The Eagles Swept 3 Opponents Including an Upset Against #10 Benedict Mesa

Owensboro, KY - Reinhardt University capped a dominant weekend at KWC with three straight-set victories, highlighted by a big-game sweep of No. 10 Benedictine Mesa on Friday night. The Eagles opened the event with a 3-0 win over St. Ambrose (25-13, 29-27, 25-19) before upsetting nationally ranked Benedictine Mesa 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-23) in the nightcap. Reinhardt then completed the perfect trip Saturday morning by sweeping Judson 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15).

In the opener against St. Ambrose, Reinhardt established control early with a commanding 25-13 win in the first set, fueled by efficient attacking and steady defense. The second set turned into a back-and-forth battle, but the Eagles pulled out a 29-27 win behind a late service ace from Pedro Motta Charamba. Reinhardt closed the match 25-19 in the third, with Quintin Fongbemi delivering the final kill to secure the sweep.

The Eagles finished the first match with 79 total points, powered by 38 kills, three aces and 37 digs. Gabriel Gutierrez paced Reinhardt with 13 points on 12 kills and six digs, while Andrea Forcina added 12.5 points with 11 kills and two blocks to give the Eagles a strong one-two punch at the net. Setter Alex Sanchez anchored the defense with 14 digs and chipped in five assists, and middle blocker Jakub Aniolczyk contributed eight points with six kills and two blocks as Reinhardt out-blocked St. Ambrose 5-1 and forced 27 attack errors.

Reinhardt carried that momentum into Friday's second match, where the Eagles stunned No. 10 Benedictine Mesa with another 3-0 sweep. The opening set set the tone as both sides traded points deep into extra play before Aniolczyk delivered a clutch service ace to clinch the 27-25 win. In the second set, Gutierrez came through with a late kill to finish off a 25-22 victory, and he again closed the door in the third, putting down the final kill in a 25-23 decision that completed the upset.

The Eagles' balance and pressure at the net proved decisive against the ranked Redhawks. Reinhardt totaled 77 points with 37 kills, five aces and 10 blocks, holding Benedictine Mesa to 26 kills and 24 attack errors. Gutierrez again led the way with 13 points on 13 kills and seven digs, while middle blocker Decklan Fongbemi added 8.5 points, including a team-high five blocks and four kills in the sweep. Setter Michele Fassetta directed the attack with 18 assists and added three digs, helping the Eagles control key rallies in each set.

Less than 24 hours later, Reinhardt closed out the event with another efficient performance, sweeping Judson 25-18, 25-18, 25-15 on Saturday morning. The Eagles controlled all three sets, using aggressive serving and a strong block to keep Judson off balance. Reinhardt finished with 75 total points on 30 kills, nine aces and 12 total blocks, while limiting Judson to 23 kills and forcing 29 attack errors. Aniolczyk capped the weekend with a service ace to end the third set and finalize the sweep.

Gutierrez once again paced the attack with 14.5 points, registering 13 kills and five digs in the win over Judson. Aniolczyk added 8.5 points on six kills and three blocks, and Fassetta recorded 11 assists and five digs in another steady effort at setter. Sanchez provided a spark from the service line with four aces to go with four assists and five digs as the Eagles' serve-pass game and blocking presence carried them to a 3-0 weekend.

Across three matches, Reinhardt compiled three sweeps, an upset of a top-10 opponent and consistent production from its core group of attackers and blockers. With Gutierrez leading the offense and a deep supporting cast contributing at the net and from the service line, the Eagles left with significant momentum heading into the next stretch of their schedule.