BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Regis College once again dominated defensively at the net and took advantage of Bridgewater State mistakes, as the Pride swept the Bears, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-19), Thursday evening in a non-conference women's collegiate volleyball match at the Tinsley Center.
Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) led the Pride offensively with 10 kills in 14 attempts while committing just one attack error for a .643 hitting percentage, while Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) finished with eight kills and nine digs. Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) put her hitters in solid attacking position, compiling 21 assists. Defensively, Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) led at the net with five total blocks, and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) paced the backline with 11 digs.
Led by a kill and a service ace by Casey Holmes as well as a kill and a block by Sydney Rice, Bridgewater State won five of the first six points of the match, but Regis responded with six of the next seven points, capped by a service ace from Karly Sanborn (Gilmanton, N.H.). The set went back and forth before the Pride scored the final three points, featuring a kill by Dow and a service ace from Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.).
After losing the first point of the second set, Regis won the next six points, led by two kills by Dow and two service aces from Meg Adams (Ware, Mass.). The Bears would rally back, eventually taking a 15-12 lead thanks to a 6-1 run, punctuated by a block from Maggie Czarniak. The Pride answered with an 8-1 scoring run, but three straight points by the Bears closed the Regis lead to one at 20-19. Regis closed out the set on a kill by Dow and a block by Whalen.
The third set was a series of scoring runs, starting with a 12-3 Regis stretch that included two blocks by Julia Pelland (Brockton, Mass.). Bridgewater State put together an 8-1 scoring run, led by three service aces by Holmes, to close its deficit to two at 14-12. The Pride extended their advantage to 23-13 with a 9-1 scoring run, but the Bears never gave up, scoring six straight points. Regis finally clinched the set and the match with kills by Veasey and Butt.
Rice and Gabryella Serrano led the Bears with six kills apiece, with Holmes collecting 19 assists, four service aces, and three digs. Victoria Caiano contributed 12 digs and three service aces, but Bridgewater State hurt itself by committing as many attack errors as kills (23), as well as 11 service errors and seven reception errors.
Regis (3-3) heads to Northampton, Mass., for a tri-match hosted by Smith College Saturday, Sept. 14. The Pride will face Western New England at 1 p.m. before taking on the host Pioneers at 3 p.m.