Pride's Impressive Postseason Run Comes to an End in GNAC Championship

NEWTON, Mass. — The Regis College women's volleyball team put together a postseason to be proud of, culminating in an appearance in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship this afternoon at cross-town foe Lasell University. The Pride battled throughout, but the Lasers secured a 3–1 victory to claim their third straight GNAC title, bringing the Pride's season to a close with a 19-14 overall record and a 9-4 mark in GNAC play.

Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) paced the Regis attack with 12 kills and added five blocks on the defensive end. Beatriz Paulo (Newton, Mass.) contributed 10 kills and three blocks. Defensively, Bella Karpicz (Berkley, Mass.) led the way with a game-high seven blocks, while Alexandra Rivera (Bristol, Conn.) posted a team-high 11 digs along with 27 assists.

The Lasers were led by Morgan Bogli, who tallied a match-high 15 kills along with four blocks and four digs. Sydney Katz directed the offense with 29 assists, while Madeline Caro anchored the defense with 19 digs. Four different Lasell players finished with four blocks in the championship win.

How it Happened

The Lasers jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the opening set before a Lasell error and a Fabiano kill slowed their momentum. They maintained a slight edge until three unanswered Regis points, highlighted by a Karpicz–Fabiano block, brought the Pride within one at 20–19 and forced a Lasell timeout. The Lasers responded with two quick points out of the break, but Regis battled back with a three-point surge to tie the set at 22. Lasell had the final answer, though, using a Pride error and a Bogli kill to create just enough separation to take the set, 25–23.

The Pride carried their energy into set two, grabbing a 4–1 lead after a Paulo kill sparked a brief run. Lasell quickly countered, flipping the momentum with a surge of their own to move ahead 7-4. From there, the Lasers held a narrow advantage until they broke the set open with 10 unanswered points, cruising to a 25-12 win and moving within one set of the championship.

But the Pride weren't ready to back down. A Karpicz–Rivera block helped Regis take a slim 5-2 lead early in set three. Lasell answered again, reclaiming the lead and doubling up the Pride 12–6, prompting a Regis timeout. The regroup paid off: the Pride erupted for 12 straight points, powered by four Karpicz blocks and three Paulo kills, to surge ahead 23-15. Rivera later sealed the 25–16 set victory with a kill, keeping the Pride alive and trimming the Lasell lead to 2-1.

The teams traded points to open the fourth set, with a Paulo kill briefly putting Regis ahead. Lasell responded with five unanswered points to take a 13-9 advantage. The duo of Karpicz and Paulo pulled the Pride back within one at 13-12, but a 5-1 Lasell run pushed the margin to 18-13. Kills from Eva Catalanotto (Cheshire, Conn.) and Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.), set up by Rivera, brought Regis within three at 20–17. However, that was as close as the Pride would get, as Lasell held firm and Bogli delivered the final point to secure the Lasers' 3–1 championship victory.

Inside the Numbers

• After the game, Eva Catalanotto and Grace Fabiano were named to the GNAC women's volleyball all-tournament team for their play throughout the postseason. 
• Alexandra Rivera capped off a sophomore season for the books, setting new program records for single-game assists (49) and single-season assists (975).
• The Pride graduate seniors: Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.) and Kate Truog (Brookline, Mass.)