WVB: Simmons holds off Lasell in GNAC match as regular season winds down

NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell University women's volleyball team gave one of the top Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) teams a tough challenge Tuesday evening, but Simmons University pulled out a 3-1 victory over the Lasers in a key conference match at the Lasell Athletic Center.

The first two sets both went beyond the 25-point total for the winning team, with Simmons taking the first set, 28-26, and Lasell coming back to win the second, 27-25. The Sharks proved why they are in third place in the GNAC, taking the final two sets, 25-21 and 25-19.

Simmons is now 15-6 overall and 9-2 in GNAC matches, while Lasell drops to 13-11 overall and 5-5 in conference play. The Sharks have just two conference matches remaining, while the Lasers have three.

Freshman Mckenna McCool (Loomis, Calif.) led the Lasers with eight kills and four service aces while adding nine digs. Freshman Madalyn Scully (Mauston, Wis.) posted a team-high six blocks, classmate Camila Lopez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) made a team-high 16 digs, and senior Jess Langan (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) finished with 19 assists.

Sophomore Claire Conners (Albany, Calif.) topped all players with 14 kills and a .345 attack percentage for the Sharks. Sophomore Jayla Parnell (Oregon City, Ore.) contributed 11 kills, junior Sydney Iannantuono (East Lyme, Conn.) and sophomore Kat Simeonidis (Lake Mary, Fla.) shared team-high honors with 15 digs apiece, and Simeonidis collected 34 set assists.

Simmons led much of the first set and appeared ready to clinch at 24-20, but Lasell came back with four straight points to tie things up. The teams traded one-point leads before the sharks pulled out the set on the strength of a kill by senior Amanda Fortune (Round Rock, Texas) and an ace by Simeonidis.

The visitors led much of the second set as well, pulling away to a 19-12 lead, but Lasell would not surrender. With McCool serving, the Lasers ran off seven straight points to tie the score, and came back from four more deficits to deadlock the score at 24-all. After a Sharks' kill by Conners, Lasell answered three straight points to take the set, two on blocks by freshmen Juliana Medini (Roxbury, N.J.) and Tori Scambray (Brea, Calif.) and the final point on a kill by Scambray.

The third set was close all the way, including five tie scores in the first half of the set. Lasell was within one point at 20-19, but the Sharks took five of the next seven points to claim the set, 25-21.

The teams traded leads early in the fourth set and were tied at 14-all. Simmons started to pull away but couldn't knock the Lasers out until a four-point swing to close out the match, including an ace from Iannantuono and kills by Conners and Simeonidis.

The Lasers will play four matches in three days to end the week and regular season play. They travel to Mount Holyoke College on Thursday for a non-conference match at 7 p.m., host Emmanuel College on Friday at 6 p.m. in a GNAC make-up contest at the Athletic Center, and face Rivier University (11 a.m.) and Dean College (1 p.m.) Saturday in a conference tri-match in Nashua, N.H.

Simmons returns home for its final three matches of the regular season, hosting Wentworth in a non-conference tilt Thursday at 7 p.m. and Johnson & Wales University (11 a.m.) and Saint Joseph's College of Maine (3 p.m.) Saturday in a GNAC tri-match.

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