DENVER, Colo. - After falling to #9 West Texas A&M earlier Friday in the first game of the Colorado Premier Challenge, Regis women's volleyball thundered back, posting a statement win against #4 University of Missouri St. Louis in four sets (25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23). The Rangers dominated USML at the net, with ten total blocks to the Tritons' four and a 0.321 hitting percentage to their opponent's 0.192.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rangers set the tone for a statement match in an energetic first set, generating an unrelenting momentum that the Tritons futilely attempted to slow. Amelia Davis made her presence known for the Rangers throughout the match, including a kill to put the Rangers up 24-22 in the first set, followed by a block with Lindsey Cure to seal a 25-22 Ranger victory.
"They came back focused, ready to win the next game, and didn't hang on to anything. We had a new lineup because of an injury, so I thought they did a really good job of rallying around that new lineup and flipped the switch," Coach Joel List said of the team's response to their loss earlier today.
Davis's command at the net continued in set two, and Braiziah Dixon stepped up in big moments for the Rangers. Down 21-15, the Tritons called a timeout and battled back to 22-19 on the Ranger's lead. Dixon responded with a kill to put the Rangers within two points of a victory and shared a block with Halle Theis to claim the set 25-21 in the Rangers' favor.
Instrumental to the Rangers' success at the net was freshman setter Reagan Hickey, who tallied 49 assists in just four sets.
"We put a lot of emphasis on our bench, like having good energy and talking to the players on the court. I thought they did a really good job of that, especially in the second game, I could really hear them calling shots for our hitters, like being loud, being there for us," Hickey said of team's support for one another.
The Tritons broke away down the stretch of a tight third set, capitalizing on a pair of Regis service errors to take the set 25-21.
The Rangers held a 22-16 lead as the fourth set closed, but the Tritons came back 23-20. Fresh out of a Ranger timeout, Dixon tallied the Rangers' 24th point with another clutch kill. Theis punctuated the match with a commanding kill.
Bryn McNair was a force from the outside, leading all players with 18 kills and 18 points, and Bre Skala posted a game leading 18 digs and four aces.
GAME NOTES
With 12 kills in the match, Theis surpasses the 1,000 career kills mark.
Rangers led in seven individual statistical categories (kills, hitting percentage, assists, aces, blocks, digs, points).
UP NEXT
With the win, the Rangers move into the Silver bracket. They face off against Lewis University (Illinois) tomorrow at 9 a.m. in the Regis Fieldhouse in the final day of the Colorado Premier Challenge.
The Colorado Premier Challenge is a tournament, joint hosted by Regis and Metropolitan State-Denver, that features 12 of the top teams in NCAA DII Volleyball.
