STANDISH, Maine – Simmons volleyball (9-5, 3-0 GNAC) extended its winning streak to seven games defeating Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 3-1, and Salem State, 3-0, on Saturday morning.

GAME 1: Simmons 3, Saint Joseph's College of Maine 1

Returning to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, the Sharks took a quick 2-0 match advantage winning the first and second sets, 25-15 and 25-20, respectively. Three Sharks – junior Claire Conners, sophomore April Beatty and senior Sydney Iannantuono all led the charge in the first set with three kills.

Beatty high offensive output continued into the second period. Hitting .286, Beatty registered four kills on seven attempts with just two miscues, while tallying a pair of digs. Fellow classmate Meghan Doxsee was perfect from the floor with two kills as Iannantuono led the way defensively with five digs.

Although the Sharks dropped the third set to the Monks, they responded and sealed the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. In addition to pacing the offensive with seven assists, junior Kat Simeonidis led three Sharks with two kills and also notched four digs to claim Simmons' third conference win.

GAME 2: Simmons 3, Salem State 0

The Sharks posted a solid .296 attack percentage as a steam in a convincing 3-0 sweep of Salem State University. Hitting .423 as a team in the first set, Conners was nearly perfect registering six kills on eight attempts to help Simmons take the first set, 25-11.

Simeonidis hit .500 from the floor registering three kills on six attempts in addition to guiding the offense with eight assists as the Sharks take the 2-0 match advantage winning the second set, 25-12. Sophomore Nalani Majkia was also solid offensively, tallying three kills on five attempts with just one error for a .400 attack percentage. 

Simmons claimed the third and final set, edging out Salem State, 25-22. Beatty posted three kills, while sophomore Joenissa Ortiz went two-for-five from the floor with four digs as Simeonidis tacked on another six assists.

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior outside hitter Claire Conners led the Sharks with 16 kills on 47 attempts against the Monks and Vikings.
• Sophomore April Beatty followed up with 13 kills on the day while also tallying 15 digs.
• Sophomore Joenissa Ortiz led the Sharks with 18 kills, but also contributed with seven service aces against Saint Joseph's and Salem State.

UP NEXT
Simmons returns home on Tuesday, October 4 when they host Dean College at 7 p.m. at the Holmes Sports Center.