Pride Women’s Volleyball Succumbs to Lasell Comeback

Pride Women’s Volleyball Succumbs to Lasell Comeback

WESTON, Mass. – Despite a double-double from Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.), including her 675th career kill to become Regis's all-time kills leader, Regis College was unable to stop Lasell College from rallying, as the Lasers erased a 2-0 match deficit on their way to a 3-2 victory (20-25, 15-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-9) Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball match at Higgins Court.

Veasey finished with 16 kills and 19 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, while setter Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) notched her second double-double in as many matches with 22 assists and 11 digs. MacKenzie Emco (Sutton, Mass.) finished with nine kills and five total blocks, Julia Pelland (Brockton, Mass.) led the Pride with five service aces, and Caroline Fuentes (Downey, Calif.) also collected 19 digs for Regis.

Kiana Perez led Lasell with 24 kills, including a 5-for-7 performance in the deciding set, plus she collected 12 digs for her own double-double. Olivia Addington also earned a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs, Meghan Roberts earned 11 kills of her own, Jess Langan dished out 41 assists, and Laser libero Allie Jo Amos led all players with 27 defensive digs.

In the opening set, Regis scored five straight points, led by Veasey with a kill and two service aces, before Lasell answered with four unanswered points. The Pride responded with seven straight points, led by Emco with three kills and a block assist, to open a 17-9 advantage, and then the home team closed out the first set with a kill by Erin Gallagher (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and a Lasell attack error.

Regis scored the first three points of the second set on a kill by Gallagher and two kills from Veasey, and then the Pride went on an 8-1 scoring run later in the set to open a 20-7 lead. After Lasell scored the next four points, Regis brought its lead back into double digits, clinching the set on a Laser attack error to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was close, with neither team able to open more than a three-point advantage. Down 23-20, the Lasers scored three straight points to tie the set, but a kill by Veasey led to the Pride serving for the match. Lasell held off the Pride on a kill by Roberts, and then consecutive kills by Perez ended the set in the Lasers' favor and extended the match.

Regis opened an 11-8 lead in the fourth set on a kill by Emco, but Lasell responded with an 11-3 scoring run, led by three kills from Perez as well as a solo block by Roberts. The Lasers would win the final five points of the set thanks to kills by Roberts and Perez as well as two service aces from Alysha Rentas, tying the match and forcing a deciding fifth set.

Lasell (5-12, 3-2 GNAC) fell behind 4-3 early in the fifth set, but then went on an 8-1 scoring run, led by Roberts with two blocks and a kill, to pull ahead, 11-5. The Pride closed to within four on kills by Emco and Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) before the Lasers finished off the set and the match on consecutive kills by Perez.

Veasey's record-setting kill came early in the fourth set to give Regis a 4-1 lead. She broke the record previously held by Megan McCarty, who collected 674 career kills between 2007 and 2010.

Regis (8-5, 1-2 GNAC) will look to bounce back Saturday, Sept. 29, as the Pride hosts a tri-match as part of Regis Fest. Regis will face Simmons at 10 a.m., followed by a contest against nationally ranked Johnson & Wales at 2 p.m.