REDDING, Calif. – Sophomore Alessandro Spendolini registered a match-high 12 kills and the Hope International men's volleyball team hit a season-best .415 in a straight sets victory against Simpson on Wednesday at the James M. Grant Center.
Set scores went 25-21, 25-20, 25-23.
The Royals earned their first win of the season in improving to 1-5. The Red Hawks dropped to 6-6.
Spendolini hit .476 (12-2-21), while Jah'mi Jeter added nine kills on .375 (9-3-16) efficiency.
Benjamin Antonio handed out 22 assists, while Sam D'Ambrosio had 11. Jeter led the Royals defensively with four blocks (one solo) and six digs.
It was back-and-forth in set one as the two teams battled through 10 ties. The Royals clung to a 13-12 lead and managed to create some separation with a 5-1 run. Sean Seaman's kill gave HIU an 18-13 lead.
The Red Hawks closed to within 19-17 on a Diego Chavez service ace. But two straight Spendolini kills gave HIU a 22-19 lead. Simpson sliced the deficit to 23-21, but HIU closed the set with back-to-back kills from Jeter and Seaman for the 25-21 victory.
HIU hit .500 (16-4-24) in set one, while Simpson swung at a .333 (13-4-27) clip.
The Royals continued to connect at a high rate in set two, hitting a torrid .471 (10-2-17). Similar to set one, the two teams logged eight ties in the early going. Tied at 8-8, the Royals scored three of the next four points – two on Spendolini kills – to take an 11-9 lead.
The Red Hawks trimmed the deficit to 12-11, but Jeter teamed with Hugo Gonzalez Gutierrez and Seaman on consecutive assisted blocks, as part of a 3-0 mini-run that opened up a 15-11 advantage.
The Royals maintained their lead throughout. Utilizing another 3-0 run, Seaman and Spendolini stuffed Afatia Thompson Jr. to go up 20-14. HIU reached set point at 24-17, and although Simpson notched three straight points, a Red Hawk service error ended the set in favor of the Royals.
HIU trailed early in set three by a 4-3 score, but utilized a 6-2 run to grab a 9-6 lead. The Royals yielded a 4-0 run to Simpson as the home team tied the set at 16-16, but they regained a two-point lead thanks to a service error and Travis Donahue ace.
Simpson took a 21-20 lead on a Chavez kill, but Jeter responded with two straight putaways, and Donahue and Antonio combined for a block to hand the Royals a 23-21 lead.
Spendolini concluded his effective performance with kills to give HIU points 24 and 25, as the visitors pulled out the 25-23 triumph.
Akira Davies led Simpson with eight kills.
The Royals continue their northern California roadtrip on Friday at Menlo. The match begins at 6:00 p.m.
