Roanoke, VA - Despite a three set setback, the Regent University Men's Volleyball team pushed ODAC power Roanoke College to the brink in the final two sets of the match Friday night in the Star City.  The Royals demonstrated strong play throughout the night, particularly in the tightly contested second and third sets, where they nearly turned the tide against the Maroons.  Even in the loss, Regent had one of their best performances against Roanoke over the past two years.

After a challenging first set, the Royals regrouped in the second set, as they showcased their offensive scoring abilities, led by Senior Preston Nemeti (Burke, VA) who had 11 kills across the match, including key contributions that helped push the score to a  27-25 finish. Senior Lucas Whitman (Suffolk, VA) orchestrated the attack with 19 assists, while fellow Senior Ariel Downer (Spring Lake, NC) anchored the defense with 19 digs, allowing Regent to force extra points.  The momentum carried into the third set, where the Royals continued to compete, trading leads and tying the score multiple times. Freshman Raik Peter (Bremen, Germany) had his all-around best game, which included 4 kills and a service ace, to go along with 4 kills by Graduate Student Jaxson Gray (Chesapeake, VA), which kept Regent within striking distance as they pushed Roanoke to the final point.

The Royals will be back in action on Friday, March 6th when they travel to Danville for a tri-match with Averett University and St Johns Fisher University.  First serve is set for 6:00pm..

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