The Aliso Niguel Crowd Helps The Wolverines Stay Perfect at Home and Push The Regents Out of CIF

ALISO VIEGO, CA-  The joy of victory, the agony of defeat, and the power of that 7th man- a boisterous crowd.  Last night's playoff matchup between the St. Lucy Regents and the Aliso Niguel Wolverines was a classic battle where the home court advantage may have been the difference.  The Wolverines, a very young and extremely talented team, came into the match with a perfect home record on the season, and it's not hard to see why.  They boast a robust crowd which is highlighted by an active and abundant student section.  Although the Regents won 105 points in the match, as compared to the Wolverines 104 points, Aliso Niguel took the points that mattered the most.  In the end, it was the Aliso Niguel student section that rushed the floor at the end of the 5 set match to congratulate their warriors on the 29-27, 25-18, 20-25, 15-25, 15-10 win.

It took the Regents a few points to settle into the first set.  Roni LaPierre's tool of the 6' 5" block gave the Regents a 1-1 start, but the Wolverines took the next three points to get out to a lead.  Loryn Carter put a tip over the big block to cut the lead to 4-2 and both sides started playing tough defense and extended rallies.  St. Lucy's chipped away with hustling defense and was able to catch up at 6 all on a Sydney Bast tip.  But the Wolverines pack an offensive whollup with their freshman middle standout Kirsten Battle, 6'5" sophomore setter/opposite Kathryn Plummer and hard swinging junior outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins.  The teams traded points and the level of play was what would be expected in a championship match, not the second round,  The Regents grabbed their first lead at 10-9 on a Brennen Miller ace.  Juliet McClure's serving run saw St. Lucy's stretch their lead to 5, 16-11, before the Wolverines rediscovered their footing.  It was Aliso Niguel's turn to play catch up and Carter did all that she could to impede their push, crushing a shot cross court to maintain the 18-14 edge.  Plummer worked around the Regents, setting over the net on two to cut it the lead 19-16,  which she followed with a short serve for an ace, 19-17,  and a block on the outside, 19-18.  The Regents took a time out and the crowd got LOUD!  The Regents came back with focus, Rachel Cavanaugh put one down to stop the Wolverine threat and Bast put down consecutive aces to give the Regents the late lead 22-18.  Spurred on by their crowd, the Wolverines had no quit, chasing down balls that were barely dug, keeping them in play and ultimately finding the opening in the Regent defense to win a key rally 22-20.  LaPierre put the left handed tip down the line and Natalie Caro knocked one off of the block to give the Regents the first set point 24-21.  Battle dug in and got the next kill and an ace leaving the Regents with one set point remaining, 24-23.  The play planned out during the timeout did not work, and it was knotted at 24 on a Regent hitting error.  Carter put the next one down cross court to give the Regents the ball and their fourth shot at the set.  Plummer blasted one off of the block to tie it up.  Carter crushed the next one straight down the line for the Regents fifth set point opportunity.  Plummer tooled the block again to even it up, and the Wolverines got the next kill and their first set point, up 27-26.  Carter stopped them with another cross court blast and it was 27 all.  Battle put one down off a back row bic attack and Aliso had their second chance to close out the set- and they did.  Set one went to the Wolverines 29-27.

Set two was a back and forth affair at the start.  Aliso was picking up every deflection and turning broken plays into points.  The Regents were staying with them for a while, but the Wolverines started winning  the extended rallies and pulling away.  Down by 3, the Regents took time to talk it out.  Plummer was scoring point after point off of the much smaller block and Wolverines worked the lead up to five, 17-12.  Sarah Bruchet's ace to cut the lead to 17-13 prompted an immediate time out call by the Aliso coach.  The next serve went wide.  Aliso put an exclamation on their dominance of this set, giving freshman ds Jenna Bailey a nasty facial and themselves a 21-15 edge.  LaPierre took the ball back with a solo block on the bic attempt and the Regents looked like they were going to make a late push, but they got in their own way with a net violation.  Bast held the inevitable off for one point with a nice swing from the outside to find the floor, but Aliso responded with a tip over the block for the win 25-18.

With their backs against the wall, the Regents came out hard in the third set.  They jumped  out to a 3-0 lead on a LaPierre kill off the block,  a tip over the block and a McClure ace.  Bast got into the action with good vision to find the hole in the block and then the floor.  Aliso dug in and battled back to knot the score at 7, 8, 9 and 10.  Natalie Caro put together a tough service run, forcing an Aliso overpass that Cavanaugh put straight back down, and the Regents regained their three point lead 14-11.  Aliso's time out was effective, because they came back to take their first lead of the set at 16-15.  Cavanaugh used the Wolverine block to get the Regents level at 16.  The teams played even for a while, with the score tied at 17, 18 and 19.  LaPierre served a well timed ace to push ahead 20-19 and Carter consolidated the lead with a blast off of the block, 21-19 St. Lucy's.  Carter came up big at the end of the set, not with her hammer shots, but with smart tips and use of the block, which combined with a Bast tool of the block earned a 24-20 edge for the Regents.  Aliso sent a kill attempt long and the Regents took the third set 25-20.

The Regents did not carry their momentum into the next set as one might expect, but fell behind 4-2 to start.  LaPierre cut the lead to one with an ace, but gave the next one back with a serve into the net.  Carter erased the lead with a scorching cross court kill off of a Caro set for the 5-5 tie.  Carter's roof and the Regents' relentless defense pushed Lucy's ahead 8-6, even though the Wolverines were still making great digs, deflecting balls and even putting them over the net from their knees.  The Regent determination started to pay off and the luck and momentum seemed to move into their court.  For the first time in the match it was the Regents who were poking balls over on reflex and getting the kill.  Lucy's built a 13-7 lead, and Bast's ace to push it to 14-7 seemed to frazzle Aliso for a while.  The Regents watched their lead dwindle a bit when Aliso took advantage of a tough Lucy rotation.   The Regents gave up three points in a row, the last being a four touch call after LaPierre knocked a shot up with her head, Bruchet put it back into the middle of the court, and the Regents attempted to pass the ball instead of sending it over the net.  Douglas called timeout to stem the tide, Lucy's leading 15-11.  The time out was effective.  LaPierre got a kill off of the high hands of the big Aliso block to push the lead to 18-11.  Caro utilized the tip, tip, tip, for the 21-12 lead.  LaPierre's serve split the defenders and hit the ground untouched for the 22-12 edge.  Aliso's powerful offense made a three point run, but LaPierre roll shot one into the middle of the court to stop the movement, 23-15.  Carter crashed the next ball off of the block for the 24-15 lead, and Cavanaugh finished the set with her own tool of the block to give the Regents the 25-15 win.

Going into the fifth set, the Regents had the momentum, the Wolverines had the crowd.  "Are you nervous?", the crowd cried.  Apparently we were.  The Regents fell behind early on a serve into the net, a shot that barely went wide, a shot straight into the block and a shot that sailed long.  Douglas called time out trailing 4-1, and the crowd went wild!  LaPierre sent the next shot down the line and off of the block to gain control of the ball.  Another ace serve got the Regents within two and a free ball pushed to the deep middle of the court got the Regents within one, trailing 6-5, when the Wolverines took a minute to talk.  Aliso was first to 8 and took advantage, pushing ahead 11-7.  The Regents called a second time out, but it was too little too late.  The Wolverine's came back and put the next serve on the back line for an ace and the 12-7 lead.  The Regents sided out, and Miller got an ace to cut the edge to 13-9, but Plummer smartly tipped the next point over the block to get Aliso it's first match point at 14-9.  LaPierre found a seam in the block to put the ball down and keep the Regents alive, but the Wolverine's easily handled the next serve, set the outside, and finished the game, set, match and season for the Regents 15-10.

So for the second year in a row, the Regents miss their much anticipated rematch with La Salle by losing a five set battle on the road before they could get there.  The stat leaders for the evening were Juliet McClure with 56 assists and 6 digs, Loryn Carter with 21 kills and 2 blocks, Rachael Cavanaugh with 8 kills and 1 block, Sydney Bast with 9 kills, 15 digs and 3 aces, Natalie Caro with 6 kills, 5 digs and 1 block, and Roni LaPierre with a double-double, 21 kills, 16 digs, 5 aces and 1 block.

Congrats on a well played season Regents.  This blog is officially defunct!

The Regents Walk Over Agoura in Route to CIF Championship

GLENDORA, CA-  The Regents' second season began tonight with the start of  CIF playoffs.  St. Lucy's, who by virtue of a lost coin toss, will have a very difficult road to travel to make it to the championship as the bracket in which they are placed is BRUTAL!  But in order to prevail in the post-season, you've got to beat em all.  So be it round 2, round 3, or the finals, bring on the best of the best, and the Regents will be ready for them.

Step one came in the form of the Agoura Chargers.  Agoura was the third place finisher in the Marmonte League, and came in with two tournament championships and an impressive record.  They also boast a strong middle presence with 6'2" middle blocker Kaylin Mouchawar and 6'1" middle blocker Meg Graham.  The match up could have been problematic for St. Lucy's, but they were prepared.  Coach Douglas came in with a game plan, the girls executed and the Regents walked away with a straight set victory 25-13, 25-20 and 25-13.

