NASHUA, N.H. - The Regis (Mass.) men's volleyball team competed against a pair of the nation's best on Saturday but came up empty in losing to No. 7 Kean University in four sets (26-24, 25-13, 23-25, 25-17) and swept by tri-match host and No. 13 Rivier (25-23, 32-30, 25-21).
The losses drop the Pride to 4-7 on the season.
Regis vs. Kean
The Pride appeared to be in the driver's seat in the first set, leading 24-19 down the stretch, but Kean scored the next seven points with freshman Dylan Flor (Quakertown, Pa.) at the service line to pull off the improbable 26-24 first set victory.
The Cougars carried the momentum into the second set, continuing their run and scoring the first nine points of the game to take control of the match. A kill by Regis senior Sean Bisnett (Oxnard, Calif.) finally ended the Pride's slump, but the damage was already done, and the Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was much more back and forth than the previous two sets as the teams were neck and neck for the majority of the set. When the Pride appeared to be pulling away with a 14-10 lead midway through the set, the Cougars ripped off four straight points, thanks in part to a pair of Kabil Garbowski (Clifton, N.J.) service aces to tie the score. The Pride would battle back however, eventually clinching the third set on a kill by junior Marcos Aguirre (Norwalk, Calif.).
The Pride again led midway through the fourth set, as they held a 12-9 lead, but the Cougars showed why they are ranked seventh in the nation, battling back to score seven straight points and take a 16-12 lead. From the 12-9 lead, the Cougars closed out their victory by outscoring Regis 16-5 in the match's last 21 points.
Kean's Steven Zarzycki (Rochester, N.Y.) finished the afternoon with a match-high 13 kills, while the Pride's Aguirre finished just behind him with 11. Regis setter Joe Hanrahan (Coventry, R.I.) had a strong match passing, as he dished out 34 assists.
Regis vs. Rivier
Despite the sweep, Regis competed well in every set and nearly pulled out the win in a marathon second set. Aguirre led the Pride with 10 kills with Bisnett contributing eight of his own. Hanrahan passed out 33 assists and Christopher Fitta (Warwick, R.I.) amassed twelve digs.
The Pride had to make a late rally to push the second set into extra points. Brett Krahl (Santa Clarita, Calif.) sparked a mini run that saw Regis turn a five-point deficit into a 23-22 lead. Aguirre then delivered two kills to stave off a pair of Rivier set points but down the stretch it were two Matt Heckler (Simi Valley, Calif.) kills that sealed the win.
Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.) and Cam Roth (Coventry, R.I.) once again paved the way for the Raiders as they combined for 25 of the team's 47 kills. Sophomore Dashaun Graham (Highland Falls, N.Y.) played well on the afternoon as he totaled six kills and three total blocks and Ian Wolski (Westfield, Mass.) finished with eight kills.
The team returns to action Thursday night on the road against Emerson College in downtown Boston. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
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