Richard Bland Earns First Victory Past Visiting Regent 3-0

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College earned its first-ever women's volleyball victory with a 3-0 triumph past Regent University on Thursday night at Statesman Hall.  Freshman Emma Eggleton/Chesterfield led the host Statesmen (1-5), who took the sets by scores of 25-15, 25-17 and 25-19, with 19 kills, eight assists and four blocks, while sophomore Alexis Lyons/Prince George added 18 assists, six kills and six digs against the visiting Royals (0-2).  Richard Bland will travel to Hickory, North Carolina this weekend to participate in a tournament hosted by Region X member Catawba Valley Community College, opening against the host Red Hawks on Friday, Sept. 22, at 12 p.m.

"It was a good win for us tonight," said first-year head coach Scott Newton.  "It's a step in the right direction for the program and in building our confidence as we head into a tough weekend on the road.  We're extremely happy to get that first win; it's been a tough couple of weeks, but now we're ready to move forward and get some more victories."

In addition to the efforts of Eggleton and Lyons, freshman Kendall Clark/Virginia Beach added nine digs and three assists, while classmate Cassie Jencik/Midlothian contributed four kills and three blocks.

Set 1: Richard Bland scored the first four points en route to a 6-1 lead before Regent rallied to within 9-6.  The Statesmen extended their advantage to 17-10, prompting a timeout by the visitors, and pushed the margin to 21-10.  Richard Bland led 23-11 before the Royals got within 23-15, but two quick points finished it at 25-15. 

Set 2: Richard Bland led 2-0 before Regent managed its first lead at 3-2, and it was tied at 7-7 before the Statesmen rallied ahead at 12-7.  The hosts built the lead to 18-10, but the Royals once-again closed and were within 19-16.  Richard Bland, however, finished strong with a 6-1 run to win 25-17. 

Set 3: Richard Bland fell behind early at 3-0, and trailed 5-3 before rallying ahead at 6-5.  The closest set of the match went back and forth with five early ties before Regent took a 13-10 advantage.  The Statesmen battled back to tie it again at 13-13, but fell behind again at 15-14 before taking the lead for good at 16-15.  Richard Bland led 18-17 before closing with a 7-2 run to win 25-19.

Richard Bland will play Louisburg (N.C.) College on Friday at 1:30 p.m., followed by two matches on Saturday, Sept. 23, as well, including against Wake Technical (N.C.) Community College at 9 a.m. and Guilford Technical (N.C.) Community College at 1:30 p.m.  Louisburg, Wake Tech and Guilford Tech are each members of Region X, as well.