MESA, Ariz. — The Soka University men's volleyball team traveled to Arizona for a pair of road matches, falling to Park-Gilbert on Friday and Benedictine Mesa on Saturday. The Lions finished the season 1-18 overall and 0-14 in GSAC play.
Park-Gilbert 3, Soka 0
In one of their most competitive performances of the season, the Lions pushed Park-Gilbert to the wire in all three sets before falling 25–21, 25–21, 25–19.
Soka was locked in from the opening rally, trading leads with the hosts throughout the first two sets. The match featured 14 tie scores and seven lead changes in the first set alone, and 12 ties and five lead changes in the second, a testament to how evenly matched the two teams were. The Lions held their own deep into each set before the hosts found separation late.
Christian Obergfell was exceptional, finishing with 10 kills on a .304 hitting percentage, six block assists, two solo blocks, and six digs for a match-high 15 points.
Kamohoalii Chan matched him with 13 kills, and
Isaac Jeremia added 10 kills of his own, giving the Lions three players in double-digit kills on the night.
Jacob Marquez recorded 26 assists, seven digs, and three block assists.
Corban Tidwell added two block assists as well.
Soka totaled 14 blocks as a team, including two solo blocks and 12 block assists, and held a .167 team hitting percentage across 102 swings, a strong offensive output for the Lions.
Benedictine Mesa 3, Soka 0
The Lions returned the following afternoon and again competed well in a 25–22, 25–22, 25–15 defeat, keeping things close through the first two sets before the hosts pulled away in the third.
Soka jumped out strong in the opening two sets, keeping pace with Benedictine Mesa through the middle stages of each before the hosts separated late. The third set was more difficult, though the Lions showed flashes of their previous day's energy before the match got away from them.
Kamohoalii Chan led the offense again with 11 kills on a .261 hitting percentage and added two service aces.
Christian Obergfell contributed six kills and one solo block, while
Isaac Jeremia added six kills and one service ace.
Corban Tidwell chipped in five kills on a .333 hitting percentage and also added an ace.
Jacob Marquez again steadied the offense with 23 assists. Marquez and Obergfell each contributed defensively, with six and four digs respectively, while Jeremia added five.
Andres Chavez added two block assists at the net.
Soka hit .228 as a team, their second consecutive strong offensive performance, and totaled seven blocks, continuing to show growth as the season heads toward its final stretch.
