ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – The Soka University men's volleyball team competed in a pair of home matches, taking on Park–Gilbert (AZ) on Friday, March 6 before returning to the court on Saturday, March 7 against Benedictine Mesa (AZ).
 
Park–Gilbert 3, Soka 1
Soka opened the weekend with a four-set contest against Park–Gilbert, with the Buccaneers taking the match 25-17, 25-18, 20-25, 25-18.

Park–Gilbert finished the match hitting .250 with 52 kills, while Soka totaled 31 kills on a .027 hitting percentage.

Soka showed resilience in the third set, putting together its strongest offensive frame of the night with 11 kills and a .182 hitting percentage to claim the set 25-20 and extend the match.

Offensively, Isaac Jeremia led the Lions with nine kills while adding eight digs. Kamohoalii Chan contributed eight kills and two service aces, and Christian Obergfell added six kills.

Setter Jacob Marquez directed the offense with 24 assists while also recording five kills and contributing at the net with two solo blocks and three block assists. The Lions recorded nine total blocks as a team, with additional contributions coming from Jeremia, Chan, and Obergfell. Defensively, Jeremia and Chan each recorded eight digs, helping the Lions total 34 digs as a team.

Benedictine Mesa 3, Soka 0
Soka returned to the court the following afternoon but fell to Benedictine Mesa in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-17.

Benedictine Mesa hit .242 with 40 kills in the match. Soka recorded 20 kills and a .053 hitting percentage.

Corban Tidwell led the Lions with six kills while hitting .308 and also added a service ace and a solo block. Kamohoalii Chan and Christian Obergfell each contributed four kills.

Marquez again led the offense with 14 assists and added two service aces and four block assists. As a team, the Lions totaled six blocks in the match, with contributions from Andres Chavez, Chan, Tidwell, and Obergfell helping Soka generate points at the net. On defense, Yuko Jitoho paced the Lions with eight digs, while Jeremia added five digs.
 
Despite the results, Soka showed moments of strong play throughout the weekend, including improved attacking in the later sets and solid defensive stretches that kept rallies competitive against both opponents.
 
Up next, the Lions will host Simpson University at home on March 10 with the first serve set for 6:00 p.m. They will finish the week in Arizona with back-to-back matches at OUAZ (Friday, March 13, 6:00 p.m.) and Arizona Christian (Saturday, March 14, 1:00 p.m.)