Regis Volleyball Comeback Comes Up Just Short

BOSTON – Regis College rallied from a 2-0 deficit, winning both the third and fourth sets to force a deciding fifth set, but UMass Boston took the early lead in the final set and went on to defeat the Pride, 3-2 (25-22, 25-10, 24-26, 24-26, 15-7), Tuesday night in a collegiate women's volleyball match at the Clark Athletic Center.

Offensively, Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) led the Pride with nine kills with Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) contributing eight kills as Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) dished out 24 assists to go along with a team-high four service aces. At the net, Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) collected four total blocks, while the backline defense was led by Mica van der Meulen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) with 24 digs and Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) with 16 digs.

The Pride started their comeback from a 2-0 match deficit in the third set, taking advantage of four straight Beacon errors to take the early lead. Regis maintained that lead through most of the set, pulling ahead 23-18 on a kill by Kai Berning (Corvallis, Ore.), but UMass Boston scored five unanswered points to pull into a 23-23 tie. After the two teams exchanged points, kills by Dow and Whalen clinched the third set for the Pride.

UMass Boston (10-11) opened the fourth set by scoring six of the first seven points, but the Pride fought back, putting together a 12-4 scoring run to pull ahead, 18-16. The Beacons retook the lead on a service ace by Toni Guerra and a block by Carsen Komminsk and Taryn Broughal, but the momentum went back towards Regis, as the Pride scored five of the final seven points of the set to tie the match and extend it one more set.

Consecutive service aces by Mckayla Geraghty allowed UMass Boston to open a 6-1 advantage in the fifth set, and the Beacons were able to keep the Pride at a distance throughout the set. The home team won five of the final six points of the match, punctuated by kills from Broughal and Aleks Qose.

Marcelle Tiscareno led the Beacons with 16 kills, a .361 hitting percentage, and five total blocks, with Livia Trindade collecting 14 kills. Komminsk notched a double-double with 50 assists and 15 digs, Alyssa Ruan earned six service aces and nine digs, and Ally Dean led the backline with 22 defensive digs.

Fagundo opened the match with three straight service aces, but the Beacons quickly answered with five unanswered points. Down by four later in the first set, Regis pulled into a 22-22 tie, but UMass Boston scored the final three points of the opening set. The Beacons carried the momentum into the second set, eventually scoring the final five points of the set to open their 2-0 match advantage.

Regis College (16-6) heads back to Boston Thursday, Oct. 21, for another non-conference match, this time facing former league rival Suffolk starting at 7 p.m. The Pride then welcome Lasell and Johnson & Wales for a key GNAC tri-match at Higgins Court Saturday, Oct. 23, with the first match beginning at 12 p.m.