WESTON, Mass. – Paced by Jessy Touron's (Brockton, Mass.) nine kills, eight digs, and two solo blocks, the Newbury College Nighthawks defeated the Pride, 3-0 on Tuesday night in New England Collegiate Conference women's volleyball action by set scores of 25-22, 25-19, and 25-21. The Nighthawks improve to 8-11 (2-0 NECC) with the victory, while Regis falls to 6-13 (0-1 NECC) on the season.
Before the match, the Regis volleyball team celebrated its annual Dig Pink event. Junior Sara Gold's (North Hollywood, Calif.) mom Kathy Gold served as an honorary coach as part of the event. Mrs. Gold is a breast cancer survivor and has been cancer-free for over five years.
The Pride also celebrated the life of senior lacrosse player Michael Kaplan, who passed away last Thursday due to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. The three captains of the Pride placed roses on a chair in the stands to commemorate the passing of Kaplan. Kaplan's funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. in Braintree.
Following all of the ceremonies, Newbury raced to an 11-4 lead in the first set before the Pride came storming back on a 10-1 run, which prompted a Newbury timeout. Coming out of stoppage, each team traded points until a pair of kills from Sarah Young (Waterloo, N.Y.) and Sara Hanna (Center Moriches, N.Y.) pushed the Nighthawks ahead, 22-21. Newbury was able to hold on to the lead and win the first set.
The second set of the night saw Regis jump to an early 4-1 lead, capped by a service ace by Vanessa Noesi (Puerta Plata, D.R.). Following a Newbury timeout, the visitors were able to claw their way back after going on an 11-1 run. A service ace by Touron put the Nighthawks ahead, 14-9, leading the Pride to call a timeout of their own. Newbury was able to maintain its lead after the stoppage and managed to pull further ahead of the host squad. Sydney Fish (Kalamazoo, Mich.) finished with three straight service aces to close out the set.
In what proved to be the closest and final set of the night, Newbury and Regis battled back-and-forth in the third set. A kill by Jackie Silver (West Hills, Calif.) knotted things up at 15, but Touron responded with a kill of her own to take back the lead. Newbury extended their lead down the road following a pair of kills by Fish. Once again, Newbury was able to hold onto the lead and went on to win the set by a score of 25-21.
Regis was led by Noesi, who finished the match with nine kills and four solo blocks. Samantha Bliss (Framingham, Mass.) and Olivia Foley (Andover, Mass.) also added four kills each for the Pride. Gold recorded a match-high 10 digs.
Both Regis and Newbury will be back in action on Thursday night. The Pride host Southern Vermont for a 6:00 p.m. conference matchup, while the Nighthawks travel to Bridgewater State for a 6:00 p.m. non-conference match.