Simmons Sweeps Volleyball

BOSTON – Suffolk volleyball opened its final GNAC tri-match of the year with a straight set loss to Simmons, Saturday afternoon at the Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court. The setback came by set scores 25-16, 25-21 and 25-19.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 0 | Simmons 3
RECORDS: Suffolk (18-11, 8-3 GNAC) | Simmons (17-8, 10-1 GNAC)  

SET ONE RECAP (25-16, SIMMONS)

• Suffolk lead early, 7-6. 
• Simmons sprang back tied the score for the sixth time in the set at 8-all before taking an edge it never let go of. 
• The score would level once more on Hannah Fabiano's third kill of the day, but it was followed by seven straight Sharks' points that made the frame lopsided in the visitor's favor, 16-11. 
• Scott Blanchard used his pair of timeouts quickly. Neither huddle helped the hosts, however, as they found themselves down, 20-13. 
• The distance fluctuated between six and seven before Simmons coupled back-to-back points together to seal the set, 25-16.  

SET TWO RECAP (25-21, SIMMONS)

• After a tight opening that featured four knotted scores and one lead exchange, Suffolk found itself a pair, 14-12. 
• Two Sharks' errors – an attack and a rotation – sandwiched a Kaleigh Khanna kill that put the blue-and-gold ahead by one, 15-14. 
• See-saw action continued the remainder of the way with six more ties and a quartet of advantage swaps. 
• Simmons changed the lead for the sixth time in the stanza, 22-21, which forced Blanchard to call his team over for a break. 
• The timeout did not slow down the Sharks, who scored the final three points of the set to take a 2-0 match lead.  

SET THREE RECAP (25-19, SIMMONS)

• Simmons took a 12-5 cushion. 
• The Rams rallied on a 4-0 run to pull within three, 12-9. 
• The teams traded points down the stretch, neither building a scoring stretch, and the early distance that the Sharks gained proved to be the difference.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Kayla Barbera's 12 kills were the main ingredient to Suffok's 26-kill offense that received four kills from Fabiano and Khanna. 
• Harmony Johnson regisetered 22 assists, seven digs, two aces and two blocks. 
• Dakhensey Marcellus tallied 20 digs and one handout. 
• Kenzley Bell pitched in nine digs, two kills and one helper. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Prior the match, Suffolk honored the playing careers of Sarah Mullahy and Khanna. 

POST-MATCH PIC
  

COMING UP
Suffolk wraps up the regular-season against Saint Jospeh's (Maine) following the Monks' match with the Sharks.