HALEDON, N.J. - Regis College extended its winning streak to three matches with a sweep over Hunter College, but then saw that streak snapped with a loss to host William Paterson during a non-conference women's collegiate volleyball tri-match Saturday at the WPU Rec Center.
REGIS 3, HUNTER 0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-20)
Avery Mola (Cheshire, Conn.) notched her third double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs, while Ayla Albers (San Diego, Calif.) finished with seven kills, four service aces, and eight digs. Defensively, Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led the Pride at the net with six total blocks, and Kamdyn Tenorio (Irvine, Calif.) collected 18 digs to go along with three service aces.
The early part of the match saw the two teams trade points before Regis rattled off seven unanswered points, led by four total blocks for Montigny with Grace Fabiano (Greenland, N.H.) joining her on three of them. Hunter battled back by scoring four straight points, but the Pride held off the rally and eventually won the opening set thanks in part to three kills by Mola and two kills from Lauren Tuttle (Stratham, N.H.) within the final six Regis points.
Hunter (4-2) scored six straight points early in the second set, led by a kill and a block assist from both Lily Mattison and Vera Montalbano, to open an 8-2 advantage. However, the Pride responded right away with 10 unanswered points, featuring three service aces from Albers, to pull ahead by four points. Regis would eventually clinch the second set thanks to consecutive attack errors by the Hawks.
The third set was close throughout as the momentum went back-and-forth, with Hunter putting together a 6-1 scoring run, led by a kill and a service ace from Amina Moummad, to open a 13-10 advantage. Down 17-16 after a service ace by Xheni Doci, the Pride closed out the set and the match with a 9-3 scoring run.
Izabella Williams led the Hawks with nine kills to go along with eight digs, while Doci accumulated 13 assists, two service aces, and seven digs. Desiree Morales paced the Hunter backline with 17 defensive digs, followed by Erin Dugan with 16 digs.
WILLIAM PATERSON 3, REGIS 0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-23)
Mola again paced the Pride offense with eight kills, followed by Fabiano with seven kills. Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.) finished with five kills, 12 assists, and 12 digs, and Tenorio contributed nine defensive digs.
The teams exchanged three-point runs to open the match before William Paterson scored four straight points, led by Sofia Zablackis and Kristian Glenn with two total blocks apiece, to pull ahead, 7-3. The Pride closed to within two points later in the set on kills by Bella Karpicz (Berkley, Mass.) and Mola, but the Pioneers clinched the first set with an 8-3 scoring run, led by Cecilia Miller and Hope Arce-Reed with three kills each.
William Paterson (3-3) once again scored four unanswered points early in the second set, featuring two service aces by Ciara Feliz, to open a 7-3 lead. The Pride closed to within two points at 18-16 thanks to a 5-1 scoring run before the Pioneers eventually closed out the set with their own 5-1 scoring stretch, capped by kills from Miller and Makayda Aldrich.
In the third set, the Pioneers again grabbed the early lead, extending it to as many as five points at 14-9. The Pride gradually closed the gap and eventually pulled ahead, 21-20, on a kill by Fabiano. After a Pioneer service error, William Paterson scored the final three points of the match thanks in part to kills by Miller and Aldrich.
Aldrich earned 10 kills while making just one attack error in 13 attempts for a .692 hitting percentage, while Arce-Reed also finished with 10 kills. Abby Houpt finished with 32 assists, Abigail Hayth led the Pioneers with three service aces, and Paola Molina led all played with 14 defensive digs.
Regis College (5-3) resumes regional play Tuesday, Sept. 10, with a short drive to face Wellesley College starting at 6 p.m. The Pride will then travel to Northfield, Vt., to open conference action against Norwich Saturday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m., followed by a non-league contest against MCLA at 1 p.m.
