Lynchburg, VA – Saturday's tri-match saw the Regent University Men's Volleyball team face two familiar programs who have become regulars on the Royals' schedule.  All three have played each other close, and it was another opportunity to see top level DIII Volleyball in the Commonwealth. 

Game One   

While Regent dropped the opening set, they fought back in set two, narrowing the gap with improved defense and key contributions from Graduate Student Jaxson Gray (Chesapeake, VA) who had a team-high 5 kills and Freshman Sam Parsons (Fayetteville, NC) with 4 kills.  Set three saw the closest scoreline, with the Royals pushing to 16 points behind play from Seniors Keith Larkin (Snohomish, WA), Preston Nemeti (Burke, VA) and Lucas Whitman (Suffolk, VA), who dished out 11 total assists.  Headlining the defensive effort was Senior Ariel Downer (Spring Lake, NC) leading the way with 9 digs to keep points alive. In the game, Regent recorded 26 team digs and forced the Hornets into 11 attack errors.  Unfortunately, the Royals would fall by a final score of 3-0. 

Game Two 

While Regent was unable to come away with the win, they improved their offensive output as the match progressed, from just 1 kill in set one to 6 in set two and 10 in the third set.  The Royals also recorded 4 service aces and 36 digs, highlighting competitive defense and some strong serving moments that kept points alive.  Larkin led the attack with 6 kills, a service ace and 7 digs, while Gray chipped in with 4 kills and a service ace.  Downer also had a productive game leading the team with 15 digs. 

Regent will be back in action on Saturday, April 4th when they travel to Maryland for a tri-match with Hood College and Penn State-Schuylkill.  First serves are at 11:00am and 1:00pm.