BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College volleyball team named Nicole Alberghini (Northborough, Mass.), Andalyn Duke (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) and Alex Itasaka (Bradford, Mass.) as its Tri-Captains for the 2014 season, it was announced by Head Coach Dani Soubliere.

Alberghini is one of the most experienced returners for the Sharks and also the team's top offensive player from last season. The junior led Simmons with 1.90 kills per set, while owning a .143 hitting percentage and should start at right side this year. She was one of three players to see action in all 124 sets and also registered 28 total blocks to stand second on the squad. The Algonquin Regional High School product swatted 10 or more kills on nine occasions, including a season high of 14 at Wheaton College (Mass.) on August 31 last year.

The team's primary setter from a year ago was Duke and she will vie for the starting role again this year. The sophomore led the team with 537 assists in 114 sets in addition to 32 service aces to rank third on the team. She posted 30-plus assists four times, including a career-high 38 vs. Bridgewater State University on October 8. A graduate of Millenium High School, Duke was a defensive presence as well for the Sharks in 2013, coming up with 1.87 digs per outing to place third on the team.

Itasaka emerged as not only one of the top rookies in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference last year, but also one of the best defenders, being named Third Team All-Conference. The libero ranked fifth among league leaders with a team-leading 445 digs in 124 sets. The Haverhill High School graduate registered double-digit digs in 23 of 36 matches, including the final seven of the year and a total of 50 in her last two efforts.

Simmons finished with an 11-25 record last year, but excelled in conference action, tying for the fourth-best mark at 7-4.