The Regents started set one a little nervous, making unforced errors like passing into the net and long serves.  But Syd Bast's serve receive was right on and the Regents were converting perfect passes into kills by Loryn Carter to stay within striking distance of the Chargers.  Lucy's closed the three point gap on another Carter kill, a Sarah Bruchet ace and a Rachel Cavanaugh block.  The Regents took their first  lead at 7-6 on a shot off of the block by Roni LaPierre.  Bast then went on a serving streak that pushed the Regent edge to five, 14-9.  The Regents ran away with it from there, finishing set one 25-13.

Set two was more of a contest.  Again, the Regents got behind with mistakes and errors and found themselves trailing two to three points behind the Chargers most of the way.  There were ties at 13, 15, and 16.  Finally, the Regents grabbed the lead and Juliet McClure cemented it with a well timed dump to put Lucy's up by two 20-18.  McClure's ace and LaPierre's inspired hitting took over in the end and the Regents closed out set two 25-20.

The Regents took control of set three from the start.  McClure scored two more aces, as did Natalie Caro, and the Regents were quickly up 10-3.  Bast went on another serving tear and quicker than you can say "round two", the Regents were leading 20-8.  The Chargers were never able to mount an effective attack and St. Lucy's put the match to rest 25-13.

Tonight's stat leaders included Juliet McClure (42 assists, 3 aces), Loryn Carter (11 kills, 2 blocks), Natalie Caro (5 kills, 5 digs, 3 aces), Rachael Cavanaugh (7 kills, 2 blocks), Roni LaPierre (15 kills, 8 digs, 1 block), Sarah Bruchet (11 digs, 1 ace), and Sydney Bast (8 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces).  Round two will be on Thursday, November 14th at 7:00 pm.  Opponent will be the winner of the Aliso Nigeuel / Estancia match and location will be determined most likely by coin flip.  

Not In Their Dog House!

Chino Hills, CA-  The Regents encountered a battle-ready Chino Hills squad earlier this evening who put an end to St. Lucy's heretofore perfect season.  Both teams had already wrapped up a CIF bid so this match was to determine whether Lucy's would be the sole Sierra League Champion (coming in with a 9-0 record) or whether they would have to share the title with Chino Hills (whose only loss was to the Regents when they played at St. Lucy's).   It only took three sets for the Huskies to answer that question.  Chino Hills won 25-21, 25-19 and 25-19.

Set one started out business as usual for the Regents.  They were out to a four point lead, up 8-4, when Chino Hills called time out.  The Huskies closed the lead to get within one point, when Megan Buzzario interfered with Juliet McClure's set to turn the ball over.  The Regents pushed the lead back up 14- 10, but could not maintain a consistent level of play.  Loryn Carter made an impressive block and straight down kill to respond to Buzzario's attack that likewise careened straight down.  Up 19-17 with the ball, things looked promising for the Regents.  Then the service error.  Then the blocked hit attempt.  Then the hit into the net.  Then the missed tip.  Then the net violation.  St. Lucy's gave up game one 25-21.

Set two started out fairly evenly.  Roni LaPierre floated an ace deep to knot the score at 3.  But then the Regents appeared to lose their focus.  Two consecutive balls dropped between players and there seemed to be general confusion about assignments.  The Regents were chasing the dogs from that point on.  Chino Hills was in total control, up by six, when St. Lucy's watched a very playable serve float in for an ace, and Coach Douglas gathered his team around trailing 17-10.  The Regents began to play stronger, trading points, but not making up enough ground.  The set ended with Buzzario tooling the block on a back row attack for set point, and then a double hit call against St. Lucy's for the set:  Chino Hills 25, St. Lucy's 19.

It was do or die time for the Regents.  The pattern that evolved was for the Regents to fall a point or two behind, catch up, make a mistake, and repeat.  The set was tied 3-3, Regent service error.  Tied 6-6, Regent service error.  Tied 8-8, Regent hitting error, followed by a blocked shot, followed by a shanked pass, followed by a Regent time out trailing 12-8.  Around mid set, the Regents made a final threat.  Carter crushed a ball off of the block to cut the lead to 5, 16-11.  LaPierre served an ace to cut the lead to 4, 16 -12.  LaPierre rolled the next one from the back court to the hole in the middle of the Huskies, 16-13.  Carter put another one off of the block, 16-14.  But then the Regents touched an overpass that was on it's way out of bounds and that was the end of the St. Lucy run.  The Regents never got any closer, eventually succumbing the the Huskies on a swing and miss of an overpass and an attack attempt sent wide.  The Huskies grabbed their share of the Sierra title with the 25-19 victory.

Tonight's Regent leaders were Roni LaPierre with 3 aces and 10 kills, Loryn Carter with 1 block and 10 kills, Sydney Bast with 9 digs and 7 kills and Juliet McClure with 27 assists.

St. Lucy's is to be congratulated on a fantastic season.  The Regents finish the regular season as Sierra League Champions for the sixth year in a row and will move on to the post season playoffs.   CIF playoffs begin next Tuesday and the pairings will be released on Saturday, November 9th at 12:30.  And don't get too discouraged over tonight's loss.  In 2010 the Regents lost in three to the Huskies at Chino Hills.  In 2011, the Regents lost in three to the Huskies at Chino Hills.  Both of those years, the Regents won CIF.  I'm just sayin...

Regents Are Not So Strong In Day Two of The Power Classic

Redondo, CA-  Today was opposite day for the Regents.  Coming off of a day of very sharp play, the Regents had the opposite experience of yesterday and lost their two matches with error ridden and tentative play.  I will spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say that St. Lucy's lost in two in their cross over match with Oaks Christian and lost in three to South, a team that they beat handily earlier this year.  The biggest loss of the day, however, was when Sydney Bast took a pole and then a knee or foot to the head while diving after a shanked ball in the final point of the first match.  Bast was out for the remainder of the day, but stayed around to support her team in spite of her injury.

The Regents will reset for their final league match against Chino Hills.  That match will determine whether St. Lucy's will go undefeated for the season and take the Sierra League title outright, or if they will share in the title with Chino Hills, who has only lost to the Regents.  Come out and support the girls, Tuesday, November 5th at Chino Hills.

The Regents are Strong In Day One of The Redondo Power Classic

South Torrance, CA-  The Regents took first in their pool on Day 1 of the Redondo Classic.  The faced Millikan, La Canada, and Peninsula and came out victorious in all three matches, though barely escaping a tough three set match against Peninsula.

To quickly recap:  All three teams that St. Lucy's played today were quality teams.  The pace of the games and skill level was challenging, but the Regents prevailed with tough serving, strong and patient defense, outstanding setting, and really smart hitting.  The Regents took Millikan out in straight sets, 25-18 and 25-16.  The Millikan 6'6" middle presented a tall challenge for the much smaller Regents, but patience and scrappy defense won the day.  Next came La Canada.  The Regents did not perform as error free as they did int he first set, but got through in straight sets because of their tough serves and scrappy defense.  This one went 25-11 and 25-18.  The final and toughest match came against Peninsula.  The teams stayed within a point or two of each other in set one until the end, but Peninsula was effective at the finish and pulled away to a 25-22 win, handing the Regents their first loss on the day.  St. Lucy's came out and took control in set two, with Loryn Carter making several blocks and more strong serving and defense.  Peninsula never presented a threat in this set and the Regents ran away with it 25-13.  Set three was a battle.  The Regents built up a four point lead at 10-6, but the Panthers came storming back to take the lead 13-11.  The Regents took the next four points on a Peninsula serving error, a Caro tip to the corner, a Peninsula hitting error and a Peninsula net violation. Regents won set three 15-13.

St. Lucy's moves on to the Gold Division.  Play starts at 8:30 tomorrow morning at Redondo Union High School.

The Regents Will Leave the Sierra League as Six-Year Champions!

Glendora, CA-   The Halloween gymnasium was full of lions and huskies and seniors as the Regents faced South Hills in their final regular season home game.  The team wore pink jerseys in honor of the senior class, who's class color is pink, and started the evening with tributes to the six outstanding seniors on the squad.  After the pomp and circumstance was completed, the girls went to work on the court and delivered a straight sets win over South Hills to clinch at least a share of the Sierra League title.

The six seniors, Sydney Bast, Sarah Bruchet, Natalie Caro, Roni LaPierre, Alina Mota, and Kelsey Remige, combined with junior Juliet McClure to make up the starting line up.  Appropriately, everything was going the Regents way from the start as they jumped out to an early lead.  LaPierre was perfect in her first five swings and Caro managed to accidentally block a ball.  The Regents were up 10 - 2 when South Hills called time out.  The Senior onslaught continued as Kelsey Remige put down her first set for a kill to extend the lead to 14 - 5.  Freshman Miller came in and served up an ace to make it 18 - 11. But the Huskies continued to fight and stay in the match, getting to within five points.  Bast put down a forceful cross court kill to quiet the Huskies at 22-17, and Caro followed with an ace, 23-17.  Not to be outdone by their upper classmen, Loryn Carter crushed a shot down the line to get to set point and McClure finished it with a dump on two.  The Regents took set one 25-19.

McClure made a nice service run to get the second set started and the Regents were up 5-0 before the Huskies were able to side out.  South Hills was hurting itself with numerous hitting errors, but the libero was playing a heck of a game.  The Husky number 9 was digging and saving ball after ball, extending the rallies and giving the Huskies a chance.  But the Regents were effective at finishing the points.  Bruchet, Bast and McClure served up aces to bolster the healthy Regent lead.  Francesca D'Aquila's cross court kill put the Regents up by 10, 22 - 12.  Set two ended in St. Lucy's favor, 25 -15, on a Husky rotation violation.

