Danville, VA - The Regent Univeristy Men's Volleyball team began it's weekend road trip in the River City in a tri-match with St. Johns Fisher University and host Averett University. The Royals would fall in both first to the Cardinals, 3-0, and then the Cougars in a thrilling five-set match, 3-2.
Game One
Regent's offense was led by Freshman Sam Parsons,(Fayetteville, NC) who paced the team with 6 kills and added a couple of blocks for 7.0 points. Senior Preston Nemeti (Burke, VA) contributed 5 kills in a strong effort, while fellow Senior Keith Larkin (Snohomish, WA) added 4 kills and 5 digs. Graduate Student Jaxson Gray (Chesapeake, VA) finished with 2 kills and 2 blocks, helping anchor the blocking unit that matched St. John Fisher's 3 total team blocks.
The second set stood out as the most competitive, with the Royals rallying multiple times to tie the score at 18-18 and staying within striking distance until the final points. The team forced several extended rallies and capitalized on some opponent errors, keeping things close in a frame that featured 9 ties.
Defensively, the Royals stayed engaged with 40 digs as a team, led by Senior Ariel Downer (Spring Lake, NC) who had 13 total digs.
Game Two
Regent's offense featured balanced contributions, led by Gray's standout night with 12 kills and 4 total blocks for 14.5 points. Nemeti sparked the service game with 5 aces alongside 10 kills and 9 digs, totaling 15.5 points in an all-around effort. Larkin chipped in 8 kills and 7 digs, while Parsons added 8 kills. Freshman Raik Peter (Breman, Germany) provided defensive stability with 4 kills, 4 total blocks (including 2 solos), and an ace for 8.0 points as Senior Lucas Whitman (Suffolk, VA) orchestrated the attack with 32 assists, 10 digs, and 3 block assists, highlighting the team's ball distribution.
The match was a thriller with 18 ties and 12 lead changes overall, including a nail-biting fourth set where Regent rallied to edge out a 26-24 victory to force the decider. Defensively, the Royals held strong with 48 digs, paced by Downer's team-high 16, and recorded 9 total team blocks to disrupt Averett's rhythm in key moments.
Regent will have a quick turnaround as they are back in action Saturday March 7th when they travel to the Hill City to face Averett again, followed by the University of Lynchburg. First serves are set for 5:00pm and 7:00pm.
