WESTON, Mass. – For the second time in three days, Lasell University went on the road and emerged victorious, as the fourth seeded Lasers defeated the second seeded Regis College Pride, 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 25-16), Saturday afternoon to win the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Higgins Court on the Regis College campus.
With the victory, Lasell improves to 27-4 and will represent the GNAC in the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. Lasell will learn its first opponent and the site of its first round match when the bracket for the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament is revealed Monday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The first set was extremely close as the momentum continually went back and forth. After a kill by Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) tied the set at 16-16, Lasell put together a 5-1 scoring run, featuring consecutive service aces by Maddie Caro. Regis responded with four straight points to tie the set at 21-21, but the Lasers won four of the final five points of the opening set, capped by a kill from Emily VanHouten.
Regis rattled off five unanswered points early in the second set, including consecutive service aces by Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.), to pull ahead, 9-5. The Lasers battled back with a 9-3 scoring run, starting with a kill and back-to-back service aces from Tori Scambray, to take a 19-17 lead.
After a block by Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) brought the Pride back within two points at 21-19, Lasell closed out the set with four straight points, led by McKenna McCool with two kills and a block assist.
Early in the third set, Lasell scored five straight points, starting with consecutive kills by VanHouten, to pull ahead 7-4. A 7-2 scoring run for the Pride allowed the home team to pull ahead, 14-12, and then the teams exchanged scoring runs. Regis would finally clinch the third set to extend the match on a kill by Mola.
The Lasers were determined to close out the match in the fourth set, racing out to an 8-3 lead, but the Pride battled back with four straight points. Lasell put together a 7-1 scoring run, punctuated by three straight kills from Juliana Medini, to extend its lead back to seven points at 16-9. The Lasers clinched the set and the match by scoring five of the final six points, capped by a kill from Morgan Bogli.
Medini, named the Tournament MVP, led the Lasers with 15 kills and seven total blocks, while Kyra Paris finished with nine kills on a .412 hitting percentage. McCool contributed seven kills and 10 digs as she was named to the All-Tournament Team, as was Caro after she led the Lasers with four service aces and 14 digs.
Mola paced the Pride with 10 kills and four service aces, plus she collected 11 digs, while Mckinney, a member of the All-Tournament Team, finished with 23 assists, seven kills, six digs, and four total blocks. Montigny was also named to the All-Tournament Team as she collected five kills and three total blocks, and Tenorio led Regis defensively with 15 digs.
Regis College sees its 2023 season conclude with a 26-8 overall record. It was a record-setting year for the Pride, as Regis established new program single-season records for most overall victories (26) and most conference wins (14).
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Victoria Briones, Saint Joseph's College
- Maddie Caro, Lasell
- McKenna McCool, Lasell
- Ahnasia Mckinney, Regis
- Juliana Medini, Lasell – Tournament MVP
- Kate Montigny, Regis
- Chelsea Simmons, Simmons