Pride Men's Volleyball Splits Tri-Match in New York

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – Regis College Men's Volleyball traveled to New York for a tri-match with Nichols College and the host school, Bard College. The Pride fell in three sets to the Bison before bouncing back to defeat Bard, 4-1 and improve their record to 13-8 on the season.

Brandon Valdes (Miami, Fla.) and Jalen Watt (South Hadley, Mass.) led the Pride in game one with eight and seven kills, respectively, while Tyrell Bucasas (Waialua, Hawaii) recorded 19 of his team's 23 assists. Defensively, Jay Bodhidatta (Bangkok, Thailand) registered 14 digs in the effort.

In game two, Valdes and John Nangle (Lowell, Mass.) spearheaded the offense with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Nangle posted an impressive hitting percentage of .909. Bucasas contributed with 39 assists and 12 digs in the victory.

Regis vs. Nichols

• A service error followed by a kill from Bucasas ended a 6-0 Bison run and brought the score to 11-6 in the first set. Later in the set, a kill from Eddie Djatcha (Lowell, Mass.) brought the Pride within five, but that would be as close as they would get as the Bison went on to take set one, 25-16.
• After trailing by as many as six in set two, the Pride made their move with a 5-0 run, spearheaded by three service aces from Nangle to make it a one-point game (22-21). However, that would be the last point Regis would notch, as three kills from Tanner Soracco ended the set in favor of the Bison.
• The third set featured back-and-forth action with 12 ties and eight lead changes until the Bison managed four unanswered points to take their largest lead at 18-14. The Pride stuck around and found themselves back within one after a kill from Valdes and a Bison error, but the Bison answered a play later with a kill to solidify their 25-23 victory in set three and claim the match victory.

Regis vs. Bard

• After trailing 21-16, the Pride went on a 5-1 run, closing the gap to 22-21 and prompting the Raptors to call a timeout. With the set point looming, the Pride scored two quick points to extend the set, but the Raptors ultimately edged out a 27-25 win in the first set.
• A series of three kills midway through set two sparked a 7-0 run for the Pride, giving them an 18-10 lead. The Raptors managed to narrow the gap to six points, but that was as close as they'd come. The Pride closed out the set with three unanswered points, securing a 25-15 victory in set two to even the match at one apiece.
• Regis took a 2-1 lead in the match after 12 kills and six blocks propelled them to a 25-17 win in set three, putting them just one set away from the victory.
• The teams exchanged the lead early in set four until a kill from Djatcha put the Pride ahead 16-13. Bard managed to close the gap to two, but the Pride responded with five straight points, securing a 25-19 victory in set four to secure the match victory over the Raptors.

Inside the Numbers:

• Tyrell Bucasas' 39-assist performance against Bard marks his fourth game this season with 35 or more assists.
• John Nangle's .909 hitting percentage is his highest of the season in any match where he recorded double-digit kills.

Up Next:

The Pride are back at home Tuesday, March 18^th when they welcome American International College to Higgins Court for a 6 p.m. start.