BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Weeg (Goodyear, Ariz.) put down 13 kills on a .478 hitting percentage to lead the Simmons College women's volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-14) victory over visiting University of Massachusetts Dartmouth this evening at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks improve to 3-2 on the season, while the Corsairs fall to 1-2. 

Simmons hit .200 or better in all three sets and finished with a .280 mark for the match to go with 15 aces. 

Weeg committed just two attack errors and added a dig, while first year outside hitter Jarene Harberts (Naples, Fla.) swung for seven kills to go with four digs, an ace, a block assist and three assists. First year Faith Gray-Williams (Las Vegas, Nev.) set for 14 assists in addition to four aces, four digs and three kills on a .600 hitting mark. Sophomore setter Kenna McCarthy (Shelter Island, N.Y.) finished with nine assists, four aces, four digs and put away her only attack attempt, while first year libero Julia Fusco (Beverly, Mass.) led all players with 11 digs and also recorded an ace. 

Junior outside hitter Amanda LaCroix (East Freetown, Mass.) registered six kills, eight digs and an ace to lead UMass Dartmouth, while sophomore Nicole Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.) also put down six kills and added seven digs. Sophomore setter Jordan Rittberger (Huntington, N.Y.) set for a match-high 17 assists to go with six digs and two aces.  

The Sharks controlled the first set right away, scoring 10 of the first 11 points, including nine points on senior right side hitter Amber Peterson's (Las Vegas, Nev.) service. Peterson fired three of her match-best five aces during the set and Weeg swung for three kills during the stretch. The Corsairs scored three of four points to close to within 12-6, before the home team later expanded its lead to 20-11. UMass Dartmouth scored three unanswered points, including a kill from Silverman to cut the deficit to 20-14. Simmons closed out the set on a 5-2 string to win the frame. 

The visitors opened the second stanza with a 3-1 lead, but the Sharks ripped off six straight points, including a pair of kills from Weeg, to take a 7-3 margin. The Corsairs later closed to within 13-11 before going on a 5-2 stretch, capped by a kill from LaCroix to give them a 16-15 edge. Simmons responded with five unanswered points, including two kills from Weeg and two aces from Gray-Williams, to take a 20-16 lead. LaCroix later put down a kill to pull UMass Dartmouth to within 21-18, but a 4-1 burst from the Sharks gave them a 25-19 set win and a 2-0 match lead. 

Peterson scored two early aces and first year middle blocker Allison Camboulives (Colchester, Conn.) recorded a kill as part of a 6-2 rush to begin the third set for Simons. The Corsairs matched the output, paced by two kills from Silverman to knot the set at 8-8. The teams remained tied at 10-10, before a 6-1 run, including four points during Gray-Williams' service, gave the home team a 16-11 advantage. Sophomore Meghan Mullinax (Lake Balboa, Calif.) later swung for a kill to pull UMass Dartmouth to within 19-14, but the Sharks reeled off six straight points, including three straight aces from McCarthy, to take the set and the match. 

Simmons returns to action on Saturday, September 9 when it travels to South Hadley, Mass. for a 12:00 p.m. tri-match with host Mount Holyoke College and Elms College, while the Corsairs head to Newton, Mass. on the same day for an 11:00 a.m. tri-match with host Lasell College and Eastern Nazarene College.