Women’s Volleyball Loses Competitive GNAC Contest

NEW LONDON, N.H. – In a match where each set seemed to turn on a couple key rallies, Colby-Sawyer College earned more of those important points on its way to a 3-1 victory (25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-18) over Regis College Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball match at the Hogan Sports Center.

Lauren Butt (Topsfield, Mass.) led the Pride with 12 kills, a .400 hitting percentage, and five total blocks, while Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) notched her ninth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs. Setters Tori Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) and Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) collected 18 assists apiece, and libero Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) ended up with 19 digs, five assists, and four service aces.

Regis jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set and earned its largest lead of the set at 15-7 on a kill by Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.). Colby-Sawyer put together a 10-2 scoring run to tie the set at 17-17, the first of seven ties down the stretch. The Chargers clinched the opening set on a kill by Olivia Werner and consecutive service aces from Bre Sheehan.

The Pride scored four of the first five points of the second set and eventually extended their lead to five at 17-12. Once again, the Chargers battled back, this time with a 10-3 scoring stretch, punctuated by consecutive kills by Rebecca Straubel. After a block by Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) and Julia Pelland (Brockton, Mass.) tied the set at 22-22, Colby-Sawyer closed with three unanswered points, led by Naarah Cox with a kill and a block and capped by a service ace from Straubel.

In the third set, Regis pulled ahead thanks to eight straight points, led by three service aces from van der Meulen. Down by 10 after a kill by Dow, Colby-Sawyer again fought back, outscoring Regis 12-2 to tie the set at 22-22, punctuated by kills from Sam Mohammed and Werner. However, this time the Pride closed out the set with three straight points, featuring another service ace by van der Meulen and a kill from Whalen.

The fourth set featured 10 ties early, with the Pride eventually taking a one-point lead at 16-15 on a kill by Butt. Colby-Sawyer finished off the set and the match with another 10-2 scoring run, with Cox leading the way down the stretch with three kills and a block assist.

Mohammed led the Chargers offensively with 15 kills, while Straubel and Werner finished with nine kills apiece. Anna Allen ran the offense and also contributed defensively, ending up with 36 assists and 15 digs. Sheehan led the team with four service aces, and Morgan Flynn paced the backline with 18 digs.

Regis (6-12, 2-3 GNAC) steps out of conference play for a tri-match in Worcester, Mass., Saturday, Oct. 12. The Pride first face host WPI at 11 a.m. before a neutral-site contest against Fitchburg State at 1 p.m.