BOSTON – No. 4 Simmons volleyball (17-10, 10-3 GNAC) advances to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals with a 3-0 sweep of No. 5 Regis College (20-13, 9-4 GNAC) on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Simmons 25, Regis 12
The Sharks came into their first post-season match on fire, jumping out to a quick 4-0 advantage forcing the Pride to call their first timeout of the game. Junior outside hitter Jayla Parnell increased the Simmons lead to 5-0 with a kill before Regis scored its first point.
Coming out of the timeout the Sharks continued to build upon their lead, utilizing a 7-2 run they took a commanding 11-2 advantage and never looked back. Senior outside hitter Sydney Iannantuono was nearly perfect from the floor, registering five kills on seven attempts, Parnell followed up with four kills of her own.
Set 2: Simmons 25, Regis 21
Rolling into the second set, momentum remained on the side of the Sharks as they hitting a staggering .515 as a team with 19 kills on 33 attempts and just two errors. Parnell was red-hot from the floor, tallying seven kills on 10 attempts with one miscue for an outstanding .600 attack percentage.
Fellow classmate, junior outside hitter Claire Conners tacked on an additional seven kills to help Simmons take a 2-0 match lead. Junior setter Kat Simeonidis paced the offense with 10 assists, while being solid defensively, recording five digs.
Set 3: Simmons 25, Regis 20
With their backs against the wall and facing.an 0-2 hole, the Pride made the Sharks work to take the match in three sets. Early on in the set, Regis stayed within striking distance, never trailing by more than three.
The Pride pulled to within one point of the Shark lead, 11-10, following a service ace by Olivia Pacheco, it forced first year head coach Pat Helmas to call his first timeout. The Sharks discovered renewed energy as they emerged from the timeout. Iannantuono sparked a 6-0 run by the Sharks to take a 17-10 lead and all but shut the door on the Pride.
Regis tried to claw their way back, pulling to within four points of the Simmons lead four times, including late in the set on a kill by Rita Dow to stave off elimination. But Conners answered with a kill of her own to seal the match.
SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior outside hitter Claire Conners hit .312 from the floor with 14 kills on 32 attempts and just four errors.
- Senior outside hitter Sydney Iannantuono recorded her eighth double-double of the season as she was flawless from the floor, tallying 12 kills on 19 attempts, while notching 10 digs.
- Junior outside hitter Jayla Parnell rounded out the Sharks in double digit kills with 12, will junior Kat Simeonidis paced the offense with 20 assists.
UP NEXT
No. 4 Simmons moves on to the GNAC semifinals on Thursday, November 3 when they travel to Nashua, N.H. to face top seed, No. 1 Rivier University at 7 p.m.
