WINCHESTER, Mass. – Simmons College women's volleyball player Emmee Ashby (Payson, Ariz.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and also a First Team All-Conference selection, while teammate Andalyn Duke (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) was chosen for the Third Team and named to the All-Sportsmanship Team, it was announced today by the league.
Asbhy becomes just the second player in school history to earn the conference Rookie of the Year award and the first since Meaghan Flynn was bestowed the honor in 2008. The rookie's selection to the First Team is a testament to her not being just the best newcomer in the league, but also one of the best players in the GNAC. She was named the GNAC Rookie of the Week four times as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference's top weekly rookie on three occasions and was one of just two players on the team to play in all 99 sets. The middle blocker ranked second among league leaders with 2.89 kills per set, while standing third with 3.5 points per outing, fourth with a stellar .277 hitting percentage and 10th with 0.63 blocks per set. Ashby's season total of 286 kills ranks as the third-most in school history, while her 62 total blocks places her fourth on the Sharks' career list. The Payson High School product's consistent hitting success was a hallmark of her play, posting a .200 or better hitting mark in 21 of the 27 matches she played in, including a 16-consecutive match stretch where she hit .343 and averaged 3.13 kills per set from September 20 to October 25. The six-foot middle put down 10 or more kills 15 times, including a career-high 22 in a 3-2 win over Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on October 18 and 14 kills in the GNAC Tournament Quarterfinals vs. Norwich University on November 4. The first year improved her service game late in the season, firing 15 of her 20 aces in the team's final nine matches of the year and served for nine aces in consecutive outings, including a season-high of five vs. Norwich on October 18. The Nursing major proved that she wasn't just a front row player, stepping back to pick up at least one dig in all but seven matches, including a string of nine straight to close out the campaign.
Duke earns a spot on the GNAC Third Team after ranking third among conference leaders with 8.11 assists per set for a total of 762 assists in 94 sets for the second-most single-season helpers in school history. The sophomore was an asset on the defensive side of the net as well, placing third on the squad with 2.20 digs per set to go with 22 total blocks. Duke also spiked for 50 kills and a .083 hitting clip. A graduate of Millennium High School, the setter registered 30 or more assists on 12 occasions, including a career-high of 57 assists against both Johnson & Wales University on September 27 and vs. Saint Joseph's on October 18. Duke enjoyed a stretch of four matches where she posted 38 or more assists to average 9.61 assists per set from September 23-30. The second-year player recorded nine double-doubles of assists-digs on the season and got down for a career-best 18 digs at Brandeis University on September 23.
Simmons finished the season with an overall 12-15 record, including 9-2 in league play to capture the number three seed in the GNAC Tournament. The Sharks were ousted in the semifinals by eventual conference champion Rivier University on October 6. It was Simmons' fourth consecutive appearance in the GNAC semifinals and its highest seed in the tournament since 1999.