Rivera Sets New Single-Season Assist Record in Tri-Match Sweep

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Regis College women's volleyball team traveled to Connecticut on Saturday for a tri-match against the host Albertus Magnus Falcons and the Colby-Sawyer College Chargers, a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponents. The Pride turned in a dominant day, sweeping the Falcons 3–0 and defeating the Chargers 3–1 to improve to 16–12 overall and 8–3 in GNAC play.

Regis vs. Albertus Magnus

The Pride jumped out to an early 6–2 lead in their opening match before the Falcons battled back to pull within one at 10–9. However, a 5–0 run from the Pride, bookended by an Eva Catalanotto (Cheshire, Conn.) kill and block, extended the lead to 17–10. That cushion proved enough, as the Pride went on to lead by as many as eight before securing the 25–17 opening-set victory, sealed by a Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) block.

Three service aces from Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.) highlighted a dominant 9–1 run that put the Pride ahead 14–6 in the second set. An Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) kill followed by a Fabiano block gave Regis its first double-digit advantage of the afternoon at 19–8. That momentum carried them to a 25–12 set win, clinched by another Mola kill, as the Pride took a 2–0 lead in the match.

The third set followed a similar rhythm. The Pride held a slight edge early before the Falcons closed the gap to 6–5, but a 7–1 surge from Regis widened the margin to 16–7. Albertus Magnus made one last push to get within six, but the Pride finished strong with six unanswered points with four coming on kills to take the 25–13 victory and complete the 3–0 match sweep.

Regis vs. Colby-Sawyer

The second match of the day against Colby-Sawyer featured tighter play throughout. The opening set saw back-and-forth action with seven lead changes and 10 ties, bringing the score to 23-all. A Fabiano kill followed by an Mola ace sealed the 25–23 win in favor of the Pride.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with neither team leading by more than four points as they traded the advantage. Late in the set, a Mola kill and a Charger error put the Pride two points away from victory, but Colby-Sawyer rallied with four unanswered to take the set and even the match at one apiece.

In the third, the Pride found their rhythm, using a 5–1 run bookended by a pair of Charger errors, to go ahead 17–12. Regis maintained control the rest of the way, closing the set with six unanswered points, including two Fabiano kills, to claim a 25–16 win and a 2–1 lead in the match.

The fourth set started tightly contested, with both teams trading points early. A trio of Pride kills fueled a run that put Regis ahead 12–9, but the Chargers battled back to tie it at 15. From there, the teams exchanged leads three more times before the Pride surged ahead with five straight points, capped by an Eva Catalanotto block, to take a 22–18 advantage. The momentum carried through as the Pride closed out the set 25–21, earning the 3–1 match victory.

Inside the Numbers

• Alexandra Rivera (Bristol, Conn.) had a career day for the Pride as she set a new single season assist record with 804 - surpassing the previous mark (785) set in 2023. 
• Rivera also dished out a game-high 44 assists and career-high 14 digs in the 3-1 victory over Colby-Sawyer.
• Eva Catalanotto led the way with standout performances across both matches, recording 13.5 and 17 points, respectively. Her 17-point outing came with an impressive .500 hitting percentage, powered by 13 kills in the win over Colby-Sawyer.

Up Next

The Pride return to Higgins Court on Wednesday, November 5, for their Senior Night matchup against New England College, with first serve set for 7 p.m.