Caro came alive and owned set three, starting with a nice slide kill.  Natalie was seeing the court well, making the smart decision to toss to the short corner on a second ball to give the Regents a 7 -2 lead.  Carter put down one of her trademark hammer shots to extend the lead 8 - 3.  The Huskies started to make a little run, but McClure shut them down with a dump on a tight pass to keep a distance in the score, 9-5.  Bast stretched things out with an ace, and LaPierre flat out showed off, tipping a shot backwards over her shoulder for the 13-5 advantage.  Miller time came again, as the freshman put down consecutive aces and the Regents were ahead 17 - 7.  Even though it was senior night, the underclassmen got to have their moments too as all three freshmen, Julianna Rohrer, Brennen Miller and Jenna Bailey, got a few minutes in this set.  In the end, senior Natalie Caro brought the set to a close with consecutive back row kills and an ace to finish the match 25 -10.

The stat leaders were Juliet McClure (25 assists, 2 aces), Brennen Miller (2 aces), Loryn Carter (6 kills, 1 block), Natalie Caro (7 kills, 1 block, 3 assists and 2 aces), Roni LaPierre (14 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces), Sarah Bruchet (14 digs, 1 ace) and Sydney Bast (5 kills, 12 digs, 2 aces.)

The Regents Are One Step Closer To Another League Championship

Claremont, CA-  St. Lucy's assured itself a bid to CIF and are one win away from clinching at least a share of the Sierra League title with tonight's straight set win over Claremont.  The Regents were able to gut out the win 25-23, 25-23, and 25-17, thanks in large part to the mini-pit of student support.  But it did not come easy.

The Regents spotted the Wolfpack a 5-0 lead to start out set one with two balls dropping between players, two hitting errors and one passing error.  After finally siding out, St. Lucy's gave the ball right back on a service error and fell behind 6-1.  Then the Regents started to slowly find their game.  Creeping back into it 4-7, then 7-10, each time stopping themselves with unforced errors.  St. Lucy's caught up to the Pack at 11 and took their first lead 13-12.  Gina Valvo was frustrating the Regent hitters, picking up dig after dig of hard driven balls.  Janie Feldsher crushed a quick set out of the middle and then served one up that was too hot for the Regents to handle, and the Wolves were back in the lead 16-14.  A perfect pass on serve receive by Roni LaPierre, led to a perfect set by Juliet McClure, which led to a brilliant kill by Loryn Carter, and the student section erupted as the Regent's cut the lead 16-17.  The game was tied at 17, 19 and 20 before the Regents were able to pull away after Sarah Bruchet saved a ball with an amazing 1-arm dig; Regents went ahead 22-20.  Claremont called time-out, but Carter was not distracted.  She came back with a smoking cross court kill to extend the lead 23-20.  The Pack picked up the next two points and it was the Regent's turn to take some time to talk, sitting on a one point edge.  LaPierre put the next one down cross court to give the Regents set point 24-22.   Feldsher answered by tooling the block; 24-23.  Carter finished with a shot down the line off of the Claremont block.  Regents escape with set one 25-23.

The teams started out set two playing evenly, trading points and side outs.  After 3/3, the Regents started to step it up.  Sydney Bast's roll shot over the block gave St. Lucy's an 8-3 edge  and was Claremont's cue to have a chat.  The Pack seemed to settle down after that, crawling back into the set and tying it up at 14.  Suddenly, it was Claremont with the momentum (and the benefit of a few non-calls) and it was the Regents taking a time-out to discuss things trailing 15-17.  The Regents came back to tie it at 17, and it was a tug-of-war from there.  Feldsher ran a nice slide for a kill and creamed another shot straight down.  Carter smoked a few cross court and Bast flew above the net and destroyed one cross court.  Lucy's took the late lead 23-21 on tough serving by LaPierre and the Pack called a time out to put her on ice.  It worked, as the next serve went into the net, 23-22 Regents.  Maybe it worked too well, as the Wolfpack's next serve also went into the net, giving the Regents set point.  The Wolves held the Regents off for one more point, but ultimately, St. Lucy's won a scrappy battle at the net for the set 25-23.

Set 3 started out like set 1, with the Regents chasing the Wolves.  St. Lucy's finally grabbed the lead at 6-5 on an ace by Bast, and they never let it go.  Claremont stayed close through the mid-point, narrowing the lead to 2 points on a straight down smash by their freshman middle.  The Regent sophomore opposite roofed the next attempt, then dug a roll shot, that McClure set out to Bast, who rolled it to the corner to give the Regents a commanding 21-17 lead.  CHS took a time out here, after which the Regents kept marching.  Carter pounded a shot through the seam and LaPierre put away a back court attack. Time out number two for the Wolves, who were now down 23-17, had the same effect as time out number one.  The Regents returned with another Carter smash in the seam, and another back row attack by LaPierre to finish the match.  Regent win set 3, 25-17.

Tonight's win guaranteed the Regents at least a second place finish in League and a bid to CIF.  Tonight's stat leaders were Juliet McClure (37 assists, 1 block), Loryn Cater (15 kills, 1 block), Rachael Cavanaugh (5 kills, 2 blocks), Roni LaPierre (17 kills, 8 digs), Sydney Bast (9 kills, 8 digs), Sarah Bruchet (20 digs) and Natalie Caro (13 digs.)  The Regents will face South Hills on Thursday, at home - Senior Night.  Come out and celebrate our fabulous senior class.

The Regents Stumble, But They Don't Fall

CHINO HILLS, CA-  It's always difficult for the Regents to play in the Ayala gym.  Tonight was no exception.  The St. Lucy's Regents dropped their first set of league play against the Ayala Bulldogs, but held on for the four set victory 25-20, 25-15, 11-25 and 25-19.

Last year's Sierra League MVP Erin Clark got the Bulldog's off to a great start with two aces to begin set one.  Cheyenne Patin got into the mix with an ace of her own and Sam Bozoian crushed one across court to push the Bulldogs ahead 7-4.  The Regents came storming back with effective back court attacks from Roni LaPierre and Sydney Bast.  LaPierre's hit off the block knotted the score at 10.  Ayala called timeout trailing 10-12, only to see Brennen Miller answer with an ace to extend the lead to 14-10.  Clark interupted the Lucy's run with a cross court kill, but Natalie Caro put down an overpass and sent the Bulldog's to the yard to regroup trailing 11-18.  A refocused Ayala crew came back on court and trimmed the lead to 5.  Loryn Carter careened one off of the block to end the surge, 21-15.  Bast almost took out the referee and his stand trying to get away from the ricochet off of the block and Caro served up an ace to give the Regents set point 24-15.  Ayala capitalized on a couple Regent errors and blocked two Regent attempts to cut into the lead again, 24-20.  Juliet McClure pushed the set out to Carter on the right, who put the ball hard into the block and down for the win, 25-20 Regents.

St. Lucy's came out on fire in set two.  McClure's tough serving gave the regents an early 5-0 edge.  LaPierre dug a hard driven ball from Bozoian which Bast rolled into the corner to extend the lead 7-1.  The Regent's scrappy, hustling play earned them a 12-3 cushion before Bozoian was able to put one down in the deep left corner.  But then came the mistakes.  The Regents opened the door to the Bulldogs with shanked serve receive passes and service errors.  Not liking the way in which the game was trending, Coach Douglas called timeout at 13-9.  LaPierre responded and crushed an overpass for the 15-9 lead.  However, neither team played stellar volleyball down the stretch with both teams making repeated service errors.  Sarah Bruchet continued to hustle though, digging up sure winners with one arm stabs.  Franchessca D'Aquila's cross court kill got the Regents close to the finish line, 23-15; Bast's ace carried them across it.  Regents took set two 25-15.

Set three belonged to the Bulldogs.  The teams started out trading punches- LaPierre and Carter swinging with authority- Clark dumping one and Alexis Quezeda bouncing a serve off of Caro's foot.  But right after the 4-4 turn, the Regents got off track.  It started with a roof by Clark.  Ashley Elias then stepped up and served two aces.  Patin rolled a kill over the block and Douglas was gathering the girls around to try and figure out how they fell behind 5-12.  Elias continued with her too hot to handle service run and the Bulldogs were up 15-5 when Douglas used his second timeout.  Bast's back court attack finally stopped the Ayala run, but the Bulldogs had the momentum, the belief, oh, and the double digit lead.  They also had luck on their side as Clark's low serve hit the tape and fell in for an ace; 19-6, Bulldogs.  The Regents picked up a few points on Bulldog errors, and one on an ace by LaPierre, but this set was lost.  Bozoian's shot off of the Regent block was just a formality.  Ayala handed the Regents their first set loss in league play  25-11.

The Regents had not seen a set four in a while.  Caro got a quick kill out of the middle and LaPierre followed with an ace to get the Regents out front.  A Regent service error gave the Bulldogs the tie and the ball.  Carter tooled the block to regain the lead and Bast's well executed X gave the Regents a 4-2 lead.  The Bulldogs knotted the score at 4 by keeping apparently downed balls in play long enough to get the point.  The Regents pulled away at this point, poking balls to the corners, winning jousts at the net and digging great attacks to build a 16-6 lead.  Clark hammered an overpass to the 10 foot line to remind the Regents that Ayala would not go away quietly, and the lead was down to 7; 17-10.  The Bulldogs gnawed, scratched and clawed and cut the lead to three, 20-17, before the Regents called timeout.  The Regents got the side out on a lucky net call and Caro's ace made the score 22-17 Regents.  Quezeda rolled the next shot over the block to keep Ayala's hope alive.  Carter bounced one off of the Bulldog libero to dim that hope.  Clark got another dump down and the Bulldogs had the ball trailing 19-23.  LaPierre's shot into the deep corner gave the Regents the set point, and Rachael Cavanaugh finished the set and match with a quick tip of the overpass to the front corner.  It wasn't pretty, but the Regents took set four 25-19 and remain undefeated in league.

