Men's Volleyball Stunned By Rivier

WESTON, Mass-- The Regis men's volleyball team returned to action tonight after an eight day hiatus to take on Rivier University in their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match of the season. The Raiders would stun the Pride sweeping them in three straight sets. The loss drops the Pride's record to 9-8 on the year and 0-1 in early GNAC play.

The Pride's offense would be led by Jalen Watt who tallied 12 kills on the night, Evan Shank would add 31 assists to his season tally and Haden Houatchanthara would add 10 digs.

For Rivier, middle blocker Tyler Dickinson would have 15 kills, connecting at a .560 clip.

How It Happened

In the opening set, Regis battled point-for-point early behind kills from Adam Bonica, Brandon Valdes, and Jalen Watt off assists from Evan Shank. After evening the score at 8-8, the Pride stayed within striking distance through the middle of the frame. Watt and Valdes continued to produce offensively, cutting the deficit to 18-17 late, but Rivier used a 3-0 run to create separation and closed out the set, 25-20.

In the second set, Rivier jumped out to a 4-0 advantage before Regis responded with kills to trim the margin. Shank once again helped the Pride pull within 13-11 midway through the set. Bonica and Valdes added key kills to keep momentum alive, but Rivier capitalized on extended rallies and a late scoring run to stretch the lead. Despite the Pride's continued offensive contributions throughout the match, the Raiders secured the second set, 25-18.

The third set proved to be the most competitive of the night, featuring 14 ties and multiple lead changes. Regis erased an early deficit with a strong serving run from Valdes, highlighted by an ace and a kill from John Nangle to take a 10-8 lead. Bonica and Watt combined for several clutch swings down the stretch, and a late block by Alteus and Bonica helped the Pride fight off match point to tie the set at 24-24. Regis even gained a 25-24 edge following a Rivier attack error, but the Raiders responded in extra points. Bonica delivered a kill to put the Pride ahead 26-25, yet Rivier answered with back-to-back kills to escape with a 28-26 victory, sealing the match in three hard-fought sets.

Inside The Numbers

• Evan Shank's 31 assists tonight mark his ninth game with 30 or more.
• Adam Bonica's two solo blocks are his first time hitting that mark in a three set match this season.

Up Next

The Pride have a quick turn around as they are back home tomorrow, February 26th to take on Elms College in another GNAC matchup at 5pm.