ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's volleyball team saw its unbeaten start to the 2026 season come to an end Saturday afternoon, falling in four sets to Simpson University (Calif.), 3–1, inside the Knoerle Center.
SMWC (6-1) opened the match with a strong showing, taking the first set 25–22 behind efficient attacking and steady ball control. Simpson (4-3) responded by controlling the tempo over the final three sets, winning 25–19, 25–21 and 25–21 to secure the victory.
Christian Green led the Pomeroys with 10 kills, while
Francesco Tedeschi added eight kills and a team-high two service aces.
Joseph Szadorski chipped in seven kills as SMWC finished the match with 43 kills on a .234 hitting percentage.
At the net,
Noah Boyett paced the defense with three blocks, while
Yammiel Martinez recorded two.
Ethan Ricketts dished out a team-high 18 assists, with
Ethan Martins contributing 15 assists.
Trevin Matsuba anchored the back row with seven digs, followed by Ricketts and
Tyler Duranceau with six apiece.
Simpson posted 49 kills on a .299 hitting percentage, led by Dehryn Brown and Diego Chavez with 14 kills each. David Raffaelli directed the offense with 41 assists for the Red Hawks.