| Box Score 3 Men's Volleyball Claims First NAIA-Era Victory
 
La Sierra University closed out its three-match Northern California road trip with a landmark result Monday night, earning the program's first victory of the NAIA era by outlasting Simpson (CA) 3-2 in Redding (22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 14-25, 15-13). The Golden Eagles won despite being out-hit .243 to .135 and trailing in kills (50-46) and digs (40-37), answering in key moments with 46 kills, eight aces, 43 assists, 37 digs, and seven total block points. La Sierra overcame 29 attack errors and 19 service errors by applying steady serve pressure and capitalizing on Simpson miscues—especially late, as the Red Hawks finished with 25 service errors.

Tucker Ellis delivered the tone-setting performance of the match, finishing with a match-high 19.0 points on 15 kills (38 swings), four aces, and five digs, then ending the night with the clinching kill at 14-13 in the fifth. Matthew King was efficient in the middle with 12 kills on 24 attempts for a .333 hitting percentage, helping La Sierra stay balanced offensively. Simpson was led by Jacob Shelton (16.0 points on 12 kills and three blocks), with Dehryn Brown and Akira Davies adding 12 kills apiece, but late errors proved costly in the deciding set.

The breakthrough win came after a challenging start to the trip. On Saturday, UC Merced spoiled La Sierra's NAIA-era opener with a 3-0 sweep in Merced (25-14, 25-14, 25-18). La Sierra struggled to find an offensive rhythm against UC Merced's balanced attack and heavy serving pressure, hitting .054 with 19 attack errors, while the hosts produced 35 kills, eight aces, a .329 hitting percentage, and a 9-5 edge in blocks.

On Sunday, La Sierra showed its resilience by pushing Pacific Union to the brink in Angwin before falling just short in five sets, 3-2 (19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-18, 14-16). After dropping the first two sets, the Golden Eagles tightened defensively and found rhythm offensively to win sets three and four by identical 25-18 scores, forcing a fifth before Pacific Union escaped 16-14 in a match separated by a single point overall (102-101). La Sierra totaled 43 kills, five aces, and six blocks, but was hampered by unforced errors - lessons that ultimately fed into Monday's poised finish and historic win at Simpson.

La Sierra men's volleyball now turns its attention to its next match on February 26, when the Golden Eagles return to Alumni Pavilion for their GSAC home opener against Hope International University.