BOSTON, Mass. – Junior setter Faith Gray-Williams (Las Vegas, Nev.) set for 42 assists and fired three aces to lead the Simmons University women's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 24-26, 25-23) victory over visiting University of Massachusetts Boston this evening at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks improve to 3-3 on the season, while the Beacons fall to 1-6. 

The win snapped a six-match losing streak to UMB for Simmons and was the Sharks first victory since a 3-0 triumph at the Clark Athletic Center on September 13, 2003. 

Gray-Williams also added five digs and a pair of block assists for Simmons, while junior outside hitter Morgan Weeg (Goodyear, Ariz.) put down a match-high 14 kills to go with a pair of digs. First year outside hitter Sydney Iannantuono (East Lyme, Conn.) posted her second double-double of the season with 12 kills and 12 digs in addition to a pair of block assists and sophomore right side hitter Krissy Lloyd (Tampa, Fla.) contributed with nine kills on a .261 hitting percentage to go with four digs and a pair of blocks. Junior libero Morgan Lauvray (Murrieta, Calif.) led all players with 23 digs and also fired an ace for the Sharks. 

Senior outside hitter Sarah Doyle (Glendale, Calif.) led UMass Boston with 12 kills and a .385 hitting mark and tacked on 4.5 more points with an ace and six blocks, including five assists. Junior outside hitter Emilia Czapiewska (Saint Paul, Minn.) and first year outside hitter McKayla Geraghty (Elgin, Ill.) both finished a kill shy of a double-double with nine kills apiece and 10 digs for Czapiewska and a dozen for Geraghty, who also served for a match-high five aces. Junior setter Carsen Komminsk (Worthington, Ohio) directed the offense with 21 assists and added three aces and six digs, while junior libero Tyla Parker (Mahwah, N.J. picked up 15 digs. 

Simmons jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the opening set and expanded its margin to 13-7, following a 7-2 run. The Beacons later closed to within 18-15, but the Sharks scored seven of the final nine points, including the deciding point on an ace from junior Riley Roberge (Peoria, Ariz.) for a 25-17 first set win. 

 Czapiewska put down a kill to give UMass Boston an early 6-3 lead, but Simmons chipped away and knotted the score at 10-10. The Sharks continued their momentum and never trailed for the remainder of the set and led by as many as four points. The Beacons pulled even late in the frame, 23-23, but Simmons scored the final two points on attack errors from the visitors to take a 25-23 victory and a 2-0 match lead. 

Weeg swung for a kill to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead in set three, but it was their only advantage of the set as UMass Boston scored the next three points and never gave up the lead again. The Beacons opened up a 23-17 margin late in the set, but Simmons wouldn't go away, going on a 7-1 run to tie the score at 24-24. A kill from first year outside hitter Mallory Reed (Alpharetta, Ga.) combined with an attack effort from the Sharks gave UMass Boston the two points for the set to cut the match deficit to 2-1. 

The Beacons looked primed to tie the match with an early 10-4 lead, fueled by a pair of aces from Geraghty and two kills from Czapiewska. They maintained a 19-15 margin, but the Sharks reeled off five unanswered points to take a 20-19 edge and never trailed the rest of the way. Sophomore middle hitter Amanda Fortune (Round Rock, Texas) found an open spot on the floor for her sixth kill and a 25-23 set win to give Simmons the match win. 

The Sharks return to action tomorrow when they travel to Wenham, Mass. to take on Gordon College at 7:00 p.m., while UMass Boston hosts Salve Regina University on September 17 at 7:00 p.m.