WESTON, Mass. - Regis College started slowly, but eventually gained momentum in defeating Colby-Sawyer College in four sets, followed by a sweep of Albertus Magnus College Saturday during a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball tri-match at Higgins Court.
REGIS 3, COLBY-SAWYER 1 (23-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-10)
Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) notched a double-double with 15 kills and 20 digs, plus she hit .333 in the match and collected three service aces. Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) also had a double-double with 13 kills and a season-high 21 digs to go along with four service aces. Alexandra Rivera (Bristol, Conn.) accumulated 25 assists, Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) contributed 19 assists, seven kills, and eight digs, and Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) added nine kills and seven digs.
In the opening set, after a kill by Montigny gave Regis a 12-10 advantage, Colby-Sawyer put together a 14-3 scoring run, starting with consecutive kills by Brenna Piller and back-to-back service aces from Audra Fontes. Facing several set point chances, the Pride scored eight unanswered points, led by three kills from Montigny, to pull within one point at 24-23 before the Chargers finally closed out the first set on a kill by Ally Majenski.
Regis used the momentum from the end of the first set to put together a 12-1 scoring run in the second set, led by Mola with three kills and two block assists, to open a 16-5 lead. The Pride would eventually score three of the final four points of the second set, led by Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) with two kills, as the home team tied the match at one set apiece.
Four straight kills by Tenorio helped the Pride open a four-point advantage in the third set, but the Chargers responded with a 9-1 scoring run, capped by two kills from Katie Mollberg. Down 18-15 after a kill by Piller, Regis scored four straight points, featuring two kills by Fabiano, but Colby-Sawyer responded with kills by Kamryn Brakemeier and Majenski to tie the set at 21-21. The Pride would close out the set with four straight points, punctuated by consecutive kills from Montigny.
After the Chargers scored the first point of the fourth set on a kill by Mollberg, the Pride scored the next seven points, featuring three straight service aces by Mola. Regis put together a 10-2 scoring run, led by Fabiano with three kills and a solo block, to extend its lead to 20-6. Regis eventually scored the final three points of the set and the match, including kills by Tenorio and Dakota Lee (Dallas, Ore.).
Regis' victory made Josh Anderson the winningest head coach in program history with his 89th victory at the helm of the Pride in his fourth season. It also gave Regis 20 victories for the fourth straight year.
Brakemeier led the Chargers with 10 kills as Patnode notched a double-double with 31 assists and 10 digs. Fontes finished with two service aces and a team-high 18 digs.
REGIS 3, ALBERTUS MAGNUS 0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-21)
Mola paced the team offensively with 11 kills, while Tenorio finished with eight kills, two service aces, and a match-high 15 digs. Mckinney collected 18 assists, and Rivera finished with 17 assists, three service aces, and six defensive digs.
The Pride scored seven straight points early in the first set to open an 8-2 advantage, a lead they maintained throughout the set. After a kill by Nathalie Wallace brought the Falcons within five points late in the set at 21-16, Regis scored the final four points of the opening set, including a kill by Tenorio and a service ace from Rivera.
In the second set, Regis scored the first two points and then extended its lead gradually, pulling ahead by six points at 14-8 on a kill by Montigny and a service ace from Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.). The Falcons attempted to stay close as a kill by Shalese Gordon brought them within four points at 18-14, but Regis put together a 7-3 scoring run to close out the set, capped by a kill from Mckinney.
After the Pride opened a 12-6 lead in the third set on a service ace by Bella Karpicz (Berkley, Mass.) and a kill by Tenorio, Albertus Magnus rattled off a 9-1 scoring run, highlighted by three straight service aces from Gordon, to pull ahead, 15-13. Alexys Signor earned consecutive service aces to give the Falcons a 20-19 lead, but the Pride responded with a 6-1 scoring run to clinch the match, including two kills by Lily DiRico (Westford, Mass.) and one kill from Karpicz.
Majo Pelaez and Nyanna Richards led the Falcons with five kills apiece, while Gordon finished with 16 assists, three service aces, two kills, and three digs. Defensively, Paula Matheus paced the team at the net with four total blocks, and Amanda Zdru finished with a team-high 12 digs.
In the middle match, Colby-Sawyer defeated Albertus Magnus, 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-9, 25-21), with Mollberg leading the Chargers with 17 kills and Fontes collecting 27 digs along with four service aces. Pelaez paced the Falcons with 15 kills and 13 digs for a double-double, with Gordon also notching a double-double with 33 assists and 14 digs.
Regis College (21-8, 13-2 GNAC), clinching a top-three seed in the GNAC Women's Volleyball Tournament, travels to face Mass Maritime Tuesday, Nov. 5, starting at 7 p.m. before hosting Keene State on Senior Day Friday, Nov. 8, beginning at 4 p.m. Colby-Sawyer (19-9, 7-6 GNAC) plays at Plymouth State Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m. before hosting Lasell and Elms in a tri-match next Saturday, Nov. 9. Albertus Magnus (12-16, 3-9 GNAC) next plays at University of Saint Joseph Tuesday night at 6 p.m.