The stat leaders for the evening were Juliet McClure (27 assists, 2 aces), Loryn Carter (10 kills, 1 block), Natalie Caro (3 aces, 7 digs), Roni LaPierre (13 kills, 3 aces, 10 digs), Sarah Bruchet (15 digs) and Sydney Bast (13 kills, 1 ace and 11 digs.)

Halloween Came Early for the Regents

Covina, CA--  Setters disguised as outside hitters, outside hitters playing the part of setter, and an occasional libero on the pin, that was the scene today as the Regents took on the Charter Oak Chargers.  Coach Douglas forewarned the team that they were going to be mixing up line ups and trying new things in this match, and he was true to his word.  All of the Regent players spent some time on the court as St. Lucy's swept Charter Oak 25-13, 25-15, 25-12, to stay perfect in league play.

Charter Oak got underway with a hopeful 4-0 lead.  The Regent regulars had a tough time focusing at first, dumping serves and hitting attempts into the net.  However, they erased the Charger lead by 7-7, and Sydney Bast served seven in a row to push the Regents ahead 12-7.  The Regents took control from there.  Kelsie Remige rotated in and got a quick kill, letting her presence be known.  Natalie Caro was tough at the service line, finishing the set with another hat trick of aces.  Set one went to the Regents 25-13.

Set two was a parade of St. Lucy players.  Jenna Bailey got to put in time on the right side, Brennen Miller served it up nicely for an ace, as did Alina Mota when she pushed the Regents ahead 12-4.  After establishing the lead, LaPierre took on setting duties and Juliet McClure became a pin hitter.  McClure got a kill on her first attempt, then LaPierre went right back to her, set juice, and McClure tooled the block to extend the lead to 17-5.  Caro slammed one down out of the middle and the Chargers had seen enough, calling time out trailing 9-19.  After the time out, it was Miller time, as the Freshman came in and served up her second ace of the set.  Charter Oak made a late five point push, but they had too much ground to cover for it to make a difference.  The Regents won set two 25-15.

Set three was a preview of years to come.  Despite Charter Oak's 3-0 start, the Regents were in control the entire way.  This set featured Julianna Rohrer as the libero and a combination of McClure, LaPierre and Bruchet setting.  Miller, Bailey, Franchessca D'Aquila, Loryn Carter, Rachael Cavanaugh and McClure foreshadowed what the team might look like next year and impressively demonstrated that they are ready to take over when the time comes.  Bruchet took advantage of her opportunity to play outside hitter and put down several kills, her trademark roll shot hitting the ground to put the Regents up 13-7.  Rohrer's ace serve made it a 16-8 advantage, and D'Aquila's cross court kill with authority made it 22-10 Regents.  In the end, the Chargers could not keep pace with any combination of St. Lucy players.  Final score, Regents 25, Chargers 12.

The stat leaders for the day were many.  Juliet McClure (3 aces, 33 assists, 2 kills), Brennen Miller (3 aces, 4 digs), Franchessca D'Aquila (6 kills). Loryn Carter (8 kills), Natalie Caro (3 aces, 4 kills), Roni LaPierre (10 kills, 5 assists, 1 ace, 1 block), Sarah Bruchet (6 digs, 3 kills), Sydney Bast (3 aces, 5 digs, 3 kills) and Jenna Bailey (3 kills, 4 digs).

The Regents Stand Alone at the Top of the Sierra League

GLENDORA, CA-  The Regents put on the pink tonight and charged to the top of the league in a straight sets victory over previously undefeated in league Chino Hills.  This was St. Lucy's Dig Pink Rally match; a match dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer and raising funds for SideOut Foundation.  The evening was full of color, spectacle, singing, raffles, and above all, great volleyball.  The Regents were lucky to get away with the sweep, as the first two sets were highly competitive and could have gone either way.

The volleyball that was being played on both sides of the net in set one was better than any we have seen in a while.  Chino Hills put the Regents on notice early that they would be fighting like girls to win every point with a strong block that effectively rejected the Regent hitting attempts.  Loryn Carter started finding the floor with well timed tip shots and Sydney Bast just plain went off, hitting the seams, tooling the much bigger block and finding a way to score for St. Lucy's.  The teams stayed within a point of each other from 14 through 21.  The Huskies took the late lead, 22-21, and had control of the serve when the Regents took to the sideline to chat.  After the time out, Bast crushed one down the line to knot it at 22.  Bast stepped up to serve a side out later with the teams tied at 23.  Can you say ACE?  Syd can, and did.  Roni LaPierre put the next one down with a nifty roll shot off of the block and the Regents secured the come from behind victory 25-23.

Set two started out all Husky.  They jumped out to a 7-4 lead, which was capped off by an ace by libero Darby Minton.  The Regents struggled to find their equilibrium as they watched the Husky lead grow to 11-5.  Coach Douglas' time out could not have come at a better time and did the team a world of good.  They started to chip away at the Chino Hills lead with good patient defense and solo blocks from Juliet McClure and Rachael Cavanaugh.  The Regents got to within one point, 12-13, when Chino Hills made another run.  The Husky 16-12 lead had the Regents taking a second time out.  Kudos to Coach Douglas again, as the Regents came out of the time out and caught up to the Huskies with a nice service run by LaPierre.  LaPierre's ace to go ahead 17-16 was the first lead that the Regents enjoyed since the first points of the set.  It was a tug-of-war from there:  Chino Hills got up two, 20-18.  The Regents came back and tied it at 20.  And so it went until the Regents were sitting on a 23-22 lead with the serve.  Bast served an ace to get the Regents to set point, then she served another ace to finish the set.  (Told you she could say "ACE".)  The Regents won set two 25-22.

Set three started off with scramble play won by the Huskies.  Natalie Caro got the Regents on the board with a tip shot and LaPierre's big kill gave the Regents the first lead at 3-2.  The Huskies seemed a little discombobulated and got called out of rotation to give the Regents a 5-3 lead.  Alexis Cardoza got a big kill to put the Huskies back on track.  LaPierre slowed Chino Hills down a bit with successive back row kills.  The Huskies stayed close with the slide and strong outside hitting and tied it up at 8.  Bast bounced the next shot off of a Husky player to spark a Regent run.  Caro got into the action with a kill, as did Brennen Miller, who came in as a serving specialist and scored an ace.  LaPierre's solo block  gave the Regents the 13-9 edge and had Chino Hills calling time out.  The Regents were not backing down.  Carter came back with a tool of the block and an empty court kill; Caro made a HUGE dig that resulted in a Bast kill, and then served up a hat trick of aces (3 in a row.)  Despite a great down the line kill by Erica Gumz, another strong kill by Cardoza and a beautiful slide attack by Janessa Thropay, the Huskies could not break the Regents.  Bast had to wait for the Huskies to finish their parade of subs before serving the match point.  It did not matter who was on the other side of the net though, as Bast closed out the match with yet another ace.  Regents win 25-15.

The Regents have sole possession of the league lead as they go into the second half of the season as the only undefeated team.  Tonight's stat leaders were Sydney Bast (4 aces, 17 kills, 10 digs), Roni LaPierre (13 kills, 13 digs, 1 ace), Loryn Carter (8 kills, 1 block, 3 digs) Natalie Caro (3 kills, 7 digs, 3 aces), Sarah Bruchet (11 digs) and Juliet McClure (35 assists, 6 digs, 1 block.)

Hills/Huskies Round One goes to the Regents

COVINA, CA- It's the week of the Hills and the Huskies for the Regents as they took on the South Hills Huskies today, and will face the Chino Hills Huskies on Thursday.  They took care of business today, winning in straight sets 25-11. 25-22, 25-15, but their performance was far from flawless.  It's going to take a lot more to get past Hills Huskies II.

Set one was a bit lackluster on St. Lucy's part, with the Regents trading points to a 9 point tie.  Then they flipped the switch.  Juliet McClure dumped one, then Roni LaPierre crushed an overpass, then Natalie Caro put a quick middle set down, then LaPierre rolled a nifty left hander, followed by a cute tip to the corner by Caro.  Just like that, the lead was 14-9 and South Hills was talking things over at the bench.  St. Lucy's took the Huskies to school for the rest of the set, outscoring them 11-2 down the stretch.  25-11 Regents.

If set one was lackluster, there are no words for set two.  The Regents jumped out to a 6-0 lead; then went away.  The Huskies chipped away until they took the lead 9-7.  St. Lucy's time out talk did not improve their lot.  They continued to watch balls drop in for aces, double hit free balls, and hit into the block.  But, they still managed to flip the switch when they had to- knotting the score at 19 on a McClure dump.  They finally finished the set 25-22.

Volleyball is a simple game:  serve tough, get the other team out of system, pass, set and kill.  Set three had streaks of solid Regent volleyball in the most simple form.  The Regents found themselves up 7-2 on strong serves and even stronger right side finishes by Loryn Carter.  Despite a lull in the middle of set, St. Lucy's maintained a greater than five point lead throughout.  Julianna Rohrer contributed to the finish with a strong 5 serve run, including an ace, and newcomer Franchessca D'Aquila put a kill in the books.  Set 3 went to the Regents 25-15.

