FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - After cruising through the first two sets, Regis College held off two Framingham State set points in the third set and eventually defeated the Rams, 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 26-24), Thursday night in a non-conference women's collegiate volleyball match at Logan Gymnasium.
Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) led the Pride with 11 kills, posting a .526 hitting percentage in the process, while Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) notched a double-double with 10 kills and 21 assists. Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) collected nine kills on a .615 hitting percentage along with three total blocks, and Kaitlyn Miller (Nottingham, N.H.) also earned a double-double with 13 assists and a team-high 12 digs.
The Pride scored 13 unanswered points in the opening set to turn a one-point lead into a 14-point advantage at 16-2, led by four kills from Dow. Down 22-6, Framingham State scored four straight points, but the Pride closed out the first set on back-to-back kills by Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) and a solo block from Montigny.
Regis' strong play continued into the second set, starting with an 8-1 scoring run, featuring consecutive service aces by Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.) and three kills by Montigny, to open a 12-4 advantage. The Pride did not allow the Rams to score consecutive points in the entire set, closing it out with a 9-2 scoring run, capped by a kill from Dow.
Framingham State (11-8) took a two-point lead early in the third set after a kill by Isabel Henwood, but Regis responded with a 7-2 scoring run, punctuated by a kill from Olivia Pacheco (Waterford, Conn.). The Rams would retake the lead at 15-14 on kills by Kiana Jones and Hailey Sanders as well a service ace from Jones.
After the Pride tied the back-and-forth set at 22-22 on a kill by Dow, the Rams scored the next two points, including a kill by Kate Petrosso, to bring about set point. Regis would extend the set on kills by Dow and Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) that tied it at 24-24. Princesa Gonzalez (Lares, Puerto Rico) notched a service ace to create a match point opportunity, which the Pride converted on a kill by Tenorio.
Sanders led the Rams with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while Anna Szymanski contributed five kills and a team-high eight digs. The Pride hit .343 as a team in the match and collected nine service aces while holding the Rams to a .078 hitting percentage, three service aces, and one team block.
Regis College (11-9) enjoys another short road trip this weekend, heading to Newton, Mass., for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri-match Saturday, Oct. 8. The Pride will face host Lasell at 11 a.m., followed by a contest against Saint Joseph's College at 1 p.m.