Bluefield, VA - They say all good things must come to an end and it is hard to believe that today was the final regular season game for the Regent University Men's Volleyball team. Since last year, there has been much anticipation for the Royals' inaugural year of competition, and they did not disappoint. However, Coach KT and her team had one last piece of business to take care of and that was a match-up with Bluefield University. The two teams met earlier this season, and Regent was looking to even the series with the Rams.
The Royals fell behind early in the first set, until Graduate Student Aaron Campbell (Virginia Beach, VA) put his team on the board with a kill. He would do it again to pull Regent to within three points and then step up to the service line for another point. A few points later, Graduate Student Colby Yawn (Chesapeake, VA) delivered a powerful kill to keep the score close and then that was followed by another kill from Campbell. However, Bluefield was able to take the set 25-16.
The second set began with the Royals falling behind early, however kills by Junior Keith Larkin (Snohomish, WA) and Yawn settled things down. Campbell would also deliver a kill to keep Regent within striking distance. A few plays later, Sophomore Ariel Downer (Spring Lake, NC) dished out an assist for a Yawn kill and then Larkin and Graduate Student Jaxson Gray (Chesapeake, VA) combined for a big block at the net. Yawn would come up with a block of his own and suddenly the Royals had pulled to within two points of the lead. That allowed Gray to step up to the service line and cut into the deficit but unfortunately Regent would fall 25-23.
Yawn came out swinging to start the third set and then the Royals began to capitalize on Ram errors. Campbell continued his strong play at the net with two kills and then a kill from Larkin tied the score at 7-7. As he had done all day, Yawn displayed his power at the net, while Larkin began to consistently convert kills. However, they were not able to hold on and would fall by a final score of 3-0 (25-19).
Campbell and Yawn each finished with 10 kills apiece, while Junior Aubrey Flora (Chesapeake, VA) led the team with 21 assists and 9 digs.
Regent's season comes to an end and the team would like to thank all of the incredible support they received in their first season. Stay tuned for the announcements coming soon regarding the All-Region and All-American selections.
