FRANKLIN, Mass. – Regis College passed its win total from each of the previous three competition seasons, earning its 13th victory of 2021 by defeating Dean College, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-16), Sunday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball match at Pieri Gymnasium.
Displaying a balanced offensive attack, the Pride featured three players with six kills apiece: Kai Berning (Corvallis, Ore.), Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.), and Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.). Karly Sanborn (Gilmanton, N.H.) played the final two sets and finished with 20 assists and six digs, and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the way with four service aces and eight digs.
In the first set, Regis took control early thanks to a 7-2 scoring run, led by three kills from Dow, to open an 11-5 advantage. After the Bulldogs closed to within three at 14-11 on a block by Sari Albury, the Pride put together an 11-4 scoring run to finish off the first set, featuring three service aces from Tyler Wax (San Diego, Calif.) and two by van der Meulen.
Dean (3-13, 1-6 GNAC) took a 5-3 lead early in the second set before Regis settled down and rattled off an 11-3 scoring run, led by three kills from Berning. The Pride closed out the set on an 8-1 scoring run, punctuated by a kill and a service ace from Jordan Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.).
The Bulldogs again grabbed the early lead in the third set, but the Pride quickly gained control thanks to a 17-2 scoring run, featuring three kills and two block assists by Olivia Pacheco (Waterford, Conn.). Facing match point, Dean extended the contest by scoring six straight points, including consecutive service aces by Anabella Driscoll, but Regis finally closed out the set and the match with a kill by Samantha Silveira (East Taunton, Mass.).
Dean was held to 10 kills as it finished with more attack errors than kills for a negative hitting percentage. Defensively, Albury collected four total blocks, and Amanda Payne led all players with 10 digs.
Regis (13-5, 5-2 GNAC) hosts Colby-Sawyer College Tuesday, Oct. 12, starting at 7 p.m. at Higgins Court.