WESTON, Mass. - Regis College played its first home matches in almost three weeks and cruised to consecutive sweeps, defeating Elms College and New England College during a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball tri-match Saturday at Higgins Court.
REGIS 3, ELMS 0 (25-10, 25-10, 25-16)
Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) led the Pride offensively with 12 kills and four service aces, while Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) finished with eight kills and a team-high five total blocks. Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) notched a double-double with 12 assists and 11 digs along with four kills and two service aces, and Allie Bietz (Branford, Conn.) contributed seven assists, two service aces, and three digs in the final set.
Elms took an early 4-1 lead in the opening set, led by a kill and a block from Angelica Marks as well as a service ace by Maria Codianni. Regis responded with an 11-1 scoring run to take control of the set, 15-7, and eventually closed out the first set on a kill by Fabiano.
Fabiano earned a kill and a block assist as the Pride scored the first five points of the second set, and then Mola collected four kills and a block assist during a stretch of nine unanswered points for the home team. The Blazers put together a short 5-2 scoring run late in the set, but Regis responded by earning three of the final four points, two of them coming on kills by Mola.
A service ace from Mola allowed the Pride to take an early 6-2 lead in the third set, but Elms hung tough, staying within two points most of the way. After a kill by Francesca Dirienzo brought the Blazers back within two points at 18-16, Regis rattled off seven straight points to close out the set and the match, punctuated by a kill from Mola.
Alysha Izquierdo led the Blazers with five kills, Jaylen Holman dished out 11 assists to go along with four digs, and Quiana Gibbs paced her team defensively with nine digs.
REGIS 3, NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-12)
Mola again led the Pride, posting another 12-kill performance along with 10 digs, five service aces, and two block assists. Mckinney came close to a triple-double with 18 assists, nine kills, and nine digs as she hit .412 in the match, while Alexandra Rivera (Bristol, Conn.) also dished out 18 assists. Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) tied for the team lead with 10 digs, and Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.) contributed seven kills and six digs.
Mola and Lily DiRico (Westford, Mass.) each teamed with Fabiano on a block and also posted a kill each as Regis scored the first four points of the match, but the Pilgrims regrouped and scored four of the next five points. The Pride rattled off four straight points to open a 9-4 advantage, but NEC battled back, closing to within one point four times.
After a block by Jamie Hansen and Lily-Anne Heywood brought the Pilgrims back within a single point at 18-17, the Pride closed out the opening set with a 7-2 scoring run, capped by kills from Mckinney and Fabiano.
Consecutive kills by Mckinney opened a 10-3 lead for the Pride in the second set, and then the home team further extended that advantage to 22-11 thanks to a kill and three straight service aces from Mola. The Pilgrims responded by scoring five of the next six points before the Pride clinched the set on a kill by Mckinney and a Pilgrim attack error.
Albers notched three consecutive kills to give the Pride an 8-2 lead in the third set, and then back-to-back kills by DiRico and Mola further expanded that advantage to 19-8. The Pilgrims scored consecutive points in the third set just twice as Regis completed the sweep by taking advantage of an NEC mistake.
Heywood paced the Pilgrims with five kills along with six digs, but NEC finished with as many attack errors as kills, 18 each. Defensively, Kristina Cardello led her team with eight digs, followed by Alexandra Seijas with seven digs to go along with nine assists.
In the middle match, New England College swept Elms College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-17), led by Savannah Pilialoha with 12 kills and Cardello with 22 digs. Holman notched a double-double for the Blazers with 17 assists and 10 digs, while Lilianna Simmons finished with a team-high 11 digs.
Regis College (10-4, 3-0 GNAC) hosts Dean College to kick off Regis Fest weekend Friday, Sept. 27, beginning at 5 p.m. Elms College (0-11, 0-2 GNAC) welcomes University of Saint Joseph Wednesday, Sept. 25, for a 6 p.m. start, and New England College (4-6, 1-1 GNAC) plays a non-conference home match against Southern Maine Tuesday, Sept. 24, beginning at 6 p.m.