Men’s Volleyball Splits Saturday Tri-Match

ALBANY, N.Y. - Regis College rebounded from a 3-1 loss to Russell Sage College by defeating Houghton University, 3-0, Saturday afternoon as part of a men's collegiate volleyball tri-match hosted by the Gators at the Kahl Campus Center.

REGIS 3, HOUGHTON 0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-19)

Robert Burch (Coxsackie, N.Y.) and John Nangle (Lowell, Mass.) led the Pride with nine kills apiece, with Nangle also earning three service aces, as did Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) to go along with eight kills and a .636 hitting percentage. Alessandro DiPaola (Newington, Conn.) dished out 21 assists, Grant Wojcik (Bellingham, Mass.) contributed 17 assists, and Brandon Valdes (Miami, Fla.) paced Regis with six defensive digs.

Early in the first set, the Pride scored five straight points, led by Perez with a kill and two service aces, and then Regis put together an 11-3 scoring run to extend its lead to 21-9. Regis would score the final three points of the set thanks to two kills by Eddie Djatcha (Lowell, Mass.) and one kill from Perez.

Houghton (1-9) used its service game in the second set, as service aces by Elijah Sproull and Jared Wright helped establish a 10-9 lead. Perez and Nangle each earned consecutive kills as part of a 5-1 Regis run, and then the Pride scored five unanswered points later in the set, featuring back-to-back kills by Perez. Perez would clinch the second set on another kill.

The Highlanders stayed close to the Pride through the first half of the third set, staying within two or three points before Regis scored four straight points to open a 19-12 advantage. Houghton cut its deficit to four points at 22-18 on kills by Devin Burns and Thomas McGlynn, but the Pride took three of the final four points of the set, closing out the match with a kill by Charlie Nguyen (Dorchester, Mass.) and a service ace from Nangle.

Sproull led the Highlanders with seven kills, a .400 hitting percentage, and six defensive digs.

SAGE 3, REGIS 1 (25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23)

Perez led the Pride offense with 10 kills, while Andrew Matzouranis (North Andover, Mass.) finished with eight kills and four block assists. DiPaola collected 21 assists, Djatcha led the Regis defensive effort at the net with six total blocks, and Orlando Plagata (Los Angeles, Calif.) earned a team-high seven defensive digs.

Sage (1-5) scored the first six points of the set, led by Wylkins Occelin with a kill and a block assist. The Gators held off a Regis rally on a couple of occasions, eventually winning the opening set on a kill by Dylan Fox.

Thanks to two kills apiece by Nangle and Valdes, Regis took 9-5 lead in the second set before Sage responded with a 9-2 scoring run, including consecutive service aces by Alexander Bergman. After Regis pulled into a 15-15 tie on a kill by Djatcha, the Gators closed out the set with a 10-3 scoring run, led by Jarod Martel with three kills and a service ace.

Consecutive blocks by the tandem of Djatcha and Matzouranis allowed Regis to open an 8-3 lead in the third set, but Sage would late put together an 8-1 scoring run of its own, led by Fox with two kills and two block assists. The Pride scored five straight points late in the set, led by Matzouranis with two kills and a block assist, and then close out the set to extend the match on kills by Matzouranis and Chris Huynh (Methuen, Mass.).

In the fourth set, after Sage pulled ahead 9-7 on a kill by Martel, Regis rattled off a 9-3 scoring run to take the lead, eventually extending it to five points later in the set. Down 22-18 after a kill by Nangle, the Gators rattled off a 7-1 scoring run to close out the set and the match, featuring four kills by Martel.

Fox led the Gators with 15 kills and five block assists, while Martel earned 14 kills and Occelin contributed eight kills and four block assists. Jack McWilliam dished out 39 assists, Michael Bruyette also finished with five total blocks, and Deshawn Fleary led all players with 12 defensive digs.

Regis College (4-5) is scheduled to return to league play Tuesday, Feb. 13, hosting Emerson College at Higgins Court starting at 7 p.m.