FRANKLIN, Mass. – After falling 3-0 to Regis College, the Dean College men's volleyball team rallied back to take the 3-2 victory over Vermont State University-Johnson. The Bulldogs split their first two matches of the season and finished second place in the season-opening tri-match.
MATCH ONE: Regis College 3, Dean College 0
-The Bulldogs fell in their first match of the season to Regis College, losing sets 25-13, 25-6, and 25-19.
-Regis jumped to the early lead in the first set, but first-year
Brandon Mimande (East Providence, R.I.) would eventually get Dean's first kill of the season. Mimande finished the match with a team-leading 3 kills.
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Arthur Felicio (Saugus, Brazil) also had three kills in the match, aiding in Dean's efforts at the front of the net.
-Sophomore libero
Mason Rua (São Pedro do Sul, Portugal) led the team in first match DIGs (8).
MATCH TWO: Dean College 3, VTSU-Johnson 2
-Dean's final match of the day would come down to the wire. They would win the first and third sets (25-17 / 25-18) but lose sets two and four (25-23 / 25-21). The match came down to a decisive fifth set.
-Felicio led the charge in the first set victory, securing several kills at the front of the net. Mimande complimented with a pair of kills.
-The Bulldogs kept it close in the second set, but VTSU's Luke Walters and Io Binder ultimately played aggressive on offense. The pair of hitters gave the Badgers the set victory.
-First-year hitter
Antonio Varela (East Providence, R.I.) quickly became a factor at the start of the third set. He produced five kills en route to the 25-18 win.
-However, Dean fell behind in the fourth set. They made a small comeback in the final points, but the Badgers would ultimately force the fifth and final set.
-With the final match on the line, Varela and
Noah Allan (Windham, N.H.) would be the heroes for the Bulldogs. They scored three crucial kills, eventually forcing the Badgers to take timeouts.
-Dean secured the winning point on a lunging effort by Rua. After a stray set attempt, Rua dove into the scorer's table to keep the ball alive. He managed to play the ball over the net, and after a set error by Walters, he secured the match for the Bulldogs. Dean was victorious by a final score of 3-2.
Standouts (Match Two):
-Allan (11 Kills, 25 Total Attempts, Assist, Service Ace)
-Felicio (10 Kills, 33 Total Attempts, Assist, Solo Block, Assisted Block)
-Varela (10 Kills, 23 Total Attempts, 3 Assists, 2 Service Aces, Solo Block, Assisted Block)
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Hunter Armitage (Westerly, R.I.) (36 Assists, 15 DIGs)
Next Up:
-Wednesday, January 28
th, 7:00PM at Fisher College.
For Media Inquiries:
Brett Chaves
Sports Information Director, Dean College Athletics
(508) 541-1826
BChaves@dean.edu
