Women’s Volleyball Pulls Out Five-Set Thriller

WESTON, Mass. - Regis College and Colby-Sawyer College battled through five sets Tuesday night, with the Pride prevailing over the Chargers, 3-2 (25-19, 26-28, 25-10, 26-28, 15-10), in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball match at Higgins Court.

Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led the Pride with 15 kills, a .370 hitting percentage, and eight total blocks, while Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) finished with 10 kills and five total blocks and Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) also earned 10 kills along with five digs and three block assists. Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) led the team with 27 assists and 15 digs to notch a double-double, as did Kaitlyn Miller (Nottingham, N.H.) with 22 assists and 10 digs. Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) contributed nine kills, eight service aces, and 12 digs, and Aryam Serrano-Monserrate (Lake Forest, Calif.) added three service aces and 13 digs.

Colby-Sawyer grabbed the early advantage in the deciding fifth set and eventually took a 10-7 lead on a kill by Olivia Werner. Regis would grab the momentum on a kill by Tenorio as it won the final eight points of the match, including two aces from Tenorio and punctuated by two kills and a match-clinching solo block from Montigny.

Regis took an early three-point lead in the opening set before Colby-Sawyer went on a 5-1 scoring run to pull ahead, 9-8. The Pride responded with an 8-1 scoring run, led by Montigny with three kills and two block assists. Mia Harmon earned a kill and a service ace, followed by a kill from Ameesah Cotten, to pull the Chargers within five points late in the set, but Regis clinched the first set on a kill by Miller.

Consecutive service aces by Serrano-Monserrate helped the Pride open a three-point lead in the second set, but the Chargers battled back, putting together a 9-2 scoring run to pull ahead, 16-12. Down 22-18 after a kill by Makaila Blinne and a service ace from Kaytlin Young, Regis scored six straight points, capped by a block by Whalen and Montigny, to bring about set point at 24-22. The Chargers won six of the final eight points of the second set, with Ally Majenski joining Harmon for a block and then clinching the set with a kill.

The Pride scored the first three points of the third set and eventually extended their lead to 15-4 on a service ace by Dow. Regis continued to pressure the Chargers, closing out the third set with a 9-3 scoring run, capped by a block assist and a kill from Dow as well as a service ace by Miller.

Regis scored the first three points of the fourth set on two kills by Whalen and an ace from Tenorio, but Colby-Sawyer took six of the next seven points to pull ahead, 6-4. The Pride retook the lead and increased it to 13-9, but the Chargers once again came back, eventually tying the set at 20-20 on a solo block by Cotton and a kill by Werner. Regis had two chances to end the match, but Colby-Sawyer won four of the final five points, forcing the deciding fifth set on kills by Blinne and Werner.

Entering the match in the second set, Blinne ended the night with a team-high 15 kills, while Werner collected 13 kills. Brooke Patnode led the Chargers with 38 assists and 17 defensive digs, and Audra Fontes contributed 14 digs.

Regis College (14-9, 6-2 GNAC) hosts Rivier University and Elms College in a GNAC tri-match Saturday, Oct. 15, with the first contest starting at 10 a.m. Colby-Sawyer College (8-12, 4-3 GNAC) hosts Johnson and Wales University Thursday, Oct. 13, beginning at 7 p.m.