SAN DIEGO – Day two of the Seaside Invitational began for the No. 22 Regis University volleyball team (1-1) with a matchup with Azusa Pacific University (0-2) where they captured their first win of the 2021 campaign. The team won in four sets behind double-figure kills from three separate players, and a strong defensive performance from a few others.
 
How it Happened: Regis finishes set one with a .184 hitting percentage, registering 13 kills and six attack errors in 94 total attack attempts. After trailing 6-10 in the match, the Rangers fought their way back to tie the score at 13 points apiece. RU claimed a lead at 18-17 but they quickly fell behind 22-18 a few points later. The team once again rallied to tie the game at 23, and a kill from senior Rachel Siurek gave Regis a 24-23 advantage with set point on the line. Both teams scrapped for points at the end of the set, but eventually, a kill from junior Nadine Burbrink followed by a huge set winning block from junior Mara LeGrand and Burbrink gave the Rangers a 1-0 set lead in the match.
 
Another tight set was in store for set two, with many ties and lead changes throughout. The set came to an end with the Cougars knotting things up at one set each with a 25-20 win over RU. Regis only combined for 10 kills in the second set while APU had 15. After two sets, both teams had recorded four blocks apiece, but the Cougars enjoyed a 30- 23 advantage in kills.
 
The Rangers took a 2-1 set advantage in set three capped off with a service ace from graduate student Sophie Griese. A kill from Burbrink, her sixth of the match, set up set point at 25-24 for RU where Griese stepped up and closed out the set with her first service ace of the season. Regis posted their highest hitting percentage thus far in 2021 with a .333 performance in set three.
 
The match ended in the fourth set as the No. 22 ranked Rangers were able to fend off the Cougars for a 25-21 win. With the fourth set win, RU earned their first win of the 2021 campaign, rebounding from their season opening loss yesterday to the American Volleyball Coaches Association's No. 3 ranked team in California State University, San Bernardino.
 
Game Notes: Once again, it was Siurek who led the way offensively with a team-best 13 kills. She also posted a .237 hitting percentage. Sophomre Halle Theis (11) and freshman Hannah Kepler (10) each reached double-digits in kills while hitting .219 and .304, respectively. Burbrink added eight kills without committing an attacking error. She also led all players in the match with six blocks.  LeGrand posted a monster double-double with 39 assists and 20 digs. She also had two kills on the night, one service ace and three blocks.
 
Graduate student Caitlyn Burroway collected her second-straight 15+ dig performance, tallying 18 against the Cougars. Thanks to their second set efficiency, the team finished with a hitting percentage of .215, despite logging their worst hitting percentage of the match in the final set of the night (.121). Regis outperformed their opponents in blocking (9-7), service aces (4-2), digs (77-65), and service errors (14-16).
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The day is not over for the Regis University volleyball team as they will once again take the court for the primetime match against Seaside Invitational host, Point Loma Nazarene University at 6 p.m. Tomorrow, the volleyball team will wrap-up their road trip with a match against California State University, Los Angeles.