NASHUA, N.H. -- The Rivier Raiders Women's Volleyball team defeated the fourth seeded Simmons Sharks, 3-0 in tonight's Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semi-final match.

Rivier took three straight sets from the Sharks by scores of 25-12, 25-18 and 25-18. The match was a hard fought battle as both teams played extremely well in front of a full house inside the Muldoon Gymnasium.

Raiders senior Kenna Finlayson was the catalyst for the Raiders as she recorded a game high 17 kills on her way to an .441 hitting percentage. Freshman Emily O'Reilly had 31 assists while junior Jessica Amaral was a defensive highlight with 17 digs – also a game high. Junior Nicole Peacock had a solid night, as she was able to pick up 8 kills, 2 digs and 2 total blocks.

Simmons was led by freshman Raeann Nesta (Niantic, Conn.) who had 12 kills and freshman Chanel Thomas (Pheonix, Ariz.) who led the team with 13 digs. Freshman Kyla McCabe-Corrow (Madbury, N.H.) also had a productive night as she recorded 23 assists and 4 digs. The loss marks the final game for Simmons seniors Kelly Last (West Haven, Conn.), Caroline Boyd (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Rachel Dufault (Westport, Mass.). The trio combined for 10 kills and 14 digs on the evening with Boyd racking up the kills (8) and Dufault with the digs (8). The Sharks finish the 2012 season with an overall record of 19-14 and fourth place in the conference with a 9-3 record.

In tonight's other semi-final contest, the second seeded Lions of Emerson College earned their second straight trip to the Championship with a 3-0 home win over the sixth seeded Johnson and Wales University Wildcats.