Winston-Salem, NC – In sports it's hard to beat a team three times in one year, but the Regent University Volleyball team would set out to try to defeat a tough Clinton College team for the fourth time in the 2023 season. The two teams had just faced each other a few days ago, but this match-up meant more, allowing the winner to move on to the Region Championship. It would not be easy, but the Royals were able to continue their historic season earning their first ever appearance in a Regional Final.  

The first set saw current National Player of the Week, Freshman Ella Simone (El Paso, TX) and former National Player of the Week Sophomore Nicole Walston (Wake Forest, NC) set the tone early, leading Regent to the 25-16 win. The Golden Bears took an early 6-5 lead in the second set, but the Royals fought back, behind the play of Junior Jordan Banister (Chesapeake, VA), Sophomore Makayla Daniels (Chesapeake, VA) and Freshman Erin Saunders (Danville, VA) to earn the comeback win 25-17. The third set was another tight one, with Clinton grabbing the lead 9-7 allowing them to keep the match alive 25-22. Clinton would force a fifth and deciding set after winning again, however Regent would prevail 15-3 to take the match and advance to tomorrow's Region Championship.  

Simone led Regent with her best game of the year dishing out 42 assists, while Walston finished the game with 24 kills. In addition, Banister stepped up on defense with 5 blocks. The Royals will be back in action tomorrow in the Region Finals as they face Carolina University. Stay tuned for start time.