BOSTON – Simmons volleyball (16-7) won its seventh straight match with a 3-0 sweep of UMass-Boston (13-9) in non-conference action on Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Simmons 25, UMass-Boston 13
The Sharks firing on all cylinders offensively, jumping out to an early 12-4 lead and they never looked back, posting a .368 attack percentage as a team. Senior outside hitter Jayla Parnell set the tone registering six kills on 13 attempts and just one miscue for a .385 hitting percentage, while fellow classmate Claire Conners followed up with four kills on 13 attempts. Graduate senior Chelsea Simmons paced the offense with 11 assists.
Set 2: Simmons 25, UMass-Boston 20
Simmons kept their momentum rolling into the second set, methodically building a 13-4 lead and appear to be in full control of the second set. But UMass-Boston utilized an 8-5 run to chip their way back into the set, cutting the deficit to 18-13 and force the Sharks to call their first time.
Coming out of the timeout, the Beacons inched their way closer, cutting the Shark lead down to five, 18-13, after an attack error, but it was as close as they would come to the Sharks. Conners and first-year outside hitter Hannah Pridgeon led the offensive attack with four kills each, while Chelsea Simmons notched 10 assists.
Set 3: Simmons 25, UMass-Boston 16
The Sharks slammed the door on the match in the third set. Once again building a large lead, they completed the sweep with a convincing 25-16 win in set three. Pridgeon was flawless from the floor hitting .500 and tallying three kills on six attempts. Parnell matched her first-year teammate adding another three kills, while defensively Simmons and first-year libero Carolina Rodriguez anchored the defense with four digs.
SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS
- First-year outside hitter Hannah Pridgeon posted a .474 attack percentage, leading the team with 10 kills on 19 attempts and just one error.
- Senior outside hitter Jayla Parnell matched Pridgeon with 10 kills to round out the Sharks in double-digit kills.
- Sophomore Kate Petrosso came one block assist away from tying her career single-game best, registering three on the night.
- Graduate senior Chelsea Simmons notched her 11th double-double of the season with 29 assists and 10 digs.
UP NEXT
Simmons returns to conference play on Friday, October 27 traveling to Paxton, Massachusetts for a tri-match against Colby-Sawyer College (5 p.m.) and Anna Maria College (7 p.m.).