Volleyball Advances to GNAC Semifinals Ousting University of St. Joseph (Conn.), 3-0

Chelsea Simmons / Photo by Rachel Sinewick
Chelsea Simmons / Photo by Rachel Sinewick

Game Leaders

No. 9 Saint Joseph (Conn.)
K: Shannon Carey - 8
B: Shaye Harris - 2
D: Katina Nanos - 13
SA: Nicole Albert - 2
No. 1 Simmons
K: 2 Players (#1, #11) - 9
B: 4 Players (#1, #7, #14, #15) - 1
D: Jayla Parnell - 9
SA: Chelsea Simmons - 5

Team Stats

No. 9 Saint Joseph (Conn.)
No. 1 Simmons

Hitting %

.075
.312

Blocks

3.0
2.0

Digs

42
36

Aces

3
11
full stats
Posted: Nov 07, 2023

BOSTON – No. 1 Simmons volleyball (22-7) is moving on to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals for the second straight year after ousting No. 9 University of St. Joseph (Conn.) (8-21) in the GNAC quarterfinals on Tuesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Simmons 25, USJ 14
The Blue Jays came out of the gate strong and hung around until midway through the first set, before the Sharks pulled away with a 4-0 run to take a 14-8 lead and never looked back. Senior outside hitter Claire Conners led the way offensively with three kills, while graduate senior Chelsea Simmons paced the offense with five assists. 

Set 2: Simmons 25, USJ 13
Momentum continued to build for the Sharks in the second set, jumping out to the 10-7 advantage and forcing the Blue Jays to call their first time out. Coming out of the timeout, the Sharks piled on to their lead. 

In the midst of a 5-0 run late in the set, senior Jayla Parnell gave the Sharks an eight-point, 20-12 lead, and forced USJ to call their second time out. The Sharks added another two points to extend their lead to 10 as they cruised to the 25-13 second set win and take a 2-0 match advantage. 

Set 3: Simmons 25, USJ 16
Hitting .303 as a team, the Sharks shut the door on the Blue Jays with a 25-16 win in the third and final set. Conners and Parnell were flawless from the floor, each notching three kills, while Chelsea Simmons was outstanding from the service line in addition to pacing the offense with seven assists. In the third set, Simmons registered three of her five aces in the match. 

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Graduate senior Chelsea Simmons tied her career single-match best tallying five aces and controlled the offense with 20 assists.
  • Senior outside hitter Jayla Parnell posted a .500 attack percentage with nine kills on 16 attempts and just one error.
  • Senior outside hitter Claire Conners also notched nine kills on 22 attempts and two errors for a .318 attack percentage. 

UP NEXT
Simmons advances to the GNAC semifinals where they will host No. 4 Lasell University on Thursday, November 4 at 7 p.m.   

Scoreboard