Sharks Sweep Women's Volleyball

BOSTON, Mass. – Simmons College swept the Lasell College Lasers by set scores of 25-17, 25-13 and 25-21 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball action on Wednesday evening at Moore Gymnasium.

The Lasers fall to 8-16 this season and 2-4 in the conference, while the Sharks win their fourth straight match to improve to 13-9 overall and 7-1 against league opponents.

Junior outside hitter Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) and first year outside hitter Mickayla Shelburn (Waterford, Conn.) each found the floor for six kills apiece to lead Lasell with Addington collecting four digs and Shelburn picking up three digs. First year setter Katie Schneider (Covina, Calif.) put up a match-high 21 assists to go with five digs and a kill, while senior libero Caitlyn Garcia (Moreno Valley, Calif.) got down for nine digs.

First year outside hitter Jarene Harberts (Naples, Fla.) spiked for a match-high 13 kills and hit .333 to lead the Sharks. Harberts added five digs and a block assist to her night for the Sharks, while sophomore outside hitter Morgan Weeg (Goodyear, Ariz.) swung for 10 kills and a .235 hitting mark to go with eight digs, an ace and an assisted block. Senior right side hitter Amber Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev.) put down eight kills on a .400 hitting clip in addition to a trio of service aces and a pair of digs. First year setter Faith Gray-Williams (Las Vegas, Nev.) paced the offense with 19 assists, two kills and added two digs and a block solo. First year libero Julia Fusco (Beverly, Mass.) led all players with 14 digs and scored with an ace and a kill as well.

The Sharks jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first set, behind a kill and an ace from Peterson. The Lasers scored four of the next six points to cut the margin to 9-6, before Simmons went on a 10-3 burst, led by two kills each from Weeg and first year middle blocker Brittany Gotts (Topsfield, Mass.), to take a commanding 19-9 lead. Lasell never got closer than seven points the rest of the way, before the Sharks took the set, 25-17.

Simmons hit a robust .375 for the second set, while holding the Lasers to -.040. Gray-Williams helped pace the Sharks to an 8-3 lead to open the second stanza with a pair of kills. Lasell scored four of the next five points to close to within 9-7 and later remained close at 13-10. Simmons put together a 12-3 run to finish the set, powered by two kills and an ace from Weeg, to give the home team the set at 25-13.

The Lasers opened the third set with their first lead of the night at 4-1 and later maintained a 9-6 advantage. The Sharks ripped off four straight points to take a 10-9 edge, but Lasell reclaimed the lead at 12-11. Simmons traded the lead again with the next three points and a 14-12 margin, but Addington put down a kill to knot the frame at 15-15 for the visitors. The Sharks took the lead for good with a 4-1 burst to take a 19-16 lead. The Lasers battled to the end, cutting the deficit to 23-21, before Simmons scored the final two points to win the set and the match.

Lasell will host the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) and Smith College on Saturday, October 14 with first serve set for 10:00 a.m. against the Blue Jays. The Lasers will honor their seven graduating seniors prior to the 2:00 p.m. match against the Pioneers. The Sharks return to the court on Friday, October 13 when they head across the city to take on Emerson College for a 5:00 p.m. tilt.

Content Courtesy of Simmons Sports Information