FRANKLIN, Mass. – Regis College picked up its second victory over Dean College in the span of eight days, as the Pride defeated the Bulldogs, 3-0 (25-14, 29-27, 25-21), Thursday night in a non-conference men's collegiate volleyball match at Pieri Gymnasium.
Inelson Alves (Brockton, Mass.) led the Pride with 10 kills, a .259 hitting percentage, and four service aces, plus he also collected seven digs and a solo block. Sebastian Valdes (Diamond Bar, Calif.) finished with 18 assists, two service aces, and four digs, and Zabdiel Frias (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) once again paced the Pride backline with eight defensive digs.
In the first set, Regis raced out to an 8-2 lead before Dean scored three of the next four points to close to within four at 9-5. The Pride put together a 10-4 scoring run, starting with a kill and a service ace by Alves, to extend their lead to 19-9, and then Regis closed out the opening set on a kill by Jack Wizboski (Townsend, Mass.) and a Bulldog error.
The Pride scored the first three points of the second set on a kill by Alves followed by a kill and a solo block from Dimitri Stewart (Paterson, N.J.). Dean responded with three straight points, a pattern throughout the set in which the Bulldogs would answer any Pride scoring run with one of their own. Down 27-26 after an attack error, the Pride held off the Bulldogs with a kill by Alves, and then they clinched the second set with a kill by Valdes and an Alves service ace.
Dean (0-8) took a 4-2 lead in the third set, but Regis roared back with a 7-2 scoring run to pull ahead, 9-6. After the Bulldogs tied the set at 12-12, the Pride rattled off an 8-2 scoring stretch, featuring two kills and a solo block by Alves as well as a kill and a solo block from Josh Nolen (Fairfax, Va.). The home team pulled within two points twice down the stretch, but Regis closed out the third set and the match on a kill by Stewart and a Bulldog attack error.
Aaron Brody led the Bulldogs with nine kills, a .320 hitting percentage, and two service aces, while John Kauffman finished with seven kills and six digs. Tyler Martins accumulated 18 assists, and Aaron Rivers led all players with 14 defensive digs.
Regis (3-7) returns to Great Northeast Athletic Conference play, making the quick trip to Newton, Mass., for a tri-match hosted by Lasell University Sunday, Feb. 16. The Pride will face the host Lasers at 12 p.m., followed by a neutral site contest against Rivier at 2 p.m.