Regis Volleyball Splits Saturday Tri-Match

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Regis College extended its winning streak to 11 matches, one of the longest winning streaks in program history, with a sweep of host Albertus Magnus, but the Pride then lost a tight four-set match to Rivier later Saturday in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball contests at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.

Regis 3, Albertus Magnus 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-19)

Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) led the Pride with 12 kills on 21 attack attempts without an error for a .571 hitting percentage. Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) collected 22 assists, while Tyler Wax (San Diego, Calif.) earned seven service aces. Defensively, Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.), Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.), and Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) earned three total blocks apiece, and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led all players with 21 defensive digs.

The Pride quickly established a 10-1 lead in the first set led by Wax's serving with four service aces. The Falcons closed to within four later in the set on a block by Elayna Beutel and Peyton Davis, but Regis responded by scoring the final six points of the opening set, led by two kills from Dow and capped with a service ace by van der Meulen.

Albertus Magnus (2-10, 0-2 GNAC) took an early 3-1 lead in the second set, but kills by Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) and Dow along with a block by Dow and Whalen put the Pride on top, 5-3. The Falcons tied the set at 12-12 on a block by Beutel and Elizabeth Lynch, but Regis scored five unanswered points to take the lead for good. Regis would close out the second set with two kills from Kai Berning (Corvallis, Ore.).

After the two teams split the first 16 points of the third set, Regis put together a 6-1 scoring run, led by Whalen and Montigny with two blocks, to pull ahead, 14-9. The Falcons cut their deficit to two at 16-14, but that would be as close as they got, as Mckinney notched three kills and a block assist down the stretch to help the Pride complete the sweep.

Rivier 3, Regis 1 (25-12, 27-25, 23-25, 26-24)

Whalen led the Pride offensively with 12 kills, while Dow finished with nine kills, a .389 hitting percentage, and three total blocks. Fagundo accumulated 32 assists and eight digs, Wax led the team with six service aces and 10 defensive digs, and van der Meulen contributed nine digs, three assists, and three service aces.

Rivier (6-4, 3-0 GNAC) scored seven of the first nine points of the match, but Regis came right back with five straight points, including two kills from Tenorio, to tie the first set at 7-7. The Raiders put together a 14-2 scoring run to run away with the opening set, featuring four service aces by Avery Pollard and capped by a kill from Aly Werth.

The Raiders scored the first four points of the second set, but the Pride scored the next five points to start the back-and-forth trend of the set. Two kills from Whalen allowed Regis to extend its lead in the set to 22-17, but Rivier put together a 10-3 scoring run, led by five kills from Lily Blodgett, to pull out the second set and take a 2-0 match lead.

Two kills from Mckinney and two aces by van der Meulen allowed the Pride to open the third set with five unanswered points. The Raiders closed to within one midway through the set, but kills by Berning and Dow extended the Pride's lead back to six at 21-15. Rivier went on a 6-1 scoring run, capped by a block from Werth and Nicole Lezon, to tie the set at 23-23, but consecutive kills by Whalen clinched the set for the Pride and extended the match into the fourth set.

After Rivier scored four of the first five points of the fourth set, Regis rattled off five straight points, including consecutive aces by Wax. The Raiders responded with six unanswered points and later used three Blodgett kills to open a 19-11 advantage.

Down 22-15 after another Blodgett kill, the Pride battled back with seven straight points, led by two kills from Dow and two aces by Wax, to tie the set at 22-22. Another kill by Dow created a 24-24 tie, but Rivier closed out the set and the match on consecutive Pride attack errors.

Blodgett led the Raiders with 22 kills, with Pollard collecting 44 assists, four kills, five service aces, and nine digs. Defensively, Werth paced Rivier with four total blocks, and Sofia Pawlusik led the backline with 13 digs.

Regis College (11-4, 4-1 GNAC) hosts Bridgewater State Tuesday, Oct. 5, starting at 6 p.m. and Simmons Wednesday, Oct. 6, beginning at 7 p.m.