Pride Battle but Come Up Short Against Rivier in GNAC Quarterfinal

NASHUA, N.H. — The Regis men's volleyball team traveled north for a No. 6/No. 3 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinal matchup, where the Pride came out strong to claim the opening set. However, the Raiders settled in over the final three frames, rallying to secure a 3-1 victory and advance to the semifinals, bringing the Pride's season to a close.

Jalen Watt led the Pride with 14 kills on a .300 hitting percentage, followed by Brandon Valdes with nine kills. Watt also added two blocks and two service aces for a team-high 18 points. John Nangle contributed seven kills and 2.5 blocks, while Evan Shank orchestrated the offense with 33 assists to go along with 10 digs defensively.

Rivier was led by Matthew McCloskey, who posted 14 kills and five blocks for a match-high 20 points, while Cade Barron added 10 kills. Justin Barish directed the attack with a match-high 43 assists in the victory.

How it Happened

The first set brought a playoff atmosphere right away, featuring back-and-forth action with neither team able to gain much separation. A four-point run from the Pride, capped by a block from John Nangle and Jalen Watt, gave Regis its largest lead at 13-11. However, the Raiders responded and pushed ahead by as many as four, 20-16. The Pride regrouped in a big way, as Watt sparked an 8-0 run with three kills to create enough distance for a 25-22 set-one victory and an early advantage.

However, the Raiders came out poised to even the match, as service errors plagued both teams early on. A four-point run gave Rivier a 6-2 lead and forced the Pride into an early timeout. The Raiders continued to build momentum before a kill from Jalen Watt stopped the run and made it 9-3.

Later, a block from Evan Shank and Xavier Reyes gave the Pride some life, cutting the deficit to five at 13-8. However, that would be as close as Regis would get in the set. Rivier used five kills during a 9-3 run to extend its lead to 23-12, and despite a late push featuring a trio of kills - two from John Nangle - the Raiders closed out the frame with a 25-15 set-two victory to even the match.

The third set saw 10 ties and three lead changes, with neither team able to create separation early on. Back-to-back kills from John Nangle and Brandon Valdes sparked a Pride run that gave Regis a 16-15 lead and forced a Rivier timeout. The battle continued with four more ties and two lead changes, bringing the set to a 20-20 stalemate. The Raiders responded with two unanswered points to take a 22-20 lead and force a Pride timeout. Valdes came out of the break with a kill to keep Regis within one, but that would be the Pride's final point of the set, as Rivier collected the next three points to take the set 25-21 and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set four followed a similar script, with the Pride creating some cushion late in the frame. A three-point run, bookended by a Brandon Valdes kill and a Jalen Watt ace, gave Regis a 15-11 lead and forced a Rivier timeout. The Pride kept the momentum going, as back-to-back kills from Watt extended the advantage to 20-14, their largest of the set.

The Raiders responded, closing within three at 21-18 after a service ace. A Rivier service error briefly pushed the lead back to four, but the Raiders used their final timeout and rallied with four unanswered points to tie the set. Regis momentarily regained the lead on a Xavier Reyes kill, but Rivier took control down the stretch, closing out the set 25-23 to secure the 3-1 match victory and punch their ticket to the semifinals.

Inside the Numbers

• The Pride conclude the season with a 15-15 overall record and a 2-5 mark in GNAC play.
• Regis will graduate seniors John Nangle and Jalen Watt. Nangle finishes his career as the program's all-time leader in matches played (115), while also ranking second in blocks (253), fifth in kills (592), and third in service aces (92). Watt also leaves his mark in the record book, for fifth all-time in service aces.
• Evan Shank solidified the program's new single-season assist record, adding 33 assists tonight to bring his total to 917. With that performance, he joins a select group nationally, becoming one of just nine NCAA Division III men's volleyball players to surpass 900 assists this season (as of April 7).