Several Regis Teams in Action During Regis Fest
WESTON, Mass. – Once again, the annual Regis Fest weekend has arrived, celebrating the family, friends, alumni, and students of Regis College. On Saturday, Sept. 29, six Pride athletic teams will be hosting official competitions on campus, including five squads with conference contests on the docket.
10 a.m. – Women's Volleyball vs. Simmons – Higgins Court
The Regis women's volleyball team, 8-5 overall and 1-2 in the GNAC, is coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Lasell Wednesday evening in which the Pride won the first two sets and were serving for the match in the third set at 24-23. Simmons lost in a similar fashion Thursday night, winning the first two sets before dropping the next three to UMass Boston. The Sharks are 5-8 overall and 1-1 within the GNAC.
Players to Watch:
Regis – Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) became the Pride's all-time kills leader with her 675th career kill during the fourth set Wednesday night. Now she has a year and a half to add to her record total.
Simmons – The Sharks lead the GNAC as a team in service aces per set (2.83), with Riley Roberge leading the conference individually with 0.79 aces per set. Up front, Amanda Fortune is fourth in the league with a .318 hitting percentage as she is second on the team with 103 kills, plus she leads Simmons with 28 total blocks.
11 a.m. – Field Hockey vs. Johnson & Wales – Regis Stadium
After a 4-0 loss to Thomas College Tuesday night in which three of the goals were scored in a four-minute span late in the game while Regis was shorthanded, the Pride defeated Albertus Magnus, 8-1, Thursday evening to improve to 2-5 overall, including 1-1 within the league. Johnson & Wales is 1-6 overall, including 0-2 in the GNAC, after losing to Wheaton Tuesday, 6-1.
Players to Watch:
Regis – Yvonne Abate (Easton, Mass.) took over the team's scoring lead with seven points after two goals and one assist against Albertus Magnus Thursday. One of this year's captains, Abate is tasked with controlling the play from her midfield position.
Johnson & Wales – Sophomore forward Erin Esty is one of three Wildcats with three goals, plus she has an assist to lead the team with seven total points. She scored the only goal in the team's 1-0 victory over Westfield State Sept. 13.
12 p.m. – Women's Tennis vs. Albertus Magnus – Regis Tennis Center
The Regis women's tennis team currently sits in third place in the GNAC standings with a 3-1 league record as part of a 5-1 overall mark. Albertus Magnus is 2-6 overall, but 0-4 within the conference after Thursday's 9-0 loss to GNAC leader Eastern Nazarene. While Regis has had a week to prepare for this match, the Falcons will be playing their third match in four days.
Players to Watch:
Regis – Carly Donovan (Harwich, Mass.) is the reigning GNAC Player of the Week after going 4-0 in singles and doubles last week. Donovan, the 2017 GNAC Rookie of the Year, is 5-0 at the number two singles position this season, and she has won three straight doubles sets teaming with Katelyn Mogelnicki.
Albertus Magnus – Jessica Coughlin has won three matches at the number one singles position and has teamed with Nallely Magana for two wins in the number one doubles position.
1:30 p.m. – Women's Soccer vs. Simmons – Regis Stadium
The Regis women's soccer team battled Emmanuel throughout Wednesday's match, but allowed a goal late for a 1-0 loss, dropping the Pride to 5-4 overall, including 3-3 within the conference. After losing their first three matches of the season, the Sharks have won six straight contests to improve to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the GNAC.
Players to Watch:
Regis – Kaylee Francis (Millis, Mass.) leads the Pride with five goals, two assists, and 12 total points in her first year of collegiate soccer. Two weeks ago, Francis scored twice, including the game-winning goal in overtime, against St. Joseph, and she assisted on the winning goal in the second overtime period last Saturday at Colby-Sawyer.
Simmons – Ciara Forde is second in the GNAC in both goals with nine and in total points with 20. Forde has scored two goals in each of the last three Shark matches, and she has scored the game-winning goal against both St. Joseph (in overtime) and Saint Joseph's (in 83rd minute).
2 p.m. – Women's Volleyball vs. Johnson & Wales – Higgins Court
After a short rest, the Regis women's volleyball team returns to the court for its toughest test of the season, facing defending GNAC champion Johnson & Wales. The Wildcats are ranked fourth in this week's AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll and bring a 14-1 overall record, including a 4-0 mark within the GNAC, into Saturday's competition.
Players to Watch:
Regis – Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) will play a key role in Regis's success against the Wildcats thanks to her consistency both offensively and defensively. She is fifth in the GNAC in hitting percentage at .304, and she is tied for the conference lead in blocks per set at 0.94.
Johnson & Wales – As a team, the Wildcats are third in the country in kills per set (14.42) and fourth in hitting percentage (.278). The offense runs through setter Brylee Frank, currently seventh in Division III in assists per set with 10.94. Frank notched a triple-double with 11 kills, 41 assists, and 14 digs in the Wildcats' 3-2 victory over defending national champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
3:30 p.m. – Men's Tennis vs. Saint Michael's – Regis Tennis Center
The Regis men's tennis team continues its fall schedule with a contest against Division II school Saint Michael's. The Pride are 1-1 heading into Saturday's contest, which is the first of four matches in the span of nine days. Saint Michael's is 0-1 after losing to Clark Sept. 16, 8-1.
Players to Watch:
Regis – Senior Luke Horton (Bass Harbor, Maine) is a three-time all-conference selection who has won 32 singles matches and 41 doubles matches so far in his collegiate career. So far this year, he earned a tough victory against Gordon in singles by winning the super-tiebreaker, 10-5.
Saint Michael's – Ivan Llona picked up the Purple Knights' only point over Clark, also on a super-tiebreaker (10-7) after splitting the first two sets with his opponent at number six singles.
4 p.m. – Men's Soccer vs. Albertus Magnus – Regis Stadium
The Regis men's soccer team snapped a three-match winless streak with an important 2-1 victory over Suffolk Wednesday, improving to 4-3-1 overall and 2-3-1 within the GNAC. Albertus Magnus is unbeaten in its last three matches, following ties against Emmanuel (1-1) and Johnson & Wales (2-2) with a 2-1 victory over Lasell Wednesday. The Falcons are 1-1-2 in the GNAC and 2-3-2 overall.
Players to Watch:
Regis - Junior Ken Niyonzima (Dracut, Mass.) leads Regis with three goals and six points heading into Saturday's match. He scored the first goal of Wednesday's contest against Suffolk. His other two goals are both game-winning tallies, as he scored against Eastern Nazarene and at Emmanuel.
Albertus Magnus – Joe Russo has played every second in net for the Falcons so far this season, posting a 2.13 goals against average and a .795 save percentage with 62 total saves, leading the GNAC in that category. He has made at least 10 saves three times this season, with a season high of 11 saves against New Paltz Sept. 3.
Links to live video and live stats are available for women's volleyball, field hockey, women's soccer, and men's soccer on GoRegisPride.com. For the latest updates throughout the day, follow on Twitter @GoRegisPride.