PAXTON, Mass. - First year outside hitter Morgan Weeg (Goodyear, Ariz.) spiked for a career-high 23 kills and added 18 digs to lead the Simmons College women's volleyball team in a 3-1 loss to host Anna Maria College this evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Fuller Center in Paxton, Mass. The Sharks fall to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in league play, while the AMCATS improve to 8-5 and 1-0.
The teams traded 26-24 decisions in the first two sets with Anna Maria winning the first frame, before Simmons tied the match at 1-1. The AMCATS hit .281 in the third set to fuel a 25-20 outcome and closed out the match with a blistering .522 hitting mark in the fourth and deciding set for a 25-13 score.
Anna Maria served up 14 aces and hit .266 for the match to go with seven total blocks, while the Sharks hit. 143 or better in all four sets for a .232 mark for the night.
Weeg led all players with a .474 hitting percentage to go with an ace for Simmons, while senior outside hitter Cailin Fredrickson (Columbia, Md.) and junior right side hitter Amber Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev.) each put down 12 kills apiece. Peterson added 10 digs for her first career double-double and a pair of aces, while Fredrickson picked up a pair of digs. First year setter Kenna McCarthy (Shelter Island, N.Y.) averaged 11.5 assists per set with a total of 46 and added a dig, while senior libero Alex Itasaka (Bradford, Mass.) got down for 16 digs in addition to serving up an ace.
Sophomore Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) became the first player in Anna Maria history to record over 20 kills and 20 digs in a single match. She finished the night with 20 kills, 23 digs, and a .340 attack percentage. Rebecca Foti (Bedford, Mass.) finished with 18 kills, eight digs and three aces, while sophomore Carolina Garcia (Springfield, Mass.) recorded 15 digs. Freshman setter Tierney Clancy (Meriden, Conn.) dished out 34 assists, registered five digs and served a match-high five service aces.
Simmons claimed an early 5-1 lead in the opening set, but that was the largest lead of the frame. Anna Maria held a 23-19 lead before the Sharks roared back with to tie the score at 24-24. Back to back kills by Foti sealed the set win for the AMCATS.
Set two was nearly opposite as Anna Maria held a late lead at 22-20 before Itasaka served four straight points for a 24-23 Simmons lead. Kills by Peterson Weeg evened the match score at 1-1.
The AMCATS opened some breathing room in sets three and four. The hosts trailed early in the third set but took over at 5-4 and didn't look back as they opened up a seven-point gap at 20-13 and held on for the 25-20 final.
Anna Maria cruised in the final set as it held Simmons to 11 points for eight-straight serves by Carerro. A Foti kill sealed the victory.
The Sharks return to action on Saturday, September 24 when they travel to Northampton, Mass. for a tri-match, taking on Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 2:00 p.m. and host Smith College at 4:00 p.m. The AMCATS will continue GNAC play on Saturday in a tri-match as they head to Hartford, Conn. to take on the University of Saint Joseph at 11:00 a.m. and Emmanuel College at 1:00 p.m.