BOSTON, Mass. – Junior outside hitter Morgan Weeg (Goodyear, Ariz.) spiked for 14 kills on a .579 hitting percentage to lead the Simmons University women's volleyball team over visiting Anna Maria College, 3-0 (25-6, 25-11, 25-13), this evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks win their third in a row and eight of their last 10 to improve to 14-6 overall, including 8-1 in league play, while the AMCATS fall to 2-16 and 0-8. 

Simmons hit .468 as a team for the match and hit no lower than .360 in any set, while firing 18 aces for the match. 

Weeg fired three aces and also picked up six digs for the Sharks, while junior middle blocker Megan Purser (Miami, Fla.) put down seven kills on a .385 hitting mark, scooped up two digs and registered a block assist. Junior outside hitter Megan Rice (Leverett, Mass.) contributed with five kills and hit .364 for the match to go with a pair of digs. Junior Riley Roberge (Peoria, Ariz.) helped direct the offense with a career-high 25 assists to go with three digs and junior libero Morgan Lauvray (Murrieta, Calif.) scooped up eight digs and served for three aces. Junior setter Faith Gray-Williams (Las Vegas, Nev.) matched her career best with six aces and added 10 assists. 

First year outside hitter Ryann Hassett (North Oxford, Mass.) led Anna Maria with three kills and picked up a dig, while sophomore outside hitter Taylor Hoffstedt (Lanesborough, Mass.) put down two kills, served for an ace and picked up a dig. Sophomore setter Julia Ramos (Orange, Mass.) set for a team-high nine assists and paced the defensive effort with seven digs. 

Simmons never trailed in the opening set that saw it post a .533 hitting mark. The Sharks raced out to a 19-2 lead, behind seven combined aces from Gray-Williams (four) and Lauvray (three). Purser put down a kill for the home team to give it the largest lead of the set at 23-4, before the AMCATS scored back-to-back points to close to within 23-6. Simmons scored the final two points to take the opening frame. 

Anna Maria took an early 5-2 lead, fueled by an ace and a kill from Ramos, but the Sharks responded with an 8-0 run, paced by three aces from Weeg, to take a 10-5 advantage. Hoffstedt later fired an ace to pull the AMCATS to within 13-8, before Simmons closed out the set with a 12-3 stretch, fueled by four kills from Rice. 

Anna Maria tallied the first point of the third set on a Hoffstedt kill, but it was the last lead of the night for the visitors. The Sharks scored the next four points, including a pair of kills from Weeg to take a 4-1 lead and expanded their margin to 9-2 following a kill from first year outside hitter Natalia Guerra (Methuen, Mass.). The AMCATS outscored Simmons over the next 13 points and cut the deficit to 15-9, but the Sharks closed out the set and the match with a 10-4 burst, led by three kills from Weeg and the final kill of the night from Guerra. 

Simmons returns to action tomorrow night when it heads across the city to Boston Common to take on Emerson College at 7:00 p.m., while Anna Maria plays again on October 23 when it travels to Newton, Mass. to take on GNAC foe Lasell College for a 7:00 p.m. start.