MILTON, Mass. – The Regis College volleyball team started its rally earlier than in Friday's season opener, coming back to win the first set and using that momentum to complete a 3-0 victory (25-20, 25-13, 25-21) over Curry College Wednesday evening in a non-conference collegiate match at Katz Gymnasium.
Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) led all players with 13 kills, plus she earned eight digs, while Rachel Bartels (Edinburg, Texas) finished with six kills while making just one attack error. Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) collected 17 assists and six digs, Jordan Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.) led the Pride service game with five aces, and Caroline Fuentes (Downey, Calif.) earned 14 digs from the backline.
Curry (0-1) took an early 7-3 lead in the opening set and eventually extended it to 19-13 on a kill by Amanda Wood. Regis responded with a 12-1 scoring run to close out the first set, featuring two service aces by Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) as well as a block by MacKenzie Emco (Sutton, Mass.) and Samantha Turner (Concord, N.H.) late in the set.
The second set was close early, as the teams split the first 22 points for an 11-11 tie. Once again, the Pride put together a significant scoring run, outscoring the Colonels 14-2 down the stretch, capped by three service aces from Fuentes as well as consecutive kills by Bartels and Veasey to clinch the set and extend the Regis match lead to 2-0.
Regis scored the first four points of the third set and eventually took an 11-8 lead before Curry scored three straight points on two kills by Lexi Pereira and a service ace by Alexis Bell to tie the set at 11-11. The Pride grabbed control of the set with eight unanswered points, led by Sterenberg and Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) with two kills apiece, and then Regis clinched the set and the match with a kill by Erin Gallagher (Tyngsboro, Mass.).
Pereira led the Colonels with six kills, plus she earned nine digs, while Bell finished with 20 assists and eight digs and Rachel Damstra ended up with five kills and a team-high 13 digs. Curry made more attack errors (27) than kills (24), plus it committed nine service errors and 12 reception errors while Regis made only four service errors while collecting 12 aces.
Regis (1-1) heads to Quincy, Mass., this weekend for the ENC Invitational hosted by Eastern Nazarene. The Pride will face Framingham State Friday, Sept. 7, at 4:30 p.m. before matches Saturday, Sept. 8, against the host Lions at 10 a.m. and against Nichols at 2 p.m.