Stat leaders for the evening were Roni LaPierre (15 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces), Sydney Bast (13 kills, 12 digs), Loryn Carter (11 kills), Sarah Bruchet (11 digs) and Juliet McClure (35 assists, 12 digs, 3 aces.)  Join the Regents on Thursday, October 17th as they battle Chino Hills Huskies in their annual Dig Pink Rally match.  Festivities start at 3:30, and don't forget to wear your pink!

The Regents Roar Past Claremont in Straight Sets

GLENDORA, CA-  St. Lucy's made quick work of dismissing the Wolfpack, taking Claremont down in three quick sets, 25-18, 25-17, and 25-19.  The Regents remain undefeated in league.

Set one was a birthday celebration for Loryn Carter, literally, as the big-time hitter who turns 15 this week scored and blocked the ball effectively.  (Yes, she's only 15!)  Carter got the Regents started with three early kills as St. Lucy's shot out to a 7-4 lead.  The Wolfpack, led by middle hitter Janie Feldsher, dug in and and fought to a 7-7 tie on a slide kill by Feldsher and their first lead of the set when she smashed an overpass to go up 8-7.  The Regents turned it back around with defensive help from freshie Julianna Rohrer and a nice serving run by freshie Brennen Miller and found themselves sitting on a 18-14 lead when Claremont called time out.  Four points later, the Wolves took a second time out and finally put a stop to Juliet McClure's six point service run.  The Regents did not let go of the lead and Roni LaPierre's kill from the back row cemented the set for the Regents, 25-18.

It looked as if the Wolfpack was going to control the second set when they got out to a quick 4-0 lead; a lead that they would maintain until Sydney Bast got on a hot service run and tied the match at 9.  McClure's net assisted ace helped the Regents to move ahead of the Pack and out to a 15-12 lead.  Claremont battled hard and at a crucial point, trailing 17-14, despite several impossible digs by the Gina Valvo and both teams' back rows, Bast smartly tipped it off of the block to end the threat.  Carter put up two consecutive solo blocks and the set was essentially over.  Miller's ace was the last straw and the Wolves surrendered on a hitting error 25-17.

The Regents seemed to lose their focus at times in the third set.  Serving and hitting errors  by the Regents kept the Wolfpack in the hunt.  Sarah Bruchet's inability to dodge Feldsher's serve knotted the score at 12.  The teams traded points and the set was tied at 13, 14, and 15.  Rachael Cavanaugh ran a slide, put a shot down the line. and gave the Regents the 16-15 lead.  Bast followed with back to back aces to create a little breathing room.  The Regents seemed to finally find their focus and finished strong when Carter rolled a winner off of a LaPierre dig and hammered the next ball to go up 24-19.  The match ended on a Claremont hitting error.

The stats for the evening are incomplete due to a technology blip and we'd be speculating were we to list stat leaders, so we won't.  The Regents hit the road Tuesday, October 15th, when they will face the South Hills Huskies.  On Thursday, October 17th, they are home hosting their Dig Pink Rally match against currently undefeated in league foe Chino Hills High School.

The Regents Tame the Bulldogs

GLENDORA, CA-  The St. Lucy Regents battled the Ayala Bulldogs and came away from this dog fight with nary a scratch.  It was a straight set victory for the Regents:  25-11, 25-12, 25-21.

Set one was a demonstration of tough serving and excellent ball control by the Regents.  Juliet McClure got the Regents started off with several of her eight aces on the night.  The Regents were up 8-0 on McClure's serve.  The Bulldogs finally got on the board when Sam Bozoian made the Regents pay for an overpass with a crushing kill.  The Bulldogs were not able to overcome the early deficit and make a game of it.  Rachel Cavanaugh put the final point down hard out of the middle to close out the set 25-11.

The Regents jumped out to an early lead again in set 2 with tenacious defense and an ability to make something out of nothing.  Even with confusion, miscommunication and out of system play, the Regents finished the points to their advantage.  The Regents were up 9-2 before Ayala began to put up a fight.  Unfortunately for Ayala, they found their fight a little too late.  The Regents maintained a seven or more point advantage throughout and ended the set on a Natalie Caro ace for the 25-12 finish.  

A different Ayala team showed up for set 3.  This team stayed within three points of the Regents in the early going.  When it appeared that the Regents were going to take off and had extended their lead to 5, 16-11, Ayala took a time out.  After the time out, the Bulldogs battled back to within 2 points, trailing 17-19 after a Regent serving error.  Roni LaPierre tooled the block to get the side out and McClure served back-to-back aces to return the lead to five.  Ayala was not going to go down without a fight.  Outside hitter Cheyenne sent a cross-court shot down to cut the lead to 4, 18-22.  LaPierre responded with a nice touch shot between the block, 23-18.   The Bulldogs came back with a sweet miss-hit that went down to chip further into the lead 19-23.  Bozoian crushed the Regent overpass to pull within 3, 20-23. After a St. Lucy timeout, Ayala put their serve into the net and gave the Regents the first match point, 24-20.  Ayala still had some fight in them as Erin Clark put up a perfect set that Bozoian knocked down cross court to deny the Regents the match.  Serving to stay in the match, Ayala sent the ball into the net, ending the match in the Regents favor 25-21.

The St. Lucy stat leaders for the evening were Juliet McClure (8 aces, 30 assists, 8 digs), Loryn Carter (2 blocks, 11 kills), Natalie Caro (3 aces, 6 digs), Roni LaPierre (15 kills, 8 digs) and Sydney Bast (2 aces, 2 blocks, 8 kills and 13 digs.)   The Regents stay undefeated in league and take on Claremont on Thursday.

The Regents Coast To Victory In Season Opener

GLENDORA-  St. Lucy's opened season play today at home against Charter Oak.  To say that the match was no contest is an overstatement.  Regardless of what combination of players Coach Douglas put on the court, the Chargers had no answer.  The match went to the Regents in straight sets, 25-4, 25-8, 25-16.

The Regents played the first set without powerhouse sophomore Loryn Carter.  Jenna Bailey held her own on the right side.  Freshie Julianna Rohrer also got to put in some good back row work.  St. Lucy's gave up only four points before closing out the set.

Set two saw even more new faces with both outside hitters Sydney Bast and Roni LaPierre on the sideline.  Francesca D'Aquila and Bailey filled in nicely on the pins as did Brennen Miller as a DS.  Alina Mota made an appearance half way through the set and made her presence immediately felt with a one-armed dig to save a certain ace.  St. Lucy's finished off set two easily, this time giving up twice as many points, 25-8.

Douglas ran a 6-2 in set three, giving libero Sarah Bruchet some touches at the setter position and Rohrer the opportunity to play libero.  The Regents substituted liberally and nearly every player saw time in this match.  (Kelsie Remige did not get to play today because of a rolled ankle.)  Miller, who might be 5'4" with her shoes on, even played a couple front row rotations when the official prohibited D'Aquila and her from making a last minute substitution.  Charter Oak got to within 3 points of the Regents, 19-16, but they would get no closer.  D'Aquila subbed in, squashed the "threat" with a cross court kill, then stepped back and served the rest of the match out.  Even though Charter Oak once again doubled their points, they fell to the Regents 25-16.

The Regent scoring was spread out:  Mota had 2 aces, D'Aquila had 4 kills and 1 ace, McClure had 3 aces and 28 assists, Carter had 1 block and 8 kills, Caro had 7 kills and 3 aces, Bast had 7 kills, Bruchet had 3 kills, 5 digs and 1 ace, LaPierre had 2 kills and 2 digs, and Bailey had 2 kills and 2 digs.

Best of luck to all the girls who will be trying out for club teams this weekend.  The Regents are back at it next week with games against Ayala and Claremont.

St. Lucy's Wraps Up The Pre-season With a Win

Glendora, CA-   The South Torrance Spartans traveled to the home of the Regents for a rare Friday night game.  Even with leading scorer Roni LaPierre on the bench, the Spartans were no match for the Regents.  St. Lucy's took the match in four sets, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23, and 25-17.

Set one was marred by a lot of early Regent mistakes.  Six service errors, numerous net violations and several overpasses had the Regents on their heels and calling time out trailing 12-18.  An ace serve by Juliet McClure coming out of the time out, followed by a solo block by Loryn Carter had the lead cut to 2, 16-18.  Just moments later, Loryn Carter cut the lead to one, 18-19, with a cross court kill and South called for a time out to ponder how to slow the Regents down.  The Spartans came up with just enough to close out the set 25-21, however, it always felt like the Regents could turn things around anytime they chose.  Set one South.

Set two was also marked by inconsistent Regent play.  St. Lucy's seemed to be in commend, even when trailing by as many as five points.  Loryn Carter made smart choices as to when to tip over the block and when to hammer the ball.  The Spartans led until a Natalie Caro shot down the line tied it at 13.  The Regents enjoyed their first lead at 18-17 following a Juliet McClure ace serve.  Caro came  up big down the stretch with a shot off of the block and two consecutive ace serves to close it out, Regents 25, Spartans 22.

