WESTON, Mass. – Second seed Regis College (26-7) defeated sixth seed Saint Joseph's College (15-16), 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-23), Thursday night in a semifinal match of the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Higgins Court.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Regis advances to the championship match of the tournament Saturday, Nov. 11. Thanks to Lasell's 3-1 victory over top seed Simmons, the Pride will host the fourth seeded Lasers in the title contest starting at 1 p.m. at Higgins Court.
For Saint Joseph's, the loss signals the end of the 2023 season and the college volleyball careers of the Monks' four seniors: Kailyn Chamberlin (Milford, N.H.), Sam Holland (Gilmanton, N.H.), Abby Jerome (Barrington, N.H.), and Caitlin Quinn (Dover, N.H.).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the first set, Regis opened a 6-3 lead before kills by Nadia Sixto (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Chamberlin pulled the Monks within one point. The Pride responded with an 11-3 scoring run, led by Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.), and Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) with two service aces apiece. Regis would clinch the first set on a solo block by Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.).
Thanks to three consecutive kills by Maggie Sylvester (Barrington, N.H.), Saint Joseph's College took an early 6-2 lead in the second set. After back-to-back kills by Mola later in the set, Sylvester again hit three kills in a row to extend the Monk lead to 18-12.
Two service aces by Mola helped close the Pride deficit to 18-16, but Saint Joseph's College increased its lead back to four at 20-16 on a service ace by Allison McMullen (Jacksonville, Fla.). The Pride would rally back thanks to a 9-2 scoring run that closed out the second set, with the final two points coming on a block by Montigny and Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) and a kill by Mola.
The Pride took their momentum into the third set, scoring the first five points and eventually opening a 10-4 lead on consecutive service aces by Toni Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.). The Monks battled back with five straight points, led by two kills from Ava Brownsword (Richmond, Vt.), but Regis put together an 11-4 scoring run to extend its lead back to eight points at 22-14.
Saint Joseph's College (15-16) did not give up, going on a 9-2 scoring run, including four straight points on opportunities for Regis to close out the match. Montigny finally clinched the set and the match for the Pride with her ninth and final kill of the night.
TEAM STATS:
Regis held the lead in assists (29-28) and service aces (13-6) while Saint Joseph's posted advantages in hitting percentage (.211 / .204), digs (48-45), and blocks (3-2). Both teams notched 34 kills in the tourney tilt.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore Victoria Briones (El Paso, Texas) led all players with 11 kills while posting a .348 attack percentage and eight digs
- Sylvester netted eight kills and seven digs with a block solo
- McMullen boasted three service aces and four digs
- Jerome picked up 15 digs
- Chamberlin (12) and Quinn (10) combined for 22 total assists
- Sixto, Brownsword, and Larisa Comolli (Nashua, N.H.) delivered four kills apiece
LEADERS – REGIS:
- Montigny led the Pride offensively with nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage
- Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) and Mola tallied five kills and 11 digs apiece
- Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) added 18 assists and nine digs
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO REGIS COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
