Regis Women’s Volleyball Splits Saturday Matches

Regis Women’s Volleyball Splits Saturday Matches

QUINCY, Mass. – After losing to host school Eastern Nazarene Saturday morning, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-16), Regis College returned to the court in the afternoon and defeated Nichols, 3-1 (25-13, 16-25, 25-17, 25-12), as the ENC Invitational continued at the Lahue PE Center.

Regis 3, Nichols 1

Regis jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set against Nichols, led by Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) with four kills and a block assist. Erin Gallagher (Tyngsboro, Mass.) picked up two kills as the Pride extended their lead into double digits, and then Veasey closed out the opening set in Regis's favor with a service ace.

Nichols (2-5) responded in the second set, opening a 7-2 advantage before Regis scored four unanswered points, capped by a service ace from Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.). Sabrina Boermeester led the Bison with three kills as Nichols maintained the lead with six straight points, and then Nichols closed out the second set with a 10-4 scoring run, led by Megan Gardner with four kills and punctuated by a kill from Moriah Burns.

Regis took advantage of several Nichols errors, opening an 8-1 lead in the third set, but three kills by Jayleen Fegan closed the Pride lead to 10-8. Ahead by just three after another kill by Fegan, Regis went on a 7-2 scoring run to clinch the third set, led by Veasey with a kill and two service aces.

The Pride opened a four-point advantage early in the fourth set and then extended that lead with six straight points, including a block assist and a kill by MacKenzie Emco (Sutton, Mass.). Regis maintained its advantage throughout the rest of the set before closing it out with five unanswered points, including a service ace by Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) and a solo block by Emco at match point.

Veasey notched her second double-double of the day with 10 kills and 15 digs, plus she also earned four service aces and two total blocks. Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) and Rachel Bartels (Edinburg, Texas) each finished with five kills, with Butt leading the Pride with six total blocks and Bartels contributing four block assists. Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) collected 13 assists, Ondris added 10 assists and two service aces, and Caroline Fuentes (Downey, Calif.) added 14 digs to the winning effort.

Eastern Nazarene 3, Regis 0

Eastern Nazarene (3-2) jumped out quickly, scoring the first five points of the day's opening match before Regis scored the next three points, including a service ace by Meg Adams (Ware, Mass.) and a kill by Butt. That would be the closest the Pride would get in the first set, as the Lions went on an 11-3 scoring run to open a double-digit advantage, clinching the opening set on a kill by Courtney McCarthy.

McCarthy earned three kills early in the second set as the Lions opened a 7-2 lead, but a kill by Emco closed the Regis deficit to three at 8-5. Eastern Nazarene put together a 14-3 scoring run to once again pull away, led by Rebecca Thorne with five kills. The Pride scored six of the next seven points, led by Bartels with two kills and a block assist, but the Lions eventually won the set on a kill by McCarthy and a block by Halle Julian and Jenna Meacham.

Veasey earned three straight kills to give Regis a 5-3 lead in the third set, and then Emco capped a three-point Pride run with a solo block to put the visitors back on top, 8-7. However, the Lions went on a 10-1 scoring run, led by Ruth Aguilar with three kills, to take the lead for good. Two kills by Butt helped the Pride close to within four, but Eastern Nazarene clinched the set and the match with a 6-1 scoring run.

Veasey notched her second double-double of the season, leading the Pride with 10 kills and 15 defensive digs, while Butt finished with six kills and just one attack error. van der Meulen collected 12 assists and five digs, Ondris added 10 assists, and Fuentes finished with 11 digs.

Regis (2-3) will travel to Henniker, N.H., for a non-conference match at New England College Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. The Pride will then play their next five matches at home, opening the GNAC schedule against Rivier Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m.