NEWTON, Mass. – For the second time in a week, the Lasell University women's volleyball team went head-to-head with Simmons University but came up just short Tuesday evening, as the seventh-seeded Lasers fell to the second-seeded Sharks, 3-2, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinal playoff match at the Holmes Sports Center.
After splitting the first two sets, Simmons posted a resounding 25-11 victory in the third set. The upset-minded Lasers would not go down easily, pulling out a 25-23 verdict in the fourth set, but the Sharks prevailed in the final set, 15-6, to clinch the victory. Simmons had held off Lasell in the regular season match last Tuesday, 3-1.
Simmons (19-6) moves on to a semifinal match on Thursday against third-seeded and four-time defending champion Johnson & Wales University (18-9). The Sharks and Wildcats both finished 11-2 in the GNAC regular season, with Simmons defeating JWU 3-1 last Saturday to claim the second seed and home-court advantage on Thursday.
Lasell, which posted its first winning season since 2013, wraps up the season at 16-13 overall.
Freshman Camila Lopez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) posted her second career double-double for the Lasers, smashing 10 kills with a .500 attack percentage (10-2-16) to go along with a team-high 17 digs. Classmate Mckenna McCool (Loomis, Calif.) led the Lasers with 11 kills but was forced into 12 attack errors by the Sharks defense.
Freshman Juliana Medini (Roxbury, N.J.) added six kills on a .385 attack percentage (6-1-13) and a team-high five blocks, classmate Hope McFall (Bellingham, Wash.) contributed 12 digs, and senior Jess Langan (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) finished with 26 assists and 10 digs.
Sophomore Claire Conners (Albany, Calif.) topped all players with 15 kills and a .324 attack percentage for the Sharks. Senior Krissy Lloyd (Tampa, Fla.) hit 12 kills at a .417 clip (12-2-24) and junior Sydney Iannantuono (East Lyme, Conn.) recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore Kat Simeonidis (Lake Mary, Fla.) contributed six service aces and 10 digs while making 44 set assists.
Simmons ran off eight straight points early in the first set to take an 8-2 advantage and never relinquished the lead. Lasell got as close as five points several times but the Sharks went on to a 25-18 victory.
The home team led much of the second set, but Lasell stayed within striking distance and actually had leads of 7-5 and 17-16. Simmons regained the lead and went ahead 21-19, but kills by freshman Tori Scambray (Brea, Calif.), Madalyn Scully (Mauston, Wisc.) and Lopez sparked Lasell to a comeback rally to claim the second set, 25-22.
The Sharks ran off 12 unanswered point early in the third set to take a 13-2 lead and never looked back, going on to a 25-11 win to take the 2-1 set lead. Lasell would not be denied, pulling ahead 12-8 in the fourth set and holding on when the Sharks tied up the score at 23-all. A Simmons attack error and a kill by Medini gave Lasell the 25-23 set victory to set up the fifth set.
Lasell was down just 3-2 when Simmons went on a run and pulled ahead 10-4. The Sharks proved to be too strong for the Lasers and captured the match with a 15-6 verdict in the final set.
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