Harrisonburg, VA - The Regent University Women's Volleyball team traveled to "The Friendly City" for a Saturday afternoon tri-match with fellow Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference member the University of Mary Washington and ODAC member Eastern Mennonite University. All three teams were very familiar with each other and today proved to be a showcase of up and coming volleyball programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Game One
Last season the Royals and Eagles provided one of the most exciting matches of the year in the conference tournament and they renewed that rivalry today. The match was highlighted by a strong second set in which regent recorded 16 kills and battled to 20 points. The Royals' offensive attack was led by Freshman Claire Keefer (Winchester, VA), who finished with 10 kills, while Freshman Mia Wilson (Chesterield, VA) added four kills and three block assists. Senior Reagan Holestin (Virginia Beach, VA) contributed five kills, and Freshman Mykenah Antenore (San Diego, CA) paced the defensive effort with 13 digs.
Regent also received solid contributions from Sophomore Rylee Stewart (Newport News, VA), who recorded 16 assists, and Sophomroe Keira Anderson (Leland, NC), who added seven digs. The Royals finished with 39 digs as a team and four total blocks.
Despite the effort, Regent would to Mary Washington in straight sets, 25-10, 25-20, 25-11.
Game Two
The Royals pushed the opening set to extra points, narrowly falling 29–27, before Eastern Mennonite took the next two sets, 25–14 and 25–17.
Regent came out strong in the first set, trading points with the Eastern Mennonite in a back-and-forth battle. The opening set extended beyond 25 points, with the Royals narrowly falling 29–27. Unfortunately, Eastern Mennonite carried that momentum into the second set, earning a 25–14 victory before closing out the match with a 25–17 win in the third set.
Keefer led Regent with nine kills and added three digs and two service aces, Anderson contributed three kills without committing an attack error. In addition, Wilson also recorded three kills, and Holestin added two kills and six digs.
Stewart helped guide the Royals' offense with 20 assists, while adding seven digs and two service aces. Defensively, Antenore led Regent with 12 digs, helping the Royals work to keep rallies alive throughout the match. Anderson and Stewart also contributed to the defensive effort with seven digs apiece. From the service line, Regent recorded six aces as a team, with Keefer and Stewart each delivering two.
The Royals will be back in action on Tuesday, October 20th when they host Mid-Atlantic Christian University for Senior Night. First Serve is scheduled for 7:00pm.
