Pride Women’s Volleyball Splits GNAC Tri-Match

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – In two tightly contested matchups, Regis College defeated Norwich University, 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 29-27, 25-20), but lost to Suffolk University, 3-1 (25-14, 25-27, 25-22, 26-24), Saturday in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball matches at Norwich's Andrews Hall.

Regis 3, Norwich 1

Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) notched her 10^th double-double of the season with 15 kills and 21 digs, while Rachel Bartels (Edinburg, Texas) finished with a season-high 13 kills. Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) collected 27 assists, four service aces, and six digs, and Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) added 17 assists and two service aces. Defensively, three Pride players earned four total blocks apiece as Regis earned 10 team blocks, and Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the backline with 16 digs.

The Pride scored the first five points of the match and maintained the lead through most of the first set. Down 19-16, Norwich put together a 9-2 scoring run to close out the opening set, led by Kathryn Farnum with three kills and helped by five Pride errors.

Norwich (9-12, 2-7 GNAC) used consecutive kills by Julia Schroeder to open a lead in the second set, extending it to as much as five points. Down 18-14, it was Regis's turn to close out a set with a significant run, outscoring the Cadets 11-3 down the stretch, including two kills and a block assist by Jordan Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.) during that span.

In the third set, two kills and a block assist by Veasey helped the Pride open an 8-4 advantage, but two kills by Michele Zummo allowed the Cadets to tie the set at 8-8. The set went back and forth, with Norwich earning the first set point chance after a kill by Zummo. Consecutive kills by Veasey put the Pride on top, but errors on both sides led to a 26-26 tie. Regis was able to clinch the third set on kills by Sterenberg and Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) as well as a Norwich error.

Regis scored the first six points of the fourth set, led by two solo blocks from Butt, but Norwich responded with the next four points to keep the set close. The Cadets took the lead at 14-13, but the Pride scored four unanswered points, led by a kill and a solo block from Butt, to pull ahead, 17-14. Norwich closed to within three late in the set on kills by Schroeder and Zummo, but a block by MacKenzie Emco (Sutton, Mass.) and Samantha Turner (Concord, N.H.) followed by a kill from Turner ended the set and the match in Regis's favor.

Zummo and Farnum both notched double-doubles for the Cadets, with Zummo earning 19 kills and 13 digs and Farnum contributing 12 kills and 10 digs. Emily Oliver dished out 40 assists, Schroeder added eight kills and 14 digs, and Olivia Brown led Norwich defensively with 20 digs.

Suffolk 3, Regis 1

Veasey notched another double-double, tying her career high with 20 kills to go along with 19 digs as well as three service aces and three total blocks. Bartels finished with 12 kills as she hit .312 in the match, Ondris nearly earned her own double-double with 26 assists and nine digs, and van der Meulen collected a season-high 22 digs.

The first set was close until Suffolk went on an 8-2 scoring run to open a 19-11 advantage. After Regis scored the next three points, the Rams closed out the opening set with six unanswered points, featuring two service aces by Sarah Mullahy and two kills by Bridget Allison.

Suffolk (9-13, 6-3 GNAC) scored the first point of the second set, Regis scored the next five points, three of them on blocks, and then the Rams rattled off five straight points. Bartels and Veasey collected two kills apiece to put the Pride back on top, 9-6, but Suffolk again responded. Consecutive kills by Kayla Barbera brought about set point for the Rams, but the Pride would score six of the final seven points of the set, led by three kills and an ace by Veasey and capped by a block from Turner.

Two kills by Hannah Fabiano helped the Rams open a four-point advantage in the third set, but the Pride would close to within one midway through the set. Veasey earned three kills down the stretch to keep the Pride within two, but a kill by Barbera clinched the third set and gave Suffolk a 2-1 match lead.

Regis opened a five-point lead in the fourth set, but Suffolk slowly chipped away at that lead, eventually pulling ahead by two on a kill by Chidera Nwankwo. Another kill by Nwankwo brought about match point for the Rams, but kills by Veasey and Bartels tied the set at 24-24. Nwankwo created another match point with a kill, and the Rams would finally prevail after a Regis attack error.

Fabiano led Suffolk with 12 kills, while Mullahy and Nwankwo contributed eight kills apiece. Barbera helped the Rams with 10 kills, plus she collected 15 digs for a double-double, as did setter Talia Lombardo with 38 assists and 11 digs along with five service aces. Five different Suffolk players reached double figures in digs, led by Dakhensey Marcellus with 18 digs.

Regis (11-13, 4-6 GNAC) hosts two non-conference matches in the upcoming week, facing Fisher Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. and Gordon Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. The Gordon match will be preceded by Senior Night ceremonies, as the six Pride seniors will be honored by their coaches and teammates.