Regis Women’s Volleyball Splits Saturday Tri-Match

WORCESTER, Mass. – After losing its first match of the day to host WPI, 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-15), Regis College rebounded to defeat Fitchburg State, 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-14), Saturday in non-conference women's collegiate volleyball action at Harrington Auditorium.

Regis 3, Fitchburg State 0

Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) led the Pride offensively with 10 kills, while Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) earned eight kills on 13 attack attempts without an error for a .615 hitting percentage. Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) contributed six kills on a .500 hitting percentage along with two service aces, and Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) collected 13 assists and five digs. Defensively, Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) led at the net with three total blocks, and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) paced the backline with 10 digs.

Regis took the early lead in the first set on a kill by Veasey and a service ace by Dow, and then the Pride extended their advantage with four straight points. Fitchburg State closed to within two at 14-12, but Regis pulled away again thanks to an 11-4 scoring run, capped by two kills from Whalen and one by Samantha Silveira (East Taunton, Mass.).

The Pride opened a 5-2 lead in the second set on kills by Dow and Veasey as well as a block by Butt and Veasey, but the Falcons battled back, tying the set at 8-8 on a service ace by Chloe Guzman. Regis gained control of the set with a 9-1 scoring run, and then the Pride clinched the set by scoring the final three points, with Butt picking up a kill and a solo block.

Regis scored four of the first five points of the third set, but Fitchburg State closed its deficit to two at 7-5 on a kill by Leah Sheehan. The Pride went on a 9-2 scoring run to extend its lead to 16-7, but three Regis attack errors allowed the Falcons to put together a little run. The Pride settled down and closed out the set and the match with a 9-4 scoring run, capped by kills from Dow and Whalen.

Sheehan led the Falcons with six kills and three total blocks, and Lauren Riccardi paced the Fitchburg State defense with nine digs. As a team, the Falcons earned more attack errors (19) than kills (16), while Regis posted a .267 hitting percentage, its highest since the season opener against Dean.

WPI 3, Regis 0

Veasey and Dow earned six kills apiece, with Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) collecting 13 assists and a team-high seven digs. Fagundo contributed eight assists, six digs, and two service aces, while van der Meulen and Meg Adams (Ware, Mass.) also notched two service aces apiece.

The Pride pulled out to a 9-5 lead in the opening set, but WPI put together a 7-1 scoring run midway through the set to jump on top, 15-12. Regis responded with five unanswered points, led by Fagundo's two service aces, before kills by Amanda Wetmore and Colleen Mullins tied the set at 17-17. After a block by Silveira and Veasey allowed Regis to retake the lead at 22-21, WPI scored four of the final five points of the set, capped by a kill from Suela Miloshi.

WPI opened the second set with kills by Miloshi and Wetmore and then pulled out to a 13-6 lead thanks to a 7-1 scoring run, led by Kaleigh Hess with two kills and a block assist. Two more kills by Wetmore were part of a 5-0 stretch for WPI, and the home team closed out the second set on kills by Hess and Sarah Kwatinetz.

The Pride took the early lead in the third set, 8-5, on a service ace by van der Meulen. Down 10-8 after a kill by Dow, WPI rallied back, outscoring Regis 17-5 during the remainder of the third set. Two service aces by Catherine Reynolds and two kills from Renee Sawka helped WPI finish off the set and the match.

Wetmore led WPI with 11 kills and three total blocks, helped in part by Lilly Taylor's 23 assists. Jenna Galli led the service game with three service aces, followed by four other WPI players with two service aces apiece. Mullins led the WPI defense with 10 digs.

Regis (7-13) returns to conference play with a key home contest against Saint Joseph's College Wednesday, Oct. 16, beginning at 7 p.m.