Pride Women’s Volleyball Earns Historic Win Over Wildcats

WESTON, Mass. - For the first time in program history, the Regis College women's volleyball team defeated Johnson and Wales University, as the Pride rallied back from losing the first set to defeat the Wildcats, 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22), Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup at Higgins Court.

Regis' offensive output was spread out, as Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) and Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) led the Pride with 10 kills apiece, with Tenorio also leading the team with three service aces and 14 digs. Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) hit .421 in the match as she finished with nine kills, two service aces, and three block assists, while Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) and Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) contributed seven kills apiece.

The first set featured 11 ties and eight lead changes as the Pride raced out to a 7-4 lead, but the Wildcats responded with five unanswered points, capped by a service ace from Ellie McLennan. Regis put together a 7-2 scoring run, followed by four straight JWU points. Down 23-20 after a block by Fabiano and Montigny, the Wildcats scored the final five points of the opening set, punctuated by a kill from Peyton Oliver.

The Wildcats took an early 5-2 lead in the second set and pulled ahead 9-8 on a kill by Sarah Miller and a service ace from Drew Leonardis. The Pride responded with five unanswered points and then put together a 6-1 scoring run to extend their advantage to 19-13. Thanks to three kills by Miller late in the set, JWU pulled to within two points at 23-21, but Regis closed out the second set on a kill by Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) and a bad set by the Wildcats.

The third set went back-and-forth with 14 ties and seven lead changes, as consecutive kills by Oliver gave the Wildcats the first multiple-point lead of the set at 11-9. Down 15-13 after a service ace by McLennan, Regis put together a 7-2 scoring run, capped by a service ace from Toni Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.). The Pride held off the visitors the rest of the third set, clinching it on a Wildcat attack error.

In the fourth set, a kill by Maryn Cyr gave the Wildcats a 4-2 lead, but the Pride responded with six straight points, featuring consecutive service aces by Tenorio. JWU rallied back into a 12-12 tie on a service ace by Sierra Nausieda, but Regis scored six of the next seven points, led by Tenorio and Mola with two kills apiece. The Wildcats closed to within one point twice, both times on a kill by Miller, but the Pride again held off the rally, clinching the set and the match on a JWU service error.

Miller led all players with 21 kills, plus she had eight digs and two block assists, while Oliver notched a double-double with 19 kills and 14 digs. Kelsie Tretera finished with a match-high 24 assists, and Nausieda contributed five assists and 12 defensive digs.

Mckinney finished with 20 assists and Allie Bietz (Branford, Conn.) earned 19 assists to help the Pride post a .270 hitting percentage in the match, including a .329 hitting percentage in the final three sets. The Wildcats did end up with slight edges in kills (49-47), service aces (9-8), digs (49-47), and team blocks (6-4), but Regis would earn its first victory over JWU in 11 meetings dating back to the 1994 season.

Regis College (11-6, 3-1 GNAC) hosts University of Saint Joseph Friday, Oct. 6, starting at 5 p.m. Johnson and Wales (6-9, 4-1 GNAC) hosts Colby-Sawyer College Saturday, Oct. 7, beginning at 2 p.m.