Men’s Volleyball Falls in Four Sets to Regis (Mass.)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rivier (8-12,3-5 Great Northeast) | 17 | 15 | 25 | 20 | 1 |
|
Regis (Mass.) (16-10,4-6 Great Northeast) | 25 | 25 | 14 | 25 | 3 |
NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier men's volleyball team fell short in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest on Tuesday evening, dropping a 3-1 decision to Regis (Mass.) at the Muldoon Center. The set scores were 17-25, 15-25, 25-14, and 20-25.
With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 8-12 (3-5 GNAC), while the Pride improved to 16-10 (4-6 GNAC).
Rivier opened strong with early kills from sophomore Tyler Dickinson to help the Raiders take a 3-1 lead. Regis responded by winning 11 of the next 15 points, taking a 12-7 advantage. The Raiders managed to trim the deficit to three, but three straight kills from the Pride extended their lead to 16-10. Regis ultimately closed out the set on a Rivier service error, taking it 25-17.
The Pride carried that momentum into the second set, posting a .667 hitting percentage en route to a 25-15 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Rivier pushed back in the third, sparked by kills from senior Bassam Awde and first-year Cody Fitzpatrick to take a 6-5 lead. The Raiders then went on a seven-point run, with junior Matthew McCloskey recording three kills during the stretch to push the lead to 13-6. Sophomore Racine Camara added three more kills down the stretch as Rivier cruised to a 25-14 win to force a fourth set. Rivier hit .346 as a team in the frame, recording 11 kills.
Fitzpatrick recorded consecutive kills to help the Raiders keep pace early in the fourth, tying the set at 3-3. Regis responded with a 12-5 surge, prompting a Rivier timeout with the score at 15-8. The teams traded points out of the break before a kill from Camara and two blocks from Dickinson pulled the Raiders within two at 19-17. Despite the late push, the Pride closed out the match by taking six of the final nine points to win the set 25-20 and secure the 3-1 victory.
McCloskey led Rivier with 10 kills, hitting .333 while Dickinson followed with nine kills at a .412 clip. First-year Cade Barron dished out 29 assists, and sophomore Luis Castillo paced the defense with a team-high eight digs.
The Raiders return to GNAC action on Thursday, March 27, when they host Emerson in the Rivier ACS Cancer Awareness Game. First serve at the Muldoon Center is set for 7:00 p.m.
