Women’s Volleyball Loses Two at Smith College

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Regis College lost to both Western New England, 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-19), and Smith College, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16), Saturday afternoon in a non-conference women's collegiate volleyball tri-match hosted by the Pioneers.

Western New England 3, Regis 0

Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) led the offense with seven kills, while Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) finished with five kills. Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) contributed nine assists and two service aces, and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the Pride with 14 digs.

Western New England (5-6) won the first three points of the match, but Regis battled back, scoring three straight points to pull ahead, 8-7. The Golden Bears took the lead for good with a 7-1 scoring run, and then they closed out the set on a kill by Jackie Shields.

After a kill by Kate Flemming (Woburn, Mass.) to open the second set, Western New England won nine of the next 10 points, led by Cassandra Holmes with three kills and a block assist. The Pride scored three straight points later in the set, but the Golden Bears responded with the final five points of the set, including kills by Alenys Rivera Cotto, Ashley Matthews, and Shields.

Maria Duffy earned two service aces as Western New England won five of the first six points in the third set, but the Pride tied the set at 6-6 on a kill by Veasey. The Golden Bears took the lead for good on a kill by Danielle Conlon, slowly extended their advantage throughout the set, and closed out the set and the match on a kill by Holmes.

Holmes led the Golden Bears with 11 kills and a .529 hitting percentage, while Matthews finished with seven kills and nine digs. Caitlyn Sibiskie dished out 24 assists, Duffy and Caleigh McDermott earned four service aces apiece, and Taylor Deluga led the backline with 10 digs.

Smith 3, Regis 0

Veasey once again led the Pride offense with 10 kills, plus she earned seven digs and two blocks. Flemming and Nia Pires (Cambridge, Mass.) collected five kills apiece, Ondris finished with 13 assists and five digs, and van der Meulen paced the Regis defense with 12 digs.

In the first set, a service ace by Veasey created a 7-7 tie, but Smith won the next four points, including consecutive service aces by Kimani Freeman. Veasey earned three kills and a solo block later in the set to put the Pride back on top, 17-16, but the Pioneers closed out the set with a 9-4 scoring run, capped by a kill from Claire Cicchetti.

The second set followed a similar pattern, as a kill by Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) tied the set at 6-6 before Smith went on a 7-2 scoring run. Down 21-14, Regis rallied with a 7-2 scoring run, as a kill by Karly Sanborn (Gilmanton, N.H.) brought the Pride within two at 23-21, but the Pioneers held off the rally, clinching the set on a kill by Ava Zollinger.

The Pride took a 7-5 lead early in the third set before Smith rattled off a 13-4 scoring stretch, punctuated by consecutive blocks from Zollinger. Pires earned two kills late in the set to keep the Pride alive, but Smith finished off the set and the match on a kill by Caleigh Johnson.

Amy Hagen led the Pioneers with 10 kills and a .588 hitting percentage, while Cicchetti finished with nine kills on a .438 hitting percentage. Evi Evgeniou earned 24 assists, three kills, two service aces, and five digs, and Jody Huang contributed three assists, three service aces, and a match-high 13 digs to the winning effort.

Regis (3-5) heads to Dartmouth, Mass., to face UMass Dartmouth Tuesday, Sept. 17, starting at 6 p.m. The Pride next play at home Thursday, Sept. 19, against Plymouth State, also beginning at 6 p.m.