BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College volleyball team fell short to visiting Smith College, 3-1 (25-23, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22), this evening at Moore Gymnasium on the campus of Simmons in the Sharks' home opener in Boston, Mass. The Sharks drop to 0-4 on the season, while the Pioneers improve to 1-0.
Smith was led by junior outside hitter Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif.) with a game-high fourteen kills, while adding 10 digs to go with 10 assists. The Pioneers were also led by first year Dayra Diaz Marquez (Puerto Rico), who finished with a total of six kills, 20 assists and 12 digs. Senior defensive specialist Samantha Danguilan (Round Lake, Ill.) anchored the defensive effort with 13 digs.
A trio of front row players posted double-digits in kills for the Sharks. First year middle blocker Emmee Ashby (Payson, Ariz.) put away 12 attacks and added four digs, while sophomore outside hitter Cailin Fredrickson (Columbia, Md.) swung for a season-high 10 kills to go with a pair of digs. First year outside hitter Sarah Woodward (Deerfield, Mass.) put down 10 kills on a .208 hitting percentage and added nine digs and a pair of block assists, while sophomore middle hitter Abby Hart (Westfield, Mass.) got up for a season-high five blocks in addition to seven kills. Second year setter Andalyn Duke (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) set for a season-best 35 assists and added six digs and a block assist, while sophomore libero Alex Itasaka (Bradford, Mass.) led both teams with a total of 21 digs and served up an ace as well.
Simmons returns to action on Tuesday, September 9 when it hosts Babson College at Moore Gymnasium for a 7:00 p.m. match, while Smith takes on Elms College in the WNE Invitational on September 5 at 7:00 p.m.
