WESTON, Mass. – After losing the first two sets in each match, Regis College started a rally by winning the third set both times, but the Pride could not sustain that momentum in either match, losing to WPI, 3-1 (25-6, 25-10, 17-25, 25-20), and to Worcester State, 3-1 (25-17, 25-14, 19-25, 25-16), Saturday in non-conference women's collegiate volleyball action at Higgins Court.
WPI 3, REGIS 1
The Regis offense struggled against WPI, earning only 18 kills, with Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) leading the way with five kills along with six total blocks. Defensively, Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) led the Pride with 11 digs, followed closely by Meg Adams (Ware, Mass.) with 10 digs and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) with nine digs.
WPI (15-3) spread its offense around, as 10 different players earned at least four kills, led by Abbie Gilbert with nine kills and three block assists. Azita Bakhtyari finished with 26 assists, five kills, two service aces, and nine digs, while Colleen Mullins earned seven kills, three service aces, and 10 digs and Victoria Nassar contributed a match-high 17 digs along with three service aces.
The Engineers won the first seven points of the match and then closed out the opening set with a 17-2 scoring run. After Regis won the first point of the second set on a kill by Kate Flemming (Woburn, Mass.), WPI rattled off 13 unanswered points, followed by an 8-3 scoring run at the end of the set, capped by a kill from Mullins.
Down 12-9 in the third set, Regis scored nine straight points to pull ahead, 18-12. WPI closed to within three at 20-17 on a block by Kassidy Utheim and Jenna Galli, but the Pride responded with five unanswered points to win the third set and extend the match, including a block assist and a kill by Jordan Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.).
The Pride opened an 11-2 advantage in the fourth set before WPI rallied back with an 8-2 scoring run. After a block by Sterenberg and Samantha Turner (Concord, N.H.) temporarily stopped the Engineers' momentum, WPI put together a 9-1 scoring run, led by Sarah Kwatinetz with a kill, a service ace, and an assist. The Pride closed to within two late in the set, but WPI scored three straight points to finish off the match.
WORCESTER STATE 3, REGIS 1
Against the Lancers, Veasey notched a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs, plus she earned five service aces. Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) finished with 19 assists and nine digs, Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) contributed 15 assists, and van der Meulen moved into the libero position and led the Pride with 18 digs.
Amari King also notched a double-double to lead Worcester State, finishing with 13 kills and 19 digs along with three service aces and three block assists. Three other Lancers earned nine kills apiece as setter Allie Nolan earned 40 assists along with four service aces, and libero Megan Leavens led all players in the match with 23 defensive digs.
Regis scored five of the first six points of the match on its way to a 9-4 lead before Worcester State rebounded with five straight points, including consecutive kills by Lauren Murphy. After Regis took a 16-15 lead on a kill by Rachel Bartels (Edinburg, Texas), the Lancers went on a 10-1 run to close out the first set, featuring three service aces by Nolan.
Worcester State (11-7) put together a 9-1 scoring run early in the second set, starting with a kill and a service ace by Stephanie Chapin, to open a 13-6 advantage. Regis closed to within four at 14-10, but the Lancers once again pulled away, going on an 11-4 scoring run to close out the second set, punctuated by consecutive kills from King and a service ace by Brooke Lamothe.
The Lancers scored four of the first five points of the third set, but Regis responded with an 11-3 scoring run to take a 12-7 lead. Worcester State eventually tied the set at 16-16, but the Pride answered back with a 9-3 run to finish off the set, with kills by Flemming and Turner allowing Regis to extend the match.
Caroline Fuentes (Downey, Calif.) earned four straight service aces as Regis opened the fourth set with six of the first seven points, but the Lancers came right back with five straight points to tie the set. After falling behind 13-9, Worcester State scored 12 unanswered points, led by Leelle Tyler with three kills. Tyler would also account for the Lancers' final two points of the match with her eighth and ninth kills of the contest.
In the second contest of the tri-match, WPI (16-3) cruised to a 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-15, 25-19) over Worcester State. Kwatinetz led the Engineers with seven kills and six total blocks, while Nolan finished with 15 assists and five kills for the Lancers. WPI travels to Plattsburgh, N.Y., next weekend for three matches, while Worcester State plays at Salem State Tuesday, Oct. 9.
Regis (8-10) concludes its seven-match homestand Tuesday, Oct. 9, against Brandeis beginning at 6 p.m. at Higgins Court.