ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The 2019 season got started on Thursday for the Regis University volleyball team as they traveled to Anchorage, Alaska for the Seawolf Invitational Tournament.
Regis (1-0) edged out the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (0-1) in five sets of thrilling volleyball that saw three sets decided by two points each.
How It Happened:The opening set saw a display of anxiety from both sides as they battled back-and-forth for the lead. Tied 4-4, back-to-back service aces from senior outside hitter
Kelsey Green gave the Rangers their first set lead of the season, 6-4. Senior right-side
Izzy Gosar followed the aces with a powerful kill which extended the lead to three, but that is when the home side stormed back. The Seawolves managed to take a 18-14 lead late in the set, eventually pushing past RU to take the first set 25-21.
After recording zero blocks in the first set, Regis came alive at the net in the second set led by senior middle blocker
Nikki Kennedy. Trailing by two, 5-7, Kennedy and Gosar combined to block an attack to cut the lead to one. Three plays later, Kennedy stuffed a back-row attack by herself to tie the set at eight points apiece. A few plays later, the Rangers pieced together a five-point run to take a 16-11 lead. UAA responded by tying the game at 21. Following a lackluster .067 hitting percentage in the opening set, RU finished with a .233 hitting percentage in the second set, leading to a second-set win and a 1-1 set score after two sets played.
The back-and-forth nature of the first two sets would set the table for the next two as Alaska Anchorage took set three 26-24, but with the game on the line, Regis pulled out a 31-29 win in set four to force a nail-biting fifth set.
Early on in the set, the teams traded points. The Seawolves jumped out to leads of 4-2 and 5-3 before RU started hitting their stride. A 5-1 run saw Regis take the advantage, and the teams changed sides of the court with a score of 8-6. Following a UAA timeout, the lead was extended to 11-7 with a service ace from junior defensive specialist
Sophie Griese. The home side managed to get two more points, but the Rangers closed out the match 15-9, earning their first win of 2019 in dramatic fashion.
Game Notes:Regis finished the night with a .227 hitting percentage committing 19 errors on 154 total attacks. After recording zero blocks in the first set, the ladies combined for 14 total blocks in sets 2-5. Kennedy posted some unbelievable numbers as she led the team with 16 kills (.243 H%) and 11 total blocks (4 BS, 7 BA). Redshirt-senior middle blocker
Kristen Hornung recorded 10 kills and a .409 hitting percentage in her first game since an injury sidelined her for a majority of last season. Junior outside hitter
Caitlyn Burroway tallied a team-high 22 digs, three-shy of tying a career-high, in the match along with her eight kills. Redshirt-junior
Maddie Labor registered a career-high 20 digs as the libero, earning a kill along the way. Senior setter
Silvia Basso posted 47 assists in the match for a 9.4 assists per set average. She also tallied nine digs, three block assists, a team-high three service aces and a kill in the match. Gosar and Green each had nine kills in the match.
Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University volleyball team will play three more matches in the Seawolf Invitational, competing in two matches tomorrow, and one on Saturday. The team will play against Biola University (0-0) tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 p.m. MST followed by a 6:30 p.m. MST matchup against the University of California, San Diego. The final contest will be a single match against Concord University (0-0) on Saturday, September 7 at 11 a.m. MST.
