ANGWIN, Calif. - The men's volleyball squad began conference play tonight as they took on Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA.

The first point of the night belonged to a kill by Akira Davies followed by kills by Francis Gates and Nathan Richards to give Simpson the early 5-3 lead. 

The first set proved to be a thriller with five lead changes as the Pioneers held the 21-20 lead late in the first set. 

But Simpson reeled off three-straight points on two huge blocks by Richards to force a Pioneers timeout and give Simpson the 23-21 lead. 

A kill by Jacob Shelton capped off the 25-23 first-set victory to take the 1-0 match lead. 

With the score tied at six, the Red Hawks scored six unanswered points to take the early 12-6 lead in set two. 

The Red Hawks grabbed the commanding 20-13 lead on kills by Shelton and Davis followed by a kill by Richards to close out the 25-20 set two victory. 

However, the Pioneers came roaring back as they returned the favor and took the third set 25-20 as they held off Simpson's late rally. 

Pacific Union kept the momentum rolling in the fourth set as they took the 21-17 lead before a Simpson timeout. 

The Red Hawks went on a 6-2 run out of the timeout to tie the game at 23 on two kills each by Davies, Richards, and Shelton. 

The fourth set went beyond the standard 25-point mark before the Pioneers closed out a 4-2 run to take the fourth set 27-25. 

The Red Hawks refused to be denied as they jumped out to the early 4-1 lead on blocks by Davies, Richards, and Francis Gates. 

Simpson held the 12-10 lead before they closed out the game on three straight points on a kill by Richards, an ace by Tyce Nakamura, and a solo block by Shelton to complete the five-set thriller. 

Davies had a stellar night hitting the ball as he posted a team-high 20 kills to go along with a phenomenal .405 hitting percentage. 

Richards and Shelton each notched 14 kills each as Gates followed close behind with 11 kills to round out the double-digit kill performances. 

Nakasato played a key role as he picked up 63 assists to go along with 10 digs and two aces. 

Simpson looks to stay hot as they return home to take on UC Merced on Saturday at 4 pm. 
 

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