Set three was where Sydney Bast shined.  Despite South's early and substantial lead, Bast made the right hard swings and got just enough kills to keep the Regents in the hunt.  St. Lucy's reduced the once six point lead to two on a couple BIG blocks by Carter.  The Spartans took a time out leading 17-14 to see if they could stymie the Regent run.  South then went on a 4-1 lead and could see the finish when the Regents called time out trailing 15-21.  Much like the first set, it always felt as if the Regents could take over whenever they chose.  This time they chose.  A Carter block cut the lead to one, 22-23, a Sarah Bruchet ace knotted it at 23, a Carter tip over the block gave the Regents set point and a South hitting error gave the Regents the set 25-23.  St. Lucy's 10-2 run at the end of the set was enough.

The Regents were in control of set four throughout.  Newcomers Julianne Rohrer, Brennen Miller and Francesca D'Aquila contributed to the win.  South called timeout trailing 4-10, only to return to an ace off of a Bast serve and back to back kills by D'Aquila that even had her cracking a smile.  McClure blocked the kill attempt and gave the Regents the first match point.  After siding out, Bast had had enough, up she went and knocked the final kill off of the high hands of the block, giving the Regents the win 25-17 and the match 3-1.

Tonights stat leaders were Juliet McClure (3 aces, 8 digs, 41 assists); Loryn Carter (4 blocks, 12 kills); Natalie Caro (13 digs, 14 kills); Sarah Bruchet (3 aces, 18 digs); Sydney Bast (2 aces, 1 block, 9 digs, and 15 kills) and Rachael Cavanaugh (5 kills.)  St. Lucy's starts it's league season on the road next Thursday, October 3rd at Charter Oak.  Come out and support your Regents!

La Salle Finally Gets The Best of the Regents

Pasadena-  Victory over the Regents has been a long time coming for the La Salle Lancers.  Prior to today, the teams had faced off four times, and each time the Regents had pulled out the victory.  Today, La Salle got some long awaited redemption as they sweep St. Lucy's 25-19, 25-17, 29-27.

This pre-season match felt much more like a CIF playoff than an early non-league contest.  La Salle had a strong fan contingency, their band, an announcer, and even charged admission.  The volleyball did not disappoint.  Set one was a closely contested match through the early going.  Each point had to be earned by both teams.  La Salle started to pull away with a strong middle attack, effective hitting by CK and Hailey DeSales, scrappy defense and a good block.  The Regents took a timeout trailing 15-18 in hopes of turning the tide.  Instead, La Salle returned with an ace serve by CK and the Regent hitters struggled to find the court around the block.  La Salle took set one 25-19, but don't be fooled.  The set was much closer than the score would indicate and every point was a battle.

Set two was knotted up until about the mid point, at which time the Lancers took control, stretching their lead to three, 16-13, on a Hailey Desales' ace.  CK put a shot down to extend the lead even further, 18-14, and turned to the crowd for applause.  With the crowd and the momentum behind them, La Salle pulled away and took set two 25-17.

The Regents had their chances in set three.  Loryn Carter started out hot, making the first three Regent kills and putting up a huge block.  La Salle caught up to the Regents at 5-5 and the teams stayed together until Roni LaPierre gave the Regents the lead 15-13 with a pretty roll shot over the block.  La Salle took a minute talk it over.  They fought their way back to a 16-16 tie and sent the Regents to a timeout.  Lucy's came out of the timeout and went to work. Bast and LaPierre kills combined to extend the Regents lead 19-16.  La Salle took a second time out; during which they chose to run lines.  Following the timeout, the Regents' lead stretched to 20-16 when CK's attempt sailed long.  A side out and DeSales cross court kill later had the Lancers trailing by just two and with the serve.  Unfortunately, one of the Lancer players went down with a knee injury at this point.  After the injury timeout, La Salle tied it at 20 when LaPierre's attempt carried long.  Bast blasted a back court shot to the left side of the court to grab the lead back.  CK pushed a shot off of Rachel Cavanaugh to get back to even. The Regents had a 22-21 edge, which Hailey DeSales erased by blocking LaPierre's tip, and then crushing a shot over the middle.  La Salle's net violation knotted it at 23, but La Salle got the ball right back with a chance to seal the deal.  Loryn Carter's tip over the block turned La Salle away and LaPierre's back row attack gave the Regents the chance to serve for the set, 25-24.  Hailey DeSales tooled the block to extend the game and her ace serve gave the Lancer's their second match point.  Loryn Carter put up another BIG block to level it at 26.  CK's cross court shot gave La Salle a third match point, but again they did not convert as their kill attempt went long.  The Regents double the next ball to side out and give the Lancer's a fourth chance to win the set.  This time they put up a serve that was too hot to handle, and ended the set 29-27.  It took four meetings to beat the Regents, and four set points to close out the match.

The Regents' record drops to 4-2 with the loss.  Tonight's stat leaders were Juliet McClure, 30 assists; Sydney Bast, 15 kills; Roni LaPierre, 9 kills, 10 digs;  Loryn Carter 9 kills, 2 blocks; and Sarah Bruchet, 23 digs.

St. Lucy's Continues to Perform Well at Durango Classic

Henderson, Nevanda-     The Durango Fall Classic is well known as the toughest national high school volleyball tournament.  Each year it attracts some of the strongest volleyball teams from across the nation.  This is the fourth year that the Regents have been invited to participate, and each year the team has finished better than the year before.  St. Lucy's looked to have a heck of a time continuing that trend this year, having finished 16th last year and with a changed format that allows only one team from each pool to advance to the top 16. Guess what?  The Regents were up to the challenge.

The Regents made it through pool play today 3-0; getting past Faith Lutheran, Mater Dei and Coronado  and earning an opportunity to advance to the Championship Bracket tomorrow.  First up was Faith Lutheran.  The Regents took care of their opponents quite handily with tough serving and ball control.  Set one went to Lucy's 25-16.  Game 2 was even more lopsided, with the Regents up 11-1 before they turned the ball over on a service error.  Faith Lutheran was no contest for St. Lucys; Regents win set two 25-14.  Stat leaders for the match were Juliet McClure (8 aces, 23 assists); Loryn Carter (1 block, 8 kills); Natalie Caro (5 kills, 4 digs); Sarah Bruchet (8 digs); Sydney Bast (6 kills) and Roni LaPierre (5 kills.)

Next up was heavily favored Mater Dei.  The Monarchs were coming off of just having won the Dave Mohs tournament and are ranked number one in CIFSS for their division.  It took three sets, but the Regents were able to pull off the win.  The Regents started set one strong, taking the early lead on a tool off the block by Roni LaPierre and a crushing kill on an overpass by Loryn Carter.  Lucy's built a 12-8 lead before Dan O'Dell called time out.  Mater Dei came out of the time out focused and number 11's strong serving got them to a 12-12 knot.  Back and forth it went from there with ties at 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18.  O'Dell employed the old "time out trick" at 18-18, to Mater Dei's success.  Next thing you know, the Regents are down 18-21 and calling time out.  A couple of calls that did not go the Regents way and a couple of service errors later, game Mater Dei 25-22.

Set two started similarly to set one.  Lucy's ball control made a big difference:  perfect pass, led to perfect set, led to perfect kill.  Regents up 8-4 at the Mater Dei time out.  Mater Dei clawed their way back into contention, despite incurring injuries to their middle blocker and setter, on a five point service run by Tess Morales.  St. Lucy's created space again after the 10-10 tie, taking a 14-10 lead on solid play.  The Regents maintained the four point lead until late in the set when the Monarchs made a push to get within 1, 23-24.  The Regents fought hard, LaPierre saving a ball that careened off the block that Loryn Carter put down in a cross court slam, giving the Regents the hard fought victory 26-24.

The format of this tournament is a little different.  Instead of playing the third set to 15, the teams play a 25 point third set.  It would not have mattered.  Lucy's led at 15, and took it at 25.  This time it was Mater Dei that got out to the early lead, up 5-1.  St. Lucy's repeatedly hurt themselves with service and hitting errors and stayed down by 4 until mid set.  A LaPierre put away on an overpass gave the Regents their first lead since 1-0, up 13-12.  They never let it go again.  LaPierre went into her bag of tricks and poked balls to the deep corners and tipped over the block.  Carter went into crush mode.  Bast and Bruchet were passing nails.  Loryn tipped the last ball over the block and the Regents took set three 25-21. Stat leaders were LaPierre (20 kills, 14 digs, 4 assists), Carter (11 kills), McClure (29 assists, 2 aces, 7 digs), Bast (1 block, 13 digs, 6 kills), Caro (11 digs) and Bruchet (14 digs.)

The last match of the day was Coronado.  They had St. Lucy's in size; but that was all they had over the Regents.  Set one was played pretty closely by both teams until the middle of the set.  Around the 12 point mark the Regents shifted into a higher gear.  Rachel Cavanaugh went on a wicked serving streak at the end of the match that saw St. Lucy's to a 25-15 victory.  Set two was more of the same.  Although the Coronado height had the ability to give the Regents fits, the Lucy defense more than stood up to the height differential.  The Regents would not let a ball drop, even if it meant kicking it up and into play, as LaPierre did on one occasion.  Freshman Brennan Miller made a late set appearance and made her presence known with an ace service.  Sydney Bast blasted a shot down the line to end the match, St. Lucy's 25-12.  Stat leaders were McClure (5 digs, 20 assists), LaPierre (7 kills, 1 block, 4 digs), Bast (6 digs, 6 kills, 2 aces), Cavanaugh (3 aces, 1 block, 3 digs, 4 kills), Carter (5 kills) and Caro (7 digs, 2 kills.)

