Demorest, GA – As the regular season begins to come to a close, the Regent University Women's Volleyball team found itself in the Peach State, for a tri-match with Piedmont University and Covenant College. On the day, the Royals saw two career highs set as they completed a comeback for a five-set win to give Regent a split on the day, defeating the hosts Lions and falling in the second match of the day to the Scots.
Game One
After dropping the opening set, the Royals bounced back in the second set with a strong offensive showing, evening the match at one apiece with a 25-19 win. Piedmont reclaimed the advantage with a 25-22 decision in the third, putting Regent in a challenging position heading into the fourth set.
The Royals answered with one of their most efficient offensive performances of the afternoon as they recorded 12 kills with just two errors, hitting .417 as the team to pull away for a 25-18 win to force a deciding fifth set. After falling behind, Regent found their rhythm and, after a comeback, were able to secure the 15-13 win.
The Royals were led by Senior Reagan Holestin (Virginia Beach, VA) and Freshman Claire Keefer (Winchester, VA), who combined for 40 kills, finishing with 20 apiece. Holestin added five service aces and 17 digs, while Sophomore Rylee Stewart (Newport News, VA) dished out a career high 43 assists. Defensively, Freshman Mykenah Antenore (San Diego, CA) led the Royals with 27 digs and Regent recorded 12 block assists, with Freshman Mia Wilson (Chesterfield, VA) contributing five and Sophomore Emma Kristiansen (Sparta, NJ) adding four. The Royals also made an impact from the service line, recording 14 service aces as a team.
Game Two
Regent continued to work their way into the contest after a difficult opening set, showing improvement offensively as the match progressed. The Royals recorded five kills in the first set before increasing that total to nine in the second and 10 in the third.
Keefer led Regent's effort with eight kills, while Holestin added six kills and six digs. Stewart helped direct the offense, finishing with 22 assists while also recording three block assists.
Defensively, the Royals continued to compete throughout the match, with Freshman Cheyene Avery (Norfolk, VA) leading the Royals with eight digs. Antenore added seven digs, and despite falling to Covenant. 3-0, Regent worked to extend rallies and create additional opportunities to get back into the match.
The Royals will be back in action on Monday, November 2nd when they travel to the Nation's Capital for a match-up with Washington Adventist University. First serve is scheduled for 3:00PM.
