NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's volleyball team opened the 2026 campaign on Wednesday evening at Andrews Hall, battling through a competitive four-set Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup before falling to Regis College (Mass.), 3-1 (7-25, 22-25, 25-23, 11-25).
Aylei Connolly (Westfield, Mass.) paced the Norwich attack with a match-high 10 kills on a .276 hitting percentage while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Â
Isabella Vasapolli (Pepperell, Mass.) supplied seven kills on 16 swings for a team-best .312 hitting percentage, while
Grace Davie (Lynnfield, Mass.) added four kills, six service aces, and 10 digs.
Ainslee Vargas (Rusk, Texas) directed the Cadet offense with 20 assists to go along with seven digs and an ace. Defensively,
Elexis Powell (Charlotte Hall, Md.) helped anchor Norwich at the net with three total blocks, while Connolly and Davie shared the team lead with 10 digs apiece. Norwich finished with four team blocks, one more than Regis.
Regis established control early in the opening set, using a series of service runs to build separation. Norwich received kills from Davie, Vasapolli, and
Taylor "Rae" Lawing (Allen, Texas), but the Pride maintained the advantage throughout and claimed the first frame, 25-7.
The Cadets settled in considerably during the second set. Regis raced out to a 5-0 lead before Norwich answered with five straight points behind a strong serving stretch from Davie, whose three aces helped pull the Cadets even at 6-6. Connolly later gave Norwich its first lead of the match with a kill, and the two sides traded momentum throughout a set that featured nine ties and four lead changes.
Norwich moved in front, 18-16, following three consecutive Regis attack errors, but the Pride responded with a late surge to reclaim the advantage. The Cadets remained within striking distance behind kills from Vargas and Lawing before Regis secured the final point of a tightly contested 25-22 set.
Facing a two-set deficit, Norwich produced its sharpest volleyball of the night in the third.
Regis again grabbed the early advantage at 4-0 and later stretched its lead to 10-5, but the Cadets responded with their best run of the match. Davie stepped to the service line and helped ignite a 10-0 Norwich surge, delivering three aces during the stretch while Connolly supplied three kills and Vasapolli added another to vault the Cadets in front, 15-10.
The Pride eventually fought back to within two, but Norwich repeatedly found answers. Connolly delivered two more kills as the Cadets pushed their lead to 23-18, and Vasapolli later put Norwich on the brink of the set at 24-19.
Regis made one final push, scoring four consecutive points to pull within 24-23, but Vasapolli emphatically ended the threat with the set-clinching kill, giving Norwich a 25-23 victory and forcing a fourth frame.
The third set represented Norwich's strongest offensive stretch of the match, as the Cadets registered 16 kills while hitting .297. Connolly was especially effective, recording seven kills on 11 attempts without an attack error for a .636 hitting percentage in the frame.
Regis answered quickly in the fourth, opening on a 5-0 run before Vasapolli put Norwich on the board with a kill. The Pride continued to create separation from there, however, extending the margin into double digits midway through the frame.
Norwich continued to battle behind kills from Vasapolli and Connolly and an ace from Vargas, but Regis closed out the match with a 25-11 fourth-set victory.
The Pride finished with a 47-28 advantage in kills and hit .237 for the match, while Norwich recorded eight service aces and held a 4-3 edge in team blocks. The Cadets were at their best in the third set, where they produced more kills than Regis, 16-11, and hit .297 to extend the match.
The Cadets will return to action this weekend, traveling to Vermont State University Castleton for the two-day Vermont Volleyball Classic. Norwich will battle the host Spartans at 11:00 a.m., followed by Vermont State University Lyndon at 1:00 p.m.
