Men’s Volleyball Loses in Tri-Match in Pennsylvania

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Regis College could not maintain its momentum from the previous night's victory, losing to Stevenson University and host King's College during a non-conference men's collegiate volleyball tri-match at Scandlon Gymnasium.

STEVENSON 3, REGIS 1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-22, 25-18)

Eddie Djatcha (Lowell, Mass.) led the Pride with 10 kills, while Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) finished with eight kills and a season-high 10 digs. Tyrell Bucasas (Waialua, Hawaii) collected 21 assists and eight digs, and Alessandro DiPaola (Newington, Conn.) contributed 18 assists. Defensively, Francesco Buanne (Caserta, Italy) earned three solo blocks, and Orlando Plagata (Los Angeles, Calif.) paced the backline with 11 digs.

Led by Tim Flanagan with five kills and a block assists, Stevenson opened an 11-3 advantage in the first set. Down the stretch, Anthony Pezzino earned consecutive kills and a solo block to help the Mustangs clinch the first set.

Thanks to three straight solo blocks by Buanne as well as two kills and a service ace from Perez, Regis opened a 13-7 lead in the second set. Stevenson attempted to rally back, closing to within three points late in the set, but the Pride took the second set and tied the match on a kill by Brandon Valdes (Miami, Fla.).

In the third set, Regis pulled into a 9-9 tie on a kill by Djatcha, but the Mustangs responded with four straight points, including a kill by Flanagan and a solo block from Ryan Thenell. Down 22-16, the Pride put together a 6-1 scoring run, led by Jalen Watt (South Hadley, Mass.) with two kills and Djatcha with a kill and a service ace, but the Mustangs held off the Pride and clinched the third set thanks to a kill by Aidan O'Brien and a Regis setting error.

Consecutive kills by Djatcha early in the fourth set led to the Pride pulling ahead, 5-2, but Stevenson quickly responded with three straight points. With the set tied at 9-9, the Mustangs scored four unanswered points to take the lead for good, eventually clinching the set and the match on a kill by O'Brien and a service ace from Micah Ernest.

Stevenson (12-6) was led by Flanagan with 16 kills and 10 digs, while Pezzino contributed nine kills. O'Brien added five kills and five total blocks, and Justin Novoa accumulated 31 assists along with five digs.

KING'S COLLEGE 3, REGIS 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-14)

Perez notched a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs, as did Bucasas with 21 assists and 10 digs. Valdes led the Pride offensively with 13 kills, and Plagata again paced the Pride backline with 16 defensive digs.

Regis scored the first three points of the match and eventually opened a 12-4 advantage in the first set, capped by a solo block from Buanne. Down 16-6, the Monarchs rattled off seven unanswered points, led by Ben Maskiell with two service aces as well as Nick Greenawalt and Greg Bousquet with a kill and a solo block each. Regis held off the rally and closed out the first set on kills by Watt and Buanne.

King's College (15-5) took the lead early in the second set thanks in part to consecutive kills by Logan Dougherty. The Monarchs would prevent the Pride from coming closer than two points behind, clinching the second set on a solo block by Gavin Gilhool and a kill from Bousquet.

In the third set, Regis scored six straight points to open a 14-7 advantage, but the Monarchs battled back, putting together a 9-1 scoring run to pull ahead, 16-15. With the score tied at 17-17, King's College scored the next seven points, capped by a kill from Dougherty, and eventually closed out the set on a kill by Rich Alvarez.

The Monarchs scored five of the first six points of the fourth set, but Regis eventually battled back to within two points at 14-12. King's College put together an 11-2 scoring run to finish the set and the match, punctuated by a solo block from Dougherty.

Bousquet led the team offensively with 16 kills while Maskiell enjoyed a solid all-around game with 35 assists, three service aces, six digs, and three solo blocks. Greenawalt contributed 10 kills and a team-high eight defensive digs, and the Monarchs finished with 14 team blocks.

Regis College (9-12, 4-3 GNAC) closes the regular season with seven straight conference matches, beginning with the first meeting of the season against rival Lasell University Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Higgins Court.