BOSTON, Mass. -- Simmons Volleyball broke a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Bridgewater State Bears (25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19) Tuesday evening at the Holmes Sports Center. The Sharks were led by senior Rossi Fish (North Attleboro, Mass.) who posted 11 kills and just three errors to hit .381 on the evening.
Simmons took an early lead in game one as Nafessa Connolly (Natick, Mass.) recorded three service aces in a row. The Bears crawled back on Shark attack errors and tied the game at 16 as Danielle Dean posted two service aces. Simmons pulled away in the final points as Nicole Alberghini (Northborough, Mass.) buried a kill past the Bears defense and Fish drilled the final point home for the Sharks, 25-22.
After a 6-6 start in game two, the Sharks offense began to dominate. Megan Chamberlin (Milford, Mass.) recorded six digs, while Kat Guillotte (New Bedford, Mass.) added eight for Simmons. Bridgewater's Hannah Maymon posted a team-high 13 kills, while Sydney Bennett added 10 kills with no errors for a .714 hitting percentage. Connolly added another of her six aces to give bring the Sharks to within one point of the win. A ball handling error by the Bears lifted the Sharks a 2-0 lead (25-19).
The Bears dominated game three, taking the lead 4-3 and never looked back. Strong defense by Kristen Robillard (16 digs) and Charleyne Panner (14 digs) thwarted the Sharks attack. Michelle Atkins posted six digs, while Dean added seven for the 25-18 win.
In the fourth game, Simmons took a 9-3 lead as Chamberlin, Morgan Kieon (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Alberghini each posted consecutive kills. Bridgewater fought back to within three points off a Sharks service error and two aces by Sarah Mullarkey. But Chamberlin started a five-point run for the Sharks who took control of the game. Guillotte posted the Sharks final two kills to close out the victory, 25-19.
Bridgewater's senior Danielle Dean recorded her 1,000th career dig during game four in tonight's match.
With the win, the Sharks move to 5-18 overall and 3-1 in the GNAC. The Bears fall to 11-10, 2-1 MASCAC). Simmons returns to action on Friday, Oct. 11 when they host a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri match with Lasell and Albertus Magnus beginning at 4:00 PM.