The Regents play tomorrow at Durango where they will face Lakewood in a first place finisher's cross-over match to determine which 8 teams will fight for the Championship and which 8 teams will drop to the silver bracket.

Durango, Nevada-  The Regents had a rough go of it on the second day of the Durango Fall Classic.  The cross-over match against Lakewood was a test and St. Lucy's continued to play high level volleyball.  They lost in three, 22-25, 29-27, 22-25.  I'm not going to bore you with the details, since it is now several days later.  (Sorry.  I got busy.  Dock my pay.)  Suffice it to say, the Regents left it all on the court and should be  proud of their play.  The loss sent the Regents to the silver division to finish out the tournament.

Next up was Assumption.  With no time to rest between the Lakewood match and the Assumption match, the Regents came out listless, and never recovered.  They lost to a very disciplined and smart team in two, kinda ugly- 11-25 and ?-25.

The final match of the day was against Xavier Prep.  Roni LaPierre sat this match out to nurse the sprained ankle she suffered at the end of the Lakewood match, so Kelsie Remige got an opportunity to put in some quality minutes.  Remige was a mystery to the opponent, befuddling them by sometimes hitting with her left arm, then switching up and hitting with her right.  Unfortunately, the Regents did not have enough firepower and dropped the match in two sets, 17-25, 20-25.

The Regents end the tournament tied for 15th place, which is not too shabby in this deep and talented field.  They played amazing and proved to themselves and many of the doubters out there that they can make some noise again this year!

The Regents Outlast the Cougars in a Five Set Battle

"The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without struggle were perhaps to win it without honor.  If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved."                                                                                               Samuel Smiles

Rancho Cucamonga-   The fans waved American Flags, enjoyed the pageantry of the presentation of colors and  a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem sung by a Rancho Cucamonga student and united in supporting our service men and women.  The evening was dedicated to the Wounded Warrior project.  But once the whistle blew, each team set out to implement its own war strategy. The teams battled hard, but when the smoke cleared, it was St. Lucy's that stood triumphant after a grueling five set contest: 21-25, 25-23,26-28, 28-26, 15-12. 

Battle One:  Rancho got out to a quick start, up 5-0 before Natalie Caro found the ground with a kill from the middle.  St. Lucy's got to even and the fight went back and forth until Rancho made a mid-set run, sending the Regents to talk trailing 12-16.  The Regents never did get their feet solidly underneath themselves in this set, with many serves into the net, unforced hitting errors and confused defensive assignments.  The set ended appropriately, with a serve by LaPierre into the net.  Rancho won this offensive 25-21.

Battle Two:  The Regents hit the floor in set two with much more energy and hustle.  They built a three to four point lead repeatedly, but shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, with unforced errors and net serves.  St. Lucy's amassed a 12-8 lead, causing Coach Flores to retreat to a time out.  A Rachel Cavanaugh ace and strong middle play by Caro kept the Regents ahead.  Rancho called time out again; now down 15-20.  The Cougars kept fighting and made it interesting, closing the gap to 22-23 when LaPierre hit one into the net.  Rancho generously repaid the Regents by serving the next ball into the net, setting up the first set point: Regents 24, Rancho 22.  Sydney Bast's attempt to end it sailed a little long, making it 24-23.  The Regent's strong serve receive kept them focused and the set ended on a net violation by Rancho.  St. Lucy's takes battle two 25-23.

Battle Three:  The Regents started strong taking the first two points, but Rancho stormed right back and took a 4-2 lead after successive St. Lucy hitting errors.  A big time block by Loryn Carter and another ace serve by Cavanaugh kept the Regents within striking distance.  Rancho, however, was winning most of the long rallies and maintaining a three to four point lead.  By mid-set, the Regents were back within one, following an ace serve by Bruchet to make it 16-17.  Kylie Miller's back row attack pushed the Cougars up by 2.  LaPierre tooled the block to cut the lead to one, and Cavanaugh's service winner tied it at 21.  Back and forth the teams fought.  Bruchet made an amazing set on a ball that careened off of the equipment and LaPierre put it down for the tie at 22.  McClure served into the net, giving the Cougar's best server the ball and lead, 23-22.  Bast's impressive serve receive and LaPierre's clutch hitting gave the Regents the ball and the lead 24-23.  LaPierre, Caro and Bruchet each served for the set, but each time the Cougars pushed the Regents back.  Kylie Miller finally strung two kills together to push Rancho over the top 28-26.  

Battle Four:  Sarah Bruchet left it all on the court in this set.  More than once she pulled balls back onto the court that were practically in the bench, and the Regents were able to convert those balls into points.  The Regents were up 8-4, but had to know that such a lead would not last.  The Cougars battled to within one point, when LaPierre crushed one at the 10 foot line to put the Regents up 12-10.  McClure stepped up and served an ace to make it 13-10.  Rancho hung tough, and vaporized the lead, tying it at 13 on a big block.  Loryn Carter's cross court kill restored the Lucy lead.  The Cougars shifted the battle plan and started tipping and rolling the ball to tough spots.  This led to ties at 16, 17,18 and 19.  A cross court blast by Bast off of a nice set by McClure made it 22-20.  Rancho kept fighting and tied the set at 24.  LaPierre rolled a nice shot down, Regents up 26-25, but her next hit went a little wide.  Miller attempted to put her team ahead, but hit it too long.  Regents took advantage of the hitting error and pushed to a victory on the next ball.  St. Lucy's took 4, 28-26.

So in the end, it all boiled down to the ever important Battle Five.  LaPierre set the tone, smashing a shot between the block.  The teams swung at each other, blow after blow, and were tied at 5.  It was a tug-of-war from then on.  Back row winner by Caro.  Rancho worked the ball off of the Lucy block.  Bast attacked from the back row.  Rancho used the middle to score.  LaPierre hit a winner to the deep corner.  Kylie Miller with her own cross court kill and and ace to tie it at 11.  Loryn Carter blistered a kill cross court.  Bruchet and LaPierre paired up to ping pong a crucial ball over to extend the late lead.  Rancho, strong from the middle, cut the lead to 1.  Bruchet's overpass spelled sure disaster, but Rancho's overly zealous hit sailed long.  Natalie Caro served for the set and match and Loryn Carter blasted a shot that was just too hot for Rancho to handle.  Regents pulled it out 15-12, taking the 5th battle. 

The Regents battled uphill all night.  Although they struggled at times, through difficult, hard work, they found the honor in victory over a very good opponent.  Both teams will surely meet in battle again, but today, the war was won by the girls on the hill.

Today's stat leaders were Roni LaPierre with 15 digs and 21 kills; Sarah Bruchet with 28 digs; Sydney Bast with 18 digs and 11 kills; Loryn Carter with 2 blocks and 15 kills; Juliet McClure with 2 blocks, 2 aces, 15 digs, 3 kills and 57 assists; Natalie Caro with 2 aces, 15 digs and 8 kills; and Rachael Cavanaugh with 2 aces, 4 digs and 9 kills. 

The Regents Eek Out Another Road Victory

Hacienda Heights--  The gym was hot.  The crowd was hostile.  The opposing coach was distracting.  The match was long.  But the Regents had just enough composure to pull out another difficult road win.  St. Lucy's took last night's match 25-16, 25-21, 25-27, 23-25, 17-15.
   
Set one got underway with a couple nice swings fired by outside hitter Syd Bast.  The Regents jumped out to a five point lead on good defense and smart hitting before Los Altos began to heat up and chip the lead away.  Rachael Cavanaugh stepped up and served two consecutive aces to stamp out the threat, and the Regents were in stride.  Los Altos called timeout trailing 10-18, and saw the lead extend to 22-12 before mounting another attack.  The Regents made a few defensive errors, giving the Conquerors new life and hope and causing Douglas to take a time out at 22-16.  Coming out of the timeout, Bast tooled the block, Natalie Caro served an ace and Loryn Carter blocked the Los Al attempt to end the LA run, and the game.  Regents 25, Conquerors 16.

Los Altos came out stronger in set two and took the early lead.  The Regents caught up at 7 and pushed ahead to a 10-7 lead before Los Altos found it's middles and sparked a come back.  The game was tied at 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, before Sarah Bruchet created a little space with back to back aces.  Los Altos middle hitter, number 15, kept finding the hole and kept the Conquerors within striking distance, until Juliet McClure's poke over on two and effective Regent serving took over.  Los Altos took a time out at 17-23, and then took the next four points before siding out.  The Regents did not let the serve go after that and pushed to a 25-21 end to set two.

Set three was feast and famine for the Regents.  Los Altos went to a tricky short serving game that forced St. Lucy's out of system.  Despite some nice kills by Roni LaPierre, the Regents trailed for most of the game.  Loryn Carter logged a big block to tie the game at 15, but the Conquerors went into their bag of tricks and pulled out more short serves, roll shots, and tips to extend their lead to 20-16.  St. Lucy's took a minute to talk things over, and came out of the time out more focused.  The Regents started their late set run, sending Los Altos to their corner to talk at 21-23, and 22-23, in an effort to trip up server Juliet McClure.  With the game tied at 23, McClure's serve went into the net.  Loryn Carter's shot off of the block tied the set at 24 and gave the Regents the ball and a chance to end the match.  It was LaPierre's turn to serve into the net.  Loryn got the ball back for the Regents again, this time with a touch tip off of the block, and the Regents were serving tied at 25.  Los Al got the ball to it's middle, who found the floor with ease.  St. Lucy's attempt to tie it up at 26 sailed wide, and the Conquerors took the set 27-25.

