VIRGO, Ind. - The men's volleyball squad picked up the trifecta today as they swept their tripleheader in their final day of play at the Showdown in the Woods by defeating Park-Gilbert, Rockford University, and Saint Mary of the Woods College. 

The Red Hawks took care of former Cal Pac rival Park-Gilbert in their first match of the day by handing the Buccaneers a straight set loss. 

Facing an 11-7 deficit in the first set, the Red Hawks reeled off five straight points to reclaim the one-point advantage as Adonijah James Raffaelli posted two kills. 

The Bucs held the 17-16 lead before the Red Hawks went on a game-sealing 9-1 run to take the first set 25-18. 

Diego Chaves, Dehryn Brown, and Adonijah James Raffaelli each posted two kills to anchor the Red Hawks' rally. 

Park began the second set with an early 3-0 lead before the Red Hawks clawed back and took the one-point advantage, 11-10. 

But much like the first set, the Red Hawks scored five straight points to extend their lead to 19-13 while Afatia Thompson Jr. posted a kill and a block. 

Simpson never looked back as they took the second set 25-20 to take the 2-0 set lead. 

The Red Hawks held total control in the third set as they claimed the 5-2 lead on kills by Brown, Thompson Jr., and Chavez, and never looked back as they took the 25-17 set three victory to complete the straight set victory. 

Brown posted a team-high 13 kills while David Raffaelli notched a 30-assist performance. 

Game 2: 

The Red Hawks kept it rolling as they took on Rockford University in their second match of the day. 

A kill by Hudson Clark got the Red Hawks rolling as they jumped out to the commanding 11-3 lead. 

Simpson never let the Lions have any momentum as they took the first set 25-15 on a kill by Chavez. 

Simpson began the second set with three straight points on a kill by Chavez and a solo block by Ben Stuerman to give Simpson the early lead. 

The Red Hawks never relinquished the lead as they scored the final three points of the second set on a Lions service error, a kill by Chase Silveira, and an ace by David Raffaelli to take the 25-16 second set victory. 

The Lions did not go quietly in the third set as they tied the game at 19 before taking the one-point lead, 21-20, on a couple of Red Hawk miscues. 

Simpson answered with two huge back-to-back kills by Thompson Jr. to give Simpson the two-point advantage as they went on to close out the set 25-22 on a kill by Adonijah James Raffaelli. 

Chavez led the team in game two with nine kills, while David Raffaelli posted his second consecutive 30-assist game.

Game 3: 

Simpson looked to stay perfect on the day as they took on Saint Mary of the Woods College in its final game at the Showdown in the Woods. 

The Red Hawks drew first blood on a solo block by Chavez to begin their third game of the day. 

But the Pomeroys held the four-point lead before Simpson tied the game at 18 on a kill by Brown and an ace by Chavez. 

The Pomeroys prevailed as they handed Simpson its first set defeat on the day, 25-21. 

With the score tied at 11 in the second set, the Red Hawks went on a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead as Thompson Jr. notched two kills while Brown and Chavez picked up a kill. 

The Red Hawks countered the Pomeroys as they took the second set 25-19 to even the match score. 

The Red Hawks and Pomeroys battled in the third set to gain the match advantage. 

Simpson faced the one-point deficit before they scored four straight points to take the 21-18 lead on a pair of kills by Adonijah James Raffaelli. 

A huge slam by Brown gave Simpson the match advantage as they sealed the third set victory, 25-21.

The Pomeroys looked to extend the match as they rallied late in the fourth set to pull within two points, 23-21, before Coach Steven Brasher called a crucial timeout. 

An ensuing service error allowed the Red Hawks to move into match point territory as David Raffaelli posted the game-winning solo block to give Simpson the 25-21 fourth set victory. 

Brown and Chavez each posted a team-high 14 kills, while David Raffaelli saved his best game for last as he notched a season-high 41 assists to go along with a team-leading 12 digs. 

With the win, Simpson completed the trifecta on the day as they dropped one set all day to conclude the Showdown in the Woods, going 4-1 as they won four straight games after dropping the opener on Friday. 

Simpson looks to hit the road this week as they take on Pacific Union College this Sunday at 12 pm and 3 pm.  

Be sure to stay up to date and follow us at @simpsonredhawks on Instagram, Facebook, and X.