Benedictine Mesa showcased resilience and depth Tuesday night, edging out no. 11 Ottawa in a thrilling five-set men's volleyball showdown. The Redhawks claimed the match by set scores of 25–19, 23–25, 25–14, 22–25, 17–15.

Set 1
Benedictine opened the contest with control and composure, jumping out to an early lead behind the connection of John Jakaitis setting up Raphael Mkpegue, Rylon Raczka, and Travis Kelly. A strong blocking presence from Kelly and Maurice O'Brien helped fuel multiple scoring runs as the Redhawks pulled away late to take the opening set, 25–19.

Set 2
OUAZ responded with a much more aggressive approach in the second set, using strong service runs from Horatio Maumasi and balanced attacking from Caeden Salmen and Treven Clizbe to keep pressure on Benedictine. Despite Benedictine holding a late lead, the Spirit rallied behind a late surge to steal the set, 25–23, evening the match at one set apiece.

Set 3
Benedictine reasserted momentum in the third set with one of its most complete performances of the night. Mkpegue opened with an early service ace, while Raczka and Ethan Russel powered the offense. Defensive pressure at the net limited OUAZ's attack options, allowing Benedictine to build a commanding advantage and close the set convincingly, 25–14.

Set 4
Facing elimination, OUAZ came out firing in the fourth. The Spirit raced to an early lead behind strong defense and clutch scoring from Salmen and Thomas Plaskett. Benedictine battled back to tie the set midway, but OUAZ answered every run and closed out the frame, 25–22, forcing a decisive fifth set.

Set 5
The final set featured nonstop momentum swings and high-pressure rallies. Both teams traded points deep into extra play, with neither side able to create separation. Benedictine leaned on composure down the stretch as Kelly, Russel, and O'Brien delivered key kills. A late Redhawk run sealed the match, 17–15, completing the hard-fought victory.