Regis Men’s Volleyball Loses Two During GNAC Tri-Match

NASHUA, N.H. – Regis College lost to Rivier University (3-0) and Wentworth Institute of Technology (3-0) Saturday during a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball tri-match at Muldoon Gymnasium.

Rivier 3, Regis 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-14)

Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) led the Pride offensively with eight kills to go along with seven digs, while Tyrell Bucasas (Waialua, Hawaii) collected 17 assists, six digs, and two block assists.  Marcello Cappuccio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) paced the Regis backline with a match-high 19 digs.

Rivier (11-8, 6-1 GNAC) scored three straight points early in the first set, led by Chris Lezon with a kill and a block assist, to open a 9-4 advantage, and then another quick four-point spurt extended the Raider lead to 15-7. The Raiders would close out the opening set with five straight points, featuring a solo block and a kill by Ryan Peace.

The Raiders took control of the second set by rattling off six unanswered points, including two kills by Isaac Borges, to pull out to a 14-9 lead. Regis could not get any closer the rest of the set as Rivier eventually clinched a 2-0 match lead thanks in part to consecutive service aces from Jack Normandin.

Peace notched a kill and a service ace to help the Raiders establish a 13-9 advantage in the third set, and then the home team closed out the set and the match with a 10-1 scoring run. During the final scoring stretch, Matthew McCloskey earned three service aces and Neil Rea finished the match with his own service ace.

Sokunbuth Ly nearly notched a double-double for the Raiders with 10 kills and nine digs, and Ethan Soltis finished with 20 assists and eight digs in two sets on the court. Defensively, Peace and Rea led the team at the net with four total blocks apiece, and Thomas Miller paced the Rivier backline with 16 digs.

Wentworth 3, Regis 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-11)

Perez hit .304 against the Leopards as he finished with 12 kills and two service aces as Bucasas dished out 20 assists during the match. Cappuccio again led the Regis defense with eight digs.

After John Nangle (Lowell, Mass.) scored the first point of the match, Wentworth put together a 7-1 scoring run, including a kill and a service ace by Alek Reymond. The Pride closed to within three points late in the set, but the Leopards held off the comeback attempt, clinching the opening set on a solo block by Nicolai Bell.

Led by a kill and two service aces from Sam Etter, Wentworth raced out to a 7-2 lead in the second set, with Etter notching two kills and a block assist to help the Leopards extend their advantage to 14-5. Benjamin Moughon led Wentworth down the stretch with two kills and consecutive service aces to assist in closing out the set.

Wentworth (14-6, 8-0 GNAC), ranked 14^th in this week's NVA/AVCA Men's Division III Coaches Poll, scored the first five points of the third set and continually extended its lead throughout the set. The Leopards collected six of the final seven points of the match, including a kill and a block assist from Jacob Waga.

As a team, Wentworth hit .475 in the match as Moughon finished with five kills, a .500 hitting percentage, four service aces, and five digs. Reymond also notched five kills on a .625 hitting percentage, plus he was at least a part of seven of his team's nine total blocks.

Regis College (6-11, 1-5 GNAC) plays its first home match in over a month when it welcomes Elms College for a GNAC contest Tuesday, March 21, starting at 7 p.m.