CHICOPEE, Mass. – Simmons volleyball dropped a tough five-set match to Elms College, 3-2, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action, Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Clare Conners led three Sharks, tallying 20 kills on 48 attempts with three errors for a .354 attack percentage. Junior Sydney Iannantuono and sophomore Jayla Parnell followed up with 14 kills each.  

How It Happened
Set 1 – Elms 25, Simmons 21
The Blazers jumped out to the quick 1-0 match advantage, claiming the first set with a 25-21 win. Alanys Cruz posted seven kills while Govanna Rosado paced the offense with 14 assists.

Senior Amanda Fortune was nearly flawless from the floor, tallying four kills on seven attempts for a .571 attack percentage.

Set 2 – Elms 27, Simmons 25

Elms was able to edge out Simmons in the second set, 27-25, despite a strong offense output by the Sharks. Conners was five of nine from the floor, while Iannantuono hit .333 going four for nine with one miscue. 

Set 3 – Simmons 25, Elms 18
With their backs against the wall, the Sharks hit .381 in game three and stayed alive with the 25-18 win. Hitting .462, Conners led the way with six kills, while senior Krissy Lloyd chipped in with four kills. 

Set 4 – Simmons 25, Elms 15
The Sharks continued to hit well in the fourth set as they attempted their comeback. Posting a .367 attack percentage as a team they forced a fifth set with a 25-15 victory. Parnell and Conners both registered five kills as the pair combined to hit .500 with 10 kills on 18 attempts and one miscue.

Set 5 – Elms 16, Simmons 14
However, the comeback bid fell short for Simmons as Elms was able to get the best of the Sharks, edging out Simmons 16-14 in the fifth set. Iannantuno was nearly perfect from the floor, registering four kills on five attempts. 

UP NEXT
Simmons looked to return to its winning ways when it travels to Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.