BOSTON – Regis College lost to nationally ranked Wentworth, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-12), Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's volleyball match at the Nelson Recreation Center.
Kostea Andreenko (Marstons Mills, Mass.) led the Pride with six kills, while Robert Burch (Coxsackie, N.Y.) earned four kills in his first career collegiate match. Also playing in his first career contest, Malakai DeHuelbes (Tucson, Ariz.) collected consecutive service aces in the third set, and Marcello Cappuccio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and Matt Ferrara (Sandown, N.H.) earned five defensive digs apiece.
Wentworth (5-0, 1-0 GNAC), ranked seventh in this week's NVA/AVCA Men's Division III Coaches Poll, established a 10-6 lead in the first set on consecutive kills by Jacob LaBouliere. After a kill by Burch brought the Pride within three at 17-14, the Leopards closed out the opening set with an 8-2 scoring run, capped by a kill from Alex McLane.
The Pride opened the second set with consecutive kills by Andreenko and Ferrara, and then a kill by Burch later in the set put Regis on top, 6-5. Wentworth responded with a 12-3 scoring run, punctuated by three straight service aces from Hunter Oshman. Drew Potter notched two kills and a block assist down the stretch to help the Leopards clinch the second set.
Led by three service aces from Connor Adams, Wentworth scored the first eight points of the third set. The Leopards extended their advantage thanks to a 12-2 scoring run, and then they took advantage of two Regis service errors to finish the set and the match.
Oshman led the Leopards with eight kills, a .667 hitting percentage, and four service aces, while McLane finished with seven kills, a .462 hitting percentage, and a team-high five digs. Adams collected 23 assists and four service aces as Wentworth hit .364 as a team.
Regis College (0-2, 0-1 GNAC) will host Eastern Nazarene Friday, Jan. 28, starting at 7 p.m., which is two hours later than previously announced due to schedule changes for the Pride women's basketball team.