 and a block by Shelton tied the game at 18. 

Facing a two-point deficit the Red Hawks tied the game at 20 on a huge block by Richards and a kill by Mercado. 

But the Warriors closed out the second set on a 5-1 run to take the 2-0 match lead. 

However, the Red Hawks did not go quietly as they jumped out to the early 5-2 lead as Mercado notched a kill and a solo block. 

The Warriors regained the lead before the Red Hawks rallied for three straight points on a kill by Davies, an ace by Nakasato, and a block by Shelton. 

Facing a one-point deficit, 20-19, the Red Hawks capped off the third set on a vital 6-2 run. 

Davies picked up a kill to tie the game and a huge solo block before a hitting error by the Warriors ended the third set. 

The Red Hawks and Warriors continued to play each other strong in a thrilling fourth set that saw five different lead changes. 

Facing match point, a kill by Mercado and an ace by Tyce Nakamura pulled Simpson with two before the Warriors slammed down the game-ending kill. 

Mercado and Davies combined for 17 kills to go along with 10 digs while Jacob Shelton posted a team-high four total blocks. 

Mercado is now the All-Time career kills leader in program history with 512 as he surpassed Christian Murry. 

Simpson looks to hit the road as they take part in the Jamestown Invitational next weekend. 

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