Ashland, VA – Day two of the Macon Invitational was moved up earlier in the morning due to the threat of the incoming winter storm, but that did not affect the preparation of the Regent University Men's Volleyball team as they faced both host Randolph-Macon College and Marymount University. It was another opportunity for the Royals to play on a big stage, and they were hungry for the moment.
Game One (Randolph-Macon)
Despite falling behind early in the first set, Senior Keith Larkin (Snohomish, WA) delivered two straight service aces and also delivered a strong kill at the net to keep Regent in striking distance. A few plays later Freshman Sam Parsons (Fayetteville, NC) pulled the Royals to within five points with a kill and then they were able to take advantage of some Yellow Jackets service errors. Senior Lucas Whitman (Suffolk, VA) put one away down the right side, but R-MC would take the set 25-10.
Whitman opened up the Royals' scoring in the second set with a service ace, and they were quickly ahead 3-1. That lead increased to 4-1 after a Yellow Jackets error, thanks to smart thinking from Senior Ariel Downer (Spring Lake, NC). Senior Preston Nemeti (Burke, VA) and Parsons kept the scoring going with back-to-back kills keeping Regent out in front. Digs by Downer sparked rallies for the Royals, which allowed the offense to score points. Unfortunately, R-MC would go on a run and take the lead, but Regent battled back to tie the score. Graduate Student Jaxson Gray (Chesapeake, VA) delivered one of the strongest kills of the match and that was followed by a Whitman block, but the Royals fell 25-18.
Regent fell behind early in the third set, however Larkin put the Royals on the board with a kill. He would follow that up with another kill and then a service ace to cut into the deficit. A kill from Nemeti kept the momentum going and that set up a service ace from Freshman Miguel Harris (Virginia Beach, VA) to pull to within four points. A few plays later Gray came back in the rotation to score on a kill and then Larkin added one of his own. Downer would keep the rallies going again with more digs, showing why he is one of the best Liberos in the country, and that allowed Regent to stay close. However, in the end the Royals would fall by a final score of 3-0 (25-16).
Larkin finished with 5 kills, while Whitman dished out 10 assists and Downer recorded 9 digs. As a team, Regent had 71 total attacks.
Game Two (Marymount University)
Nemeti scored the first point for Regent in the first set with a kill and then they took advantage of a few errors by the Saints to tie the score at 5-5. However, Marymount would go on a run, forcing the Royals to call a timeout. Gray stopped the run with a kill and then forced an error for another point, as Downer came up with a kill to pull Regent closer. Unfortunately, the Royals would fall in the set 25-13.
The second set began with Regent forcing a number of Saints errors to get the scoring started. Nemeti would get the offense going with a kill on an assist from Whitman. More Marymount errors kept the Royals within striking distance and that allowed Parsons to score on kill. That was followed by a kill from Gray and then back-to-back kills by Larkin. However, Regent lost the set 25-17.
After falling behind to begin the third set, Gray put the Royals ahead with a kill and then a number of Marymount errors helped the Regent take control of the scoring. However, Marymount would go on a run pushing the score to 17-11. Gray put the Royals back on the board with his second kill of the set and that was followed by one from Parsons. Unfortunately, it would not be enough as Regent fell by a final score of 3-0 (25-18).
Larkin finished with 4 kills and 5 digs, while Whitman dished out 7 assists. In addition, Harris dished out 5 assists and Downer recorded 5 digs.
Later that day it was announced that Downer had been named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Royals will be back in action on Saturday, February 7th when they travel to North Carolina to face Warren Wilson College. First serve is scheduled for 12:00pm.
