BOSTON, Mass. -- The #4 ranked Simmons Volleyball team defeated the #5 Norwich University Cadets 3-2 (21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-11), Tuesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference quarterfinal action. The Sharks dropped the first two games but fought hard in the third game, edging out a 26-24 victory before finding their rhythm in the final games. Meaghan Flynn (Laguna Beach, Calif.) finished with a 0.389 hitting percentage for the evening, a season's best.
Simmons found itself down by as many as seven in the first game but were able to tie it at 18 with strong play from Flynn and Kelly Last (West Haven, Conn.) Cadet's senior Ivana Batur (Zadar, Croatia) started a four-point run, which lead to the Cadet's first game win, 25-21.
Flynn dominated the court in the second game, with impressive diving digs to kept the ball alive. Norwich jumped ahead again on strong efforts by April Byllaardt (Stormville, N.Y.) who posted 12 kills and hit 0.234 on the evening. The Sharks pulled within one and play continued point for point until the Cadets were again victorious in the final plays, 25-21.
The Cadets rolled in the beginning the third game, up 20-12 on stellar defense from Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) and Gabrielle Miller (Grove City, Ohio), who each posted 22 digs.
But the Sharks were only just beginning as they chipped away at the lead to within three. Timely kills and strong defense by Taylor Nisbet (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Rossi Fish (N. Attleboro, Mass.) lead Simmons point for point before taking the third game, 26-24 to stay alive.
The fourth game proved to be more equal in play as both teams settled in for a battle. The Sharks took the lead 15-12 as junior Rachel Dufault (Westport, Mass.) set up her teammates, posting a season high 50 assists. The Cadets started a comeback by Batur with several kills in a row but the Sharks were relentless, with a timely kill by Flynn and a huge block by Nisbet to keep the pace.
The Sharks carried their momentum into the final game, rolling to a 4-0 start. Norwich did not back down, tying the game at eight as Byllaardt came up big with a service ace. Simmons took the lead again, up 11-8 but the Cadets fought back to within one, 11-10. Flynn gave the Sharks energy as she buried a kill to go up 12-10. Sophomore Sandy Lor (Fitchburg, Mass.) delivered three solid serves in the last points as Kina Kamien (Salem, N.H) picked up a big dig for the Sharks to save a point. Last hit the kill for the final point of the match, 15-11.
"The girls fought hard tonight, playing with emotion and energy on the court. It would have been easy to give up in the third but they battled back, earning each point with long rallies. It was excellent volleyball tonight, a true playoff match. Our defense really stepped up and earned us the win," said Coach Vaccari.
The win marks the first time Simmons Volleyball has advanced to the Semifinals in program history. The Sharks move to 20-9 on the season and will travel to #1 Emerson College on Thursday, November 3rd for the GNAC Semifinals at 7:00 p.m.