BOSTON – Simmons volleyball (19-6) is moving on to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals following a five-set, 3-2, victory over the seventh-seed Lasell University (16-13), Tuesday evening.

Sophomore Claire Conners led three Sharks in double figure kills, notching 17 kills on 37 attempts for a .378 attack percentage, while senior Krissy Lloyd followed up, hitting .417 with 12 kills on 24 attempts. Junior Sydney Iannantuono rounded out the trio in double digits with 11. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Simmons 25, Lasell 12
Hitting .462 as a team, Simmons took the 1-0 match advantage, taking the first set, 25-12. Lloyd was four of nine from the floor, while sophomore setter Kat Simeonidis paced the offense with 11 assists.

Set 2: Lasell 25, Simmons 22
The Lasers answered in the second set and evened the match at 1-1, edging out the Sharks, 25-22. First-year Camila Lopez was flawless from the floor tallying five kills on eight attempts for a staggering .625 attack percentage.

Iannantuono led Simmons, hitting .375 with four kills on eight attempts, while also notching 10 defensive digs..

Set 3: Simmons 25, Lasell 11
The Sharks returned to form offensively, posting a .393 attack percentage to win the third set, 25-11, and re-gain th4e 2-1 match advantage. Conners was nearly perfect, registering seven kills on nine attempts, while Simeonidis set the tone with 11 assists.

Set 4: Lasell 25, Simmons 23
But Lasell was not going to back down and tied up the match once again, edging out Simmons, 25-23 in the fourth set. First-year Juliana Medini posted a .833 attack percentage, notching five kills on six attempts, while Lopez led the defense with seven digs.

Set 5: Simmons 15, Lasell 6
Simmons shut the door on Lasell in the fifth and final set, hitting .700 as a team and sealed the match with a 15-6 win. Sophomore Jordan Hacker ignited a 7-1 run with a pair of aces to pull away from the Lasers. Conners, Fortune, Iannantuono and sophomore Jayla Parnell were all perfect from the floor in the fifth set. Parnell tallied a set-high three kills, while Conners followed up with two.

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• The Sharks posted a .700 attack percentage in the final set, registering eight kills on 10 attempts with one miscue.
• Sophomore outside hitter Claire Conners hit .378 on night tallying 17 kills on 37 attempts and just three miscues.
• Senior middle blocker Krissy Lloyd registered a .417 attack percentage with 12 kills,while Sydney Iannantuono followed up with 11.
• Sophomore Kat Simeonidis registered her eighth double-double of the season, tallying 10 digs while paciing the offense with 44 assists. 

UP NEXT
Simmons returns to floor, hosting third-seed Johnson & Wales University on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.