Simmons Tops Women's Volleyball in Fenway Showdown, 3-1

BOSTON, Mass. – Simmons volleyball (12-5, 6-2 GNAC) picked up a 3-1 victory over neighboring Emmanuel College (7-11, 1-4 GNAC) on Saturday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at the Holmes Sports Center.

The sophomore tandem of Jayla Parnell and Claire Conners paired together to posted a .428 attack percentage with 26 kills on 29 attempts en route to the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Simmons 25, Emmanuel 16
Simmons came out of the gate strong, hitting .344 in the first set to take 1-0 match advantage with a 25-16 victory. Conenrs was four of seven with one error from the floor for a .429 attack percentage, while junior Sydney Iannantuno posted three kills. 

Set 2: Emmanuel 25, Simmons 22
Emmanuel chipped its way back and evened the match, edging out Simmons 25-22 in the second set. The Saints' Anna Caristi led the way with three kills, while Rachel Coleman paced he offense with six assists.

Set 3: Simmons 25, Emmanuel 16
The Sharks returned to form in the third set, hitting .308 as a team to take a 2-1 match lead. Sophomore Jayla Parnell was outstanding from the outside, registering four kills on eight attempts for a .375 attack percentage, while Iannantuono was solid defensively with four digs.

Set 4: Simmons 25, Emmanuel 21
The Sharks closed out the match following a 25-21 win in game four. Parnell was unstoppable posting seven kills on 10 attempts with just one miscue as Conners followed up with four kills. Sophomore Kat Simeonidis paced the offense with 12 assists.

EMMANUEL HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior middle Anna Caristi (North Attleboro, Mass.) collected a match-high 14 kills while hitting at a .385 clip.
• Junior setter Rachel Coleman (Peabody, Mass.) registered 28 assists, six digs, two solo blocks and an ace.
• Sophomore outside hitter Sasha Hyacinthe (Stoughton, Mass.) added 10 kills.

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Sophomore Jayla Parnell posted her best hitting percentage of the season, hitting .458 with 13 kills on 24 attempts and two errors.
• Junior Sydney Iannantuono registered her ninth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 13 digs.
• Sophomore Claire Conners posted a .400 attack percentage with 13 kills on 25 attempts and three errors.

UP NEXT
The Saints are back in action on Wednesday, October 20 when they play host to Dean College in more GNAC action scheduled for a 7:00 PM start. Simmons returns to the court on Oct. 19 when they travel to Wellesley, Mass. for a 7:00 PM tilt with Babson.

*Release courtesy of Simmons University Athletic Communications