NASHUA, N.H. – The Regis (Mass.) men's volleyball team looked to get back into the conference hunt but it wasn't in the cards today, dropping a pair of matches to Rivier (25-19, 25-15, 25-22) and No. 11 Wentworth Saturday at Muldoon Gymnasium.
The day opened with a sweep at the hands of the host Raiders. Brett Krahl (Santa Clarita, Calif.) drilled a team-high seven kills and Drew Beimel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) had a solid overall effort with six kills and eight digs. The Pride had trouble dealing with David Smith who dealt a match-best 14 kills and hit at a .409 (14-5-22) clip.
Despite the sweep, Regis (6-11, 1-6 GNAC) had a real shot at stealing a win in the opening set. Neither team could gain any separation for much of the set, trading points until a quick 3-0 run by the Raiders pushed the lead to 19-16. Kills from Krahl and Inelson Alves (Brockton, Mass.) sliced into the lead but four straight Rivier points to close the set sealed matters.
Rivier solidly handled Regis in set two but set three saw the Pride make a late surge and almost push the match to a fourth frame. Trailing by five points midway through, a pair of Alves kills helped cut the Rivier lead to 21-19. Again, however, the Raiders pulled away and sealed the win and the sweep.
The second match of the day saw Regis snag a set from the 11th-ranked team in the nation but ultimately fall in four. Wade Robidoux and Beimel led the Pride each with 12 kills while Sebastian Valdes added 37 assists and Angel Pagan posted 10 digs. After dropping the opening set, Regis stormed out to a 9-3 lead to open set two spearheaded by back-to-back kills from Beimel.
Wentworth rallied to take a 16-13 lead but, undaunted, the Pride responded with eight straight points to take a 21-17 lead and hold on for the win. Jeff Ramos's block and kill capped the run as Regis held on to even the match.
Like the national powerhouse they are, the Leopards responded with wins in sets three and four to finish off the Pride.
The Pride return to action on Monday, Mar. 26 with a non-conference match against Cal Lutheran. First serve at Higgins Court is set for 6:00 p.m.
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