Paxton Ritchey- CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State volleyball won the first set for the second time in as many nights but had no answer for their opponent after that, as Regis University defeated the Eagles in four sets Saturday night at the Chicoine Center – 21-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-16.
Chadron State (4-12, 0-6 RMAC) has now lost two in a row after a two-game win streak last week. Regis improved to 9-7 overall and 5-1 in the RMAC.
Bella Adams had a team-high seven kills and hit .250 for the match. Aiyana Fujiyama had five kills, no errors, a .500 hitting percentage and seven blocks, including a solo block.
Regis, who won the RMAC Tournament last season, got better as the match went along. The Rangers hit .000 in the first set with 10 kills and 10 errors, but hit .143, .222 and .243 over the next three sets to hit .159 for the match. Chadron State hit .077.
Service errors plagued the Eagles, as Chadron State had 13 on the match compared to five aces. Regis also committed 10 service errors but made up for it with 11 aces.
In the first set, Regis jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but Chadron State took control with a 7-0 scoring run. A service error allowed the Eagles to side out before an Alondra Hernandez ace made it 5-3. Back-to-back blocks by the tandem of Fujiyama and Natali Keni tied the score at 5-5, an attack error gave CSC the lead, and another Hernandez ace followed by a Fujiyama kill opened up an 8-5 Eagles advantage and led to a Regis timeout.
Regis rallied to tie the score at 14-14, but the Eagles took the lead back by scoring the next four points. Bella Adams was the star of that run, collecting 1.5 blocks and a kill in that four-point span. A third Hernandez service ace gave CSC a 22-18 lead before a Mataya Ward kill ended the set, 25-21.
Regis answered immediately in the second set, scoring the first six points to take a 6-0 lead. Chadron rallied some, with a Kirkwood kill and an attack error trimming the deficit to 12-8, but Regis answered again with three points in a row and didn’t lead by less than five for the rest of the set.
The Rangers had an even better start to the third set, getting back-to-back aces early to lead 3-0 and eventually leading by margins of 10-2 and 18-7. Chadron State’s best run in the set came while the Eagles were facing set point. Down 24-13, the Eagles saved five set points in a row, including two kills from Bo French, before Regis stopped the run with a block to win 25-18.
In the fourth, Chadron State took an early 4-2 lead before another 6-0 Regis run, as the visitors took advantage of two attack errors and a ball handling error with another ace mixed in. A kill from Mataya Ward made it 20-13 Rangers, but Regis crushed the rest of the way, getting four kills and an ace for their final five points while Chadron only mustered three points on Regis service errors, as the set ended 25-16.
Chadron State will be on the road for more RMAC matches next weekend, as the Eagles will face CSU Pueblo (10-6, 4-2 RMAC) on Friday and Adams State (4-13, 1-5 RMAC) on Saturday. The Eagles’ next home match is the following Tuesday, October 22, against nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa (13-3, 5-1 RMAC).