ASHLAND, Ore. - The Red Hawks dropped the final game of the Raider Invitational to College of Saint Mary (NE) in straight sets: 27-25, 25-23, and 25-9.
The Red Hawks and Flames met for the first time in program history; the Flames entered play with a split on the first day against No. 22 SOU and No. 19 Bushnell.
Simpson reclaimed the late lead in the first set on a 6-1 run.
Tiara Manns and Luise Oliveira each posted a kill while
Kimora McKechnie posted two blocks.
But the Flames countered with two straight points before closing out the 27-25 first set thriller on back-to-back hitting errors by the Red Hawks.
The second set proved to be another thriller as the Red Hawks rallied late for three straight points to tie the game at 23 as the Flames committed three straight errors.
A timeout by the Flames shifted the momentum as they claimed two straight points on back-to-back kills by Aubree Davis and Addy Palmer to close out the 25-23 second set victory.
But the Flames proved too much as they began the third set with a 15-3 lead, as they closed out the straight-set victory with a 25-9 victory.
Louise Oliveira led the offense with nine kills to go along with a .368 hitting percentage on the game.
Mariah Napoleon led the defense with 12 digs while adding seven kills and one block.
Ella Perry and
Brooke Sarahina combined for 27 assists at the setter spot, and
Olivia Ferguson added three total blocks.
The Red Hawks came up empty this weekend as they took on some of the nation's premier teams, which included No. 22 Southern Oregon and No. 19 Bushnell.
Mariah Napoleon led the team over the weekend with 42 kills, with transfer
Louise Oliveira following close behind with 33 kills, to go along with a team-best .259 hitting percentage.
Brooke Sarahina and Freshman
Ella Perry shared the load at the setter spot, with Sarahina posting 61 assists and Perry adding 54 assists.
Brooklyn Jimenez led the defense with 41 digs, while
Kimora McKechnie added seven total blocks, and
Olivia Ferguson added six blocks.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Tuesday in SoCal as they take on West Coast Baptist on at 5 pm.
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