Set four started out sloppy for both teams:  two Regent errors, followed by a Los Al overpass that LaPierre put away. The teams eased into the set after that, keeping it close or tied before Bast went on a nice serving run to put the Regents up 13-9.  The Conquerors were unrelenting, however, and fought their way back into the set.  St. Lucy's timeout at 18-16 was not enough to stop the momentum and Los Altos tied it at 19.  Loryn Carter's cross court kill gave the Regents the edge.  The Los Altos middle hitter took it right back with a sharp shot to the back corner and her teammate consolidated the lead with an ace serve.  Los Altos' hitter's attempt did not clear the tape, but the coach nonetheless took the opportunity to interrupt the game (for the second time) to dispute the call.  The delay was followed by a Los Al timeout before the game resumed.  St. Lucy's miscommunication on a second ball pass gave the Conquerers the ball and the lead at 23-21.  The Los Al serve went long and Alina Mota was given the tough task of coming in cold to serve 22-23.  Her serve nicked the antenna and Los Al was serving for the set, up 24-22.  Roni LaPierre answered with a kill to regain the ball, but the Los Al middle responded with her own kill, giving the Conquerors set 4, 25-23.

Set five put the Regents to the test.  Los Al had all of the momentum and the home court advantage.  Roni LaPierre got the Regents off to a strong start with back to back kills, but the serving errors kept mounting.  St. Lucy's seemed frazzled and dropped behind 4-6, before clawing back into it.  Los Al took a timeout trailing 7-8, and it worked.  Bast's serve coming out of the timeout sailed long and the set was tied at 8, and at 9, and at 10.  Los Alto's grabbed the lead on another kill from the middle and extended the lead to 13-10 when Carter's swing did not clear the tape.  Douglas called time out, and it worked!  Los Al served the ball long; Carter put the next set down, and tipped the next to tie it at 13.  Los Al set the middle for another automatic kill to the deep corner.  LaPierre followed with her own deep corner shot to tie it at 14.  Los Al blocked the next attempt to go up 15-14.  Bast tied it with a cross court kill.  The Regents took the lead 16-15 on a roll shot by Sydney and Sarah Bruchet finished the game, set and match with an ace.  Regents win set 5 17-15.

It was ironic that this match ended with an ace serve considering the Regents donated 16 free points to the Conquerors on missed serves.  At the end of the day, St. Lucy's found the strength it needed to battle the adverse conditions and muscle out the win.  The Regent stat leaders were Roni LaPierre, 22 kills, 14 digs; Loryn Carter 14 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 16 kills, 11 digs and 2 aces; Sarah Bruchet, 3 aces, 12 digs, and 5 assists; and Juliet McClure 18 digs and 43 assists.

Next up:  Rancho Cucamonga, Tuesday, September 17th.  This match is dedicated to the Wounded Warrior cause.  Shirts are available for purchase and the proceeds are being donated to this worthy cause.

Los Osos Is Too Gooden For The Regents

Glendora-  The 2-0 Regents faced off against the 2-0 Grizzlies in a preseason dual for local bragging rights.  Los Osos had more game, and size, than St. Lucy's could handle, and handed the Regents their first defeat of the year.

The Grizzlies set the tone early in the first set, getting the ball into the hands of their 6-2 outside hitter, Ashton Gooden-Smith, who made five early kills to put Los Osos comfortably in the lead.  The Regents struggled to string consecutive points together, calling timeout trailing 4-10.  The Regents were not able to figure much out during the timeout and the Grizzly lead stretched to 9.  Despite amazing Regent defense on the final point, where LaPierre, Bast, and Bruchet made impossible digs on hard driven balls, St. Lucy's dropped set one 25-16.

Not much changed in set two, except maybe the number of Regent errors (which increased.)  St. Lucy's started at an 0-4 deficit, serving the ball out and hitting into the antenna.  The Regents would periodically put one down, but their one-and-out scoring was insufficient to keep pace with the Grizzlies who were picking up kills in threes and fours.  The Regents were trailing 2-8 after three servers.  Sarah Bruchet's serve saw the Regents get to within two, 6-8, but St. Lucy's would get no closer than that.  St. Lucy's took a timeout at 13-17 to discuss things.  Something terribly wrong must have been said in the huddle because it was all Los Osos after the timeout.  Grizzlies finished out set two 25-15.

A lot changed in set three.  The Regents came out on fire and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a wicked kill by Loryn Carter.  The Regents maintained a two to three point lead through the beginning of the set.  Los Osos caught up to the Regents at 9, but Roni LaPierre's kill snatched the Lucy lead back.  Los Osos caught up again at 13, this time LaPierre tooled the block to regain the lead.  The Grizzlies finally caught up and overtook the Regents at 17, gaining their first lead 18-17.  It was a see-saw battle from there.  Kill by LaPierre.  Roll shot by Gooden-Smith.  Tip by Loryn Carter.  A dubious "over" call against the Regents gave the Grizzlies a two point lead, followed by a thunderous put away of an overpass by Gooden-Smith, and Los Osos was thinking about packing their bags, up 23-20.  The Regents were not going to roll over.  They battled back to within one point, 22-23, when Sydney Bast's attempt was blocked straight down.  A net violation gave the Regents one last hope, with Bast serving down 23-24.  Unfortunately, LaPierre's attempt was blocked and the Grizzlies pulled out the straight sets win, taking the third game 25-23.

The Regent stat leaders were Roni LaPierre, 9 kills 11 digs; Loryn Carter, 5 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 5 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs; Juliet McClure, 27 assists, 8 digs and Sarah Bruchet, 11 digs.  In the end, Los Osos' size and experience won the day.  Although St. Lucy's did not come away with a win, it was not a complete loss.  The Regents learned a lot in this match that will serve them well as they prepare to face quality teams in the future.  In fact, there's even chance that these two teams could meet again at the Durango Classic or the Redondo Union Tournament.  Lucy girls are very good students so don't be surprised if they apply what they learned tonight and get a different outcome. 

The Regents Continue to Dominate The Bearcats

Glendora-  The St. Lucy Regents faced up against the Bonita Bearcats in a pre-season battle that proved to be less than fierce.  Both teams played, fine.  Each with moments of glory, but overall, the match was a snoozer.  St. Lucy's took it in straight sets; 25-12, 25-17  and 25-21.

The Regents were in control of set one from start to finish.  After an early seven point serving run by Roni LaPierre, the Regents were up 9-2.  Riley Inman answered with an ace serve, solid defense and a run of her own to bring the Bearcats to within 5 of the Regents.  They would get no closer.  Franchessca D'Aquila put in some quality minutes for the Regents, playing well defensively and making kill after kill.  Natalie Caro did her share of tough serving and had the Bearcats running for a  time out down 18-9.  Bonita was unable to shift the tide, and the Regents finished it out 25-12.

Set two brought more of the same.  Loryn Carter found her swing and bounced a couple balls in front of the the 10 foot line.  Bonita got the gap closed to three, but the Regents turned up the pressure.  St. Lucy's led 20-14 at the Bearcat's time out call.  The time out proved futile and the Regents took set two 25-17.

Set three was more interesting for a few reasons.  One, the Bearcats kept it close and even took the lead a few times.  Two, Coach Douglas played around with his line up, so we got to see several new faces.  Among the new players to contribute to the Regent's success are a trio of freshmen:  Jenna Bailey, Brennan Miller and Julianna Rohrer.  In addition, some of the senior veterans showed their skills- Sarah Bruchet setting in a 6-2 with Juliette McClure, Madi Gilmartin stepping in at outside and making two key kills, and Kelsey Remige, clogging up the middle.  As always, Sydney Bast provided solid defense and leadership on the court throughout the match.  Despite ties at 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, and 21, when push came to shove, the Regents took charge, closing out set three 25-21. 

Stat leaders for the evening were Roni LaPierre, 10 kills, 2 aces; Francessca D'Aquila, 5 kills; Rachel Cavanaugh, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 10 digs, 2 aces and Juliet McClure, 16 assists. 

Next up:  Los Osos.  Los Osos lost in the CIF Championship last year, so they are hungry to prove themselves.  In addition, the team has improved greatly since last year, adding some key new personnel.  Be there on Thursday to support your Regents in what will surely be an exciting match.  Game starts at approximately 5:30 pm.

The Regents Find a Way

The Regents opened their preseason schedule on the road at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy after just three days of practice.  FSHA was ready for the challenge and came out hot, taking it to St. Lucy's in the opening game; Flintridge won it 25-19 after overcoming a sizable deficit.  St. Lucy's regrouped and took the second game handily, 25-15.  It was FSHA's turn in game 3, as they came out ahead 25-21.  Trailing 2 games to 1, St. Lucy's righted the ship and controlled the 4th, ultimately winning 25-16.  The 5th game was where the Regents showed their grit.  It began with a back and forth tussle to 6-6.  FSHA went on a run with good serving and solid defense, forcing many St. Lucy errors, and stretching their lead to 13-7.  Natalie Caro stepped up to serve and went on a run of her own.  The Regents scratched and clawed their way back in, Caro serving to tie it up at 13.  Instead, the Regents sided out and FSHA found itself serving for the match at 14-12.  St. Lucy's kept fighting, with clutch play on the pins from Loryn Carter and Roni LaPierre.  Tied at 14.  Tied at 15.  Tied at 16.  Tied at 17.  Finally, the Regents take it, 19-17 and log their first victory of the season.