Pride Upset Top-Seeded Saints to Head to Championship

BOSTON, Mass. — Regis College women's volleyball upset top-seeded Emmanuel College tonight, 3-1, on the Saints' home court to keep their season alive and advance to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship.

Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) powered the Pride with 16 kills on an efficient .429 hitting percentage, adding two blocks. Eva Catalnotto (Cheshire, Conn.) contributed 11 kills and 3.5 blocks, finishing with a team-high 21.5 points. Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) delivered a strong all-around performance with 12 kills and 15 digs, while Alexandra Rivera (Bristol, Conn.) continued to anchor the offense, tallying 42 assists.

For Emmanuel, Isabella Marquez led the way with 15 kills, while three other Saints added eight kills apiece. Kason Huynh directed the offense with 33 assists in the effort.

How it Happened

The Pride looked poised and ready for the semifinals early in set one. A block by Catalanotto and Beatriz Paulo (Newton, Mass.) put them ahead 4-1, but the Saints refused to go down easily as the frame tightened. Regis appeared to seize momentum with four unanswered points later in the set to take a 16-13 lead, forcing an Emmanuel timeout. The regroup worked in the Saints' favor, as a pair of Haight kills allowed them to reclaim a slim lead. Regis responded and pushed Emmanuel into its final timeout after going up 20-18, but the Saints emerged with five straight points to take the opening set, 25-21.

The Pride opened set two in similar fashion, jumping ahead 11–6 behind kills from Mola and Catalanotto, with Catalanotto bookending the run that prompted another Saints timeout. Emmanuel rallied to within four after a Regis error, but the Pride widened the margin to 20-13, forcing the Saints to use their final timeout. Out of the break, Emmanuel capitalized on two more Pride errors, but a Karpicz kill reignited the Regis faithful and helped carry the Pride to a 25-17 victory, sealed by a signature Paulo ace to tie the match at one set apiece.

A 4-0 run, fueled by a pair of Karpicz kills, gave the Pride their first lead of the third set, and they would hold it the rest of the way. A Catalanotto kill and Paulo ace bookended a string of unanswered points that extended the Regis lead to 17-10, their largest advantage of the set. A Saints kill and ace later trimmed the deficit to four (21–17), but the Pride remained composed and closed the set on a 4–1 run, with another Catalanotto kill delivering the final blow in a 25–18 win to put Regis ahead 2-1.

The Pride hit their stride in the fourth set, jumping ahead 5-3 after a Catalanotto–Paulo block. Moments later, a Mola ace doubled up the Saints at 10-5, prompting an Emmanuel regroup. The Saints battled back to pull within one, but the Pride never wavered, answering with four straight points to create needed separation. A Mola kill sealed both the set and the match, completing the 3–1 upset and sending Regis to the GNAC Championship.

Inside the Numbers

• With the 3-1 victory over the Saints tonight, the Pride hand Emmanuel their first loss to a GNAC opponent this season. 
• The Pride's victory tonight sends them to the GNAC Championship for a rematch of the 2023 title game, where they will take on Lasell. 
• The Pride's first-years continue to shine in the postseason, as Eva Catalanotto recorded her second performance with 20-plus points, Gwen Arnold (West Hartford, Conn.) delivered a team-high five aces, and Beatriz Paulo contributed 12 points with a strong all-around effort.

Up Next

The Pride will compete for the GNAC title on Saturday, November 15 at second seeded Lasell University at 1:30 p.m.