BOSTON, Mass. -- Simmons volleyball (9-10, 1-1 GNAC) battled back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Johnson and Wales Wildcats in a five game thriller (25-23, 15-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-10) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action Tuesday evening.
The Sharks took the lead early in the first game with strong offense from Caroline Boyd (Hampden, Mass.), who hit .286 with twelve kills on 28 attempts and consistent defense from Chanel Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.), who posted 17 digs for the evening. The Wildcats made an offensive run with kills by Karlie Haack and Courtney Wright but Sharks freshman Raeann Nesta (Niantic, Conn.) put up a huge block to give the Simmons a 1-0 lead.
It was all Johnson and Wales in the second game, as the Wildcats offense took control of the court. Natasha Finkbeiner recorded 21 assists as Haack and Carley Kirk drilled the ball past the Sharks defense to even the score at one.
The Wildcats continued their dominance in the third as Alyssa Drapeau continued to set up teammates Donna McCain, Julie Snarr and Megan Bollerman for kills. The Sharks came back to tie the game at ten with digs by Thomas and Kelly Last (West Haven, Conn.) but were unable to close the gap, falling 25-17.
Simmons regained its footing in the fourth with strong defense by Rachel Dufault (Westport, Mass.) and big kills by Nesta and Brittany Hill (Milford, Mass.). The Sharks took the lead 15-7 and held on to send the match to a fifth game.
The Sharks took a quick 6-1 lead, but the Wildcats fought back to within two. Dufault served up an ace to give the Sharks an 11-7 lead but Johnson and Wales kept the game close, taking advantage of two blocking errors. Dufault and Nesta put up a huge block to increase the Sharks lead again, and Nesta buried a kill past the Wildcats defense to lift the Sharks to a 15-10 victory.
Johnson and Wales returns to action on October 4th when they travel to GNAC rival Mount Ida College for a 6:00 p.m. start. The Sharks travel to Norwich University on Saturday, October 6th for a conference tri-match.