Regis Men’s Volleyball Loses to Conference Foes

Regis Men’s Volleyball Loses to Conference Foes

WESTON, Mass. – The Regis College men's volleyball team lost to nationally ranked Rivier University, 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-13), and to Johnson & Wales University, 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-18), Saturday in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri-match at Higgins Court.

Rivier 3, Regis 0

Inelson Alves (Brockton, Mass.) led Regis offensively with eight kills, while Matt Ferrara (Haverhill, Mass.) finished with seven kills and four digs and Drew Beimel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) added six kills. Brendan Lam (Rockville, Md.) dished out 16 assists, and Dimitri Stewart (Paterson, N.J.) contributed two block assists.

Rivier, currently tied for 14th in this week's AVCA Division III Coaches Poll, scored the first two points of the match and then went on a 5-1 scoring run to open a four-point advantage. Later in the first set, the Raiders put together a 7-2 scoring run to extend their lead to 19-10, and then they closed out the opening set with a kill by Sokunbuth Ly and a Regis error.

In the second set, Rivier slowly established a 7-3 lead early in the set, and then the Raiders increased that advantage into double digits with a 10-3 scoring run, led by Ly and Jack Normandin with three kills apiece. Normandin earned two kills and a solo block on consecutive points late in the set, and then Rivier clinched the second set on a kill by John Equitani.

The Raiders scored four of the first five points of the third set, but the Pride closed to within one thanks in part to two Ferrara kills. Rivier would once again start to pull away thanks to a 5-1 scoring stretch, and then the Raiders took firm control with an 8-1 scoring run, starting with consecutive kills by Ly. Rivier closed out the set and the match by tallying four of the final five points, capped by two kills from Normandin.

Ly led the Raiders with 12 kills, earning those on 15 attack attempts without an error for an .800 hitting percentage, while Normandin went 10-for-12 on attack opportunities without a mistake for an .833 hitting percentage. As a team, Rivier committed just five attack errors to post a .590 hitting percentage, plus it collected nine team blocks, led by Ernesto Montes with four block assists.

Rivier (19-7, 10-0 GNAC) recovered from losing the first set against Johnson & Wales to remain undefeated in GNAC play with a 3-1 win (22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-22). Khaynen Yocca hit .500 as he collected 13 kills, as did David Smith, while Raider setter Pedro Campos notched a double-double with 48 assists and 11 digs. Jack Pincince led the Wildcats with 14 kills, and Cameron Ponce finished with 20 assists, 14 digs, five kills, and five block assists.

Johnson & Wales 3, Regis 0

Ferrara and Beimel led the Pride offense with nine kills apiece, while Alves and Fernando Gomez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) contributed five kills each. Sebastian Valdes (Diamond Bar, Calif.) earned 29 assists and a team-high seven digs in the match.

In the first set, a kill by Beimel put the Pride on top, 6-4, but Johnson & Wales responded with a 13-1 scoring run, led by Sanjae Holloway with five kills. The Wildcats would score four of the final five points of the opening set, punctuated by kills from Pincince and Josh Pitzer.

The majority of the second set was extremely close, as neither team was able to extend out to more than a two-point lead. After a kill by Shawn Gamble (Cranston, R.I.) created the 14th tie of the set at 19-19, Johnson & Wales won the set by scoring six straight points, led by Holloway with three kills and helped by three Pride attack errors.

After a kill by Beimel early in the third set put the Pride ahead 5-4, Johnson & Wales gained momentum with a 6-1 scoring run. Regis fought back with its own 6-2 scoring stretch to pull into a 12-12 tie, but the Wildcats took the lead for good on a kill by Pincince. Johnson & Wales finished off the set and the match thanks in part to two kills by Donovan Kelley, including one on match point.

Johnson & Wales (17-9, 6-4 GNAC) was led by Holloway with 14 kills, while Ponce collected 30 assists and eight digs. As a team, the Wildcats hit .414, committing only eight attack errors in 70 attempts.

Regis (9-13, 2-9 GNAC) wraps up the regular season with three matches next week, starting with the regular season home finale against Emerson Tuesday, April 2, starting at 7 p.m. Before the contest, Beimel will be recognized in a Senior Day presentation.