Women’s Volleyball Caps Senior Day With Exciting Comeback Victory

WESTON, Mass. - Regis College won its 10^th consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match by defeating Norwich University, 3-0, and then the Pride once again rallied back from a 2-0 deficit, this time for a 3-2 victory over Framingham State University Saturday in a women's collegiate volleyball tri-match at Higgins Court.

REGIS 3, FRAMINGHAM STATE 2 (21-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-19, 15-7)

Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) enjoyed her best match of the season, finishing with a match-high 23 kills along with four service aces and 13 defensive digs. Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) just missed her career high assist total, ending up with 42 assists along with seven kills and 11 digs. Defensively, Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) paced the team at the net with nine total blocks, while Aryam Serrano-Monserrate (Lake Forest, Calif.) led the backline with 20 digs.

Down two sets to zero and 6-5 in the third set after a kill by Natalie Reynolds, Regis started its comeback with eight unanswered points, led by Mola with four kills and a block assist. Two kills and a block by Hailey Sanders allowed the Rams to close to within two points at 15-13, but the Pride closed out the third set with a 10-4 scoring run, starting with consecutive kills by Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) and capped by a kill from Mola.

The Rams scored the first three points of the fourth set, two of them on kills by Anna Szymanski, before the Pride put together a 9-1 scoring run to pull ahead, 14-7. Three straight kills by Sanders brought the Rams within four points at 23-19, but Regis clinched the fourth set on kills by Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) and Mckinney.

The teams split the first six points of the fifth set before Regis took the lead for good on a kill by Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) and a block by Montigny and Fabiano. Ahead by just one point at 7-6, the Pride rattled off an 8-1 scoring run to close out the match, punctuated by kills from Mola and Dow as well as a service ace by Mola.

Szymanski led the Rams with 18 kills and 16 digs, while Sanders finished with 13 kills and five total blocks. Stella Bailey also notched a double-double with 44 assists and 15 digs, and Carly Beaulieu helped pace the Framingham State backline with 16 digs.

The first set went back and forth, with Regis taking its final lead at 20-19 on a kill by Tenorio before Framingham State scored six of the final seven points, led by Sanders with three kills and a solo block. Consecutive service aces by Dow tied the second set at 9-9, but the Rams scored eighth unanswered points, four of them on service aces by Anneli DiVirgilio, to take control, eventually winning the second set on a kill by Szymanski.

REGIS 3, NORWICH 0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-9)

Mola led the Pride offensively with 10 kills, while Tenorio finished with seven kills on a .462 hitting percentage along with three service aces and nine digs. Serrano-Monserrate also collected nine digs to go along with four service aces, Mckinney dished out 20 assists to go along with seven digs, and Dow led Regis at the net with four total blocks.

Led by two kills from Mola and consecutive service aces from Serrano-Monserrate, Regis opened a 6-1 lead in the first set. The Cadets stayed within three points at 13-10 after a kill by Leah Mathewson, but the Pride responded with a 12-2 scoring run to close out the opening set, capped by a kill from Tenorio and a service ace by Mola.

Norwich took an early 6-2 lead in the second set, led by a kill and a service ace from Giovanna Fruci, but Regis responded with an 8-3 scoring stretch to pull ahead, 12-11. After three straight points by the Cadets, the Pride put together a 7-1 scoring run, followed by a 5-1 scoring run that brought about set point. Norwich extended the set on a kill by Lillie Ells and a Regis attack error, but the Pride closed out the set on a Cadet service error.

Ells scored the first point of the third set on a kill, but Regis struck back with eight straight points, led by Tenorio with a kill and three service aces. After three straight Cadet points, the Pride went on a 9-2 scoring run, capped by a kill from Kate Truog (Brookline, Mass.), making her first appearance of the 2023 season. Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.) earned three kills late in the set, and Montigny closed out the set and the match with a solo block.

Ells led the Cadets with eight kills, plus she earned 10 digs, while Gina Caraccio finished with 16 assists and nine digs. Autumn Parkhurst led the Norwich defensive effort with 14 digs, followed by Sam Lebruska with 11 digs.

In the middle match of the day, Framingham State defeated Norwich, 3-0 (25-8, 25-18, 25-6). Sanders and Szymanski led the Rams with 11 kills apiece, while Lebruska and Ells paced the Cadets with five kills and 11 digs apiece.

Before the Framingham State match, Regis honored seniors Sofia Colon (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Mckinney, Montigny, and Serrano-Monserrate, in a Senior Day presentation. Colon received the first start of her collegiate career against the Rams.

Regis College (21-7, 11-1 GNAC) plays its final three regular season matches away from home, starting Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Rivier beginning at 7 p.m. Norwich (5-16, 4-9 GNAC) closes its regular season by facing Lasell and Dean in a GNAC tri-match in Franklin, Mass., next Saturday, Nov. 4, while Framingham State (16-10, 3-3 MASCAC) hosts Husson Wednesday night starting at 7:15 p.m.