PREVIEW: Turiano & Veterans Look to Build New Tradition
It's not often that a three-time conference champion will look to build a new tradition, but that's exactly what the Regis (Mass.) women's volleyball program will do in 2017.
Regis Athletics Fall Previews
Men's Cross Country: Pride Looks To Youth Movement For Success in 2017
Women's Cross Country: Expectations High for Experienced Women's Cross Country
Men's Soccer: Veteran Group Leads Men's Soccer Into New Era
Women's Volleyball: Turiano, Veterans Look to Build New Tradition
WESTON, Mass. – It's not often that a three-time conference champion will look to build a new tradition, but that's exactly what the Regis (Mass.) women's volleyball program will do in 2017.
The Pride won the New England Collegiate Conference's last three titles, but now, as the newest member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), Regis will try to sustain the success they have had over those past three seasons, but doing so with a relatively unfamiliar slate of opponents.
Not only does the team enter a new era of conference play, but it does so under the new direction of Marc Turiano who was named the program's new coach last February. "The team has obviously done a lot of great things over the past three years with three titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances," said Turiano. "The volleyball program and Regis Athletics as a whole have earned the right to step up into the GNAC where it's a whole new ball game and we have to prove ourselves all over again."
The Pride finished last season with a 15-16 record, while going 7-1 in conference play. Regis captured the conference crown with a sweep over Daniel Webster before falling to Stevens Institute of Technology in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Taking a team into a new conference in his first year is not something lost on Turiano. "In some ways it's good the team is moving conferences for my first year. It's a fresh start for the team which allows me leeway to bring my own mentality and coaching style. If they're buying in and going 100 percent all the time then we'll be in good shape."
Leading the way for the Pride this season are captains Nicole Connolly (San Mateo, Calif.), Courtney Mosher (Taunton, Mass.) and Sydney Trusty (Durham, Conn.). "This team is a very top heavy upperclassmen group," adds Turiano. "We have three senior setters plus three senior hitters, and it's really their time to set the tone and lead us into the GNAC." Also returning is sophomore Katryna Veasey who was a First Team All-Conference and Rookie of the Year selection last year. Turiano proclaims that Veasey is a "real big player for us" and that she is "really well-rounded and excels at every part of the game." This season also features three incoming freshman who "will fit in really well given what they can do and the holes we needed filled."
The Pride opens its 2017 season a week from today with a doubleheader in Belton, Texas. The first match is slated for 3:30 EDT against the hosts from Mary Hardin-Baylor, followed by a 5:30 EDT start against Hardin-Simmons. Regis will host its home opener against future GNAC foe Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday, Sept. 13, before opening GNAC play at home against Saint Joseph's (Me.) on Sept. 16. Other highlights on the Pride's schedule includes a Regis Fest tri-match against Wentworth and Lesley on Sept. 30, Senior Night against Mount Ida on Oct. 4 and a meeting with the defending GNAC champions Johnson & Wales on the road on Oct. 11.
#RegisWVB