NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Regis College women's volleyball team traveled on Friday afternoon to the campus of UMass-Dartmouth to take part in the colleges annual invitational. The Pride took both games on the first day of competition at the Tripp Athletic Centre defeating Norwich University 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-14) and the host Corsairs 3-1 (26-28, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22). With the two victories, Regis has moved to 5-2 on the season.
In the first matchup of the evening, the Pride faced the Cadets. Regis needed an extra point to defeat Norwich in the first set and after that it was smooth sailing as the Pride took the next two sets by a combined 20 points. Sam Bliss (Framingham, Mass.) earned a double-double as she had a game-high 10 kills and 12 digs. Nicole Connolly (San Mateo, Calif.) had a team-high 20 digs while adding seven kills and two blocks and a pair of service aces. Freshman Sydney Trusty (Durham, Conn.) also had an all-around game with 12 digs, five kills and added two blocks. Freshman Haley Schulte (Fullerton, Calif.) had a game-high 24 assists.
Norwich was led by Tara Lyons (Pocasset, Mass.), who had five kills in the match and also had four digs. The Cadets were led defensively by a duo who had 30-plus digs. Alex Palmer (South Windsor, Conn.) had a game-high 34 digs while Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) had 30 digs on the night.
In the second game of the Invitational, the Pride squared off against the Corsairs. UMass-Dartmouth jumped out to an early one-set advantage, but Regis evened the match with a 25-19 victory in set No. 2. The Pride continued their momentum into the third frame with a 25-16 win before holding off a late Corsair charge to earn the victory.
Regis used the youth movement to help defeat the Corsairs. Freshman Emily DeBarros (Brockton, Mass.) had a game-high 14 kills and also registered five digs and a service ace. Freshman Gracie Molinari (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) added 10 kills nine digs and a blocked shot. Freshman Tina Lathrop (Houston, Texas) posted 33 helpers, while classmate Nicole Connolly and senior Marilia Ramos (Chimbote, Peru) registered 25 and 20 digs, respectively.
Nine UMass-Dartmouth student-athletes registered a kill in the match, led by junior Eliza Bowes' (West Yarmouth, Mass.) eight. Sophomore Christina Spinazola (Medway, Mass.) directed the offensive attack with 21 assists, while Brianna Perry (Acushnet, Mass.) recorded a team-high 24 digs.
Regis returns to action tomorrow with their scheduled listed below
SCHEDULE FOR DAY 2:
Court A: Eastern Nazarene vs. Regis, 10 AM
Court B: Norwich vs. UMass Dartmouth, 10 AM
Court A: Regis vs. Framingham State, 12 PM
Court B: Norwich vs. Eastern Nazarene, 12PM
Court B: Framingham State vs. UMass Dartmouth, 2PM
Release courtesy of University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Sports Information