BEVERLY, Mass. – Simmons volleyball (1-3) fell to a tough Endicott College (2-0) squad on the road at MacDonald Gymnasium, Wednesday evening. Junior outside hitter Claire Conners was two digs shy of her second double-double of the season tallying 13 kills and eight digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Endicott 25, Simmons
The Sharks were quick to jump out to a 6-3 lead, taking advantage of early mistakes by Gulls and a pair of kills by Conners. But the Gulls managed to claw their way back, utilizing a mini, 4-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 7-6.

Simmons hung with Endicott the entirety of the first set, until back-to-back service aces by Amanda Gilbert and a kill from Kelsey Sanborn, gave the Gulls an eight-point lead and they never looked back.  

Set 2: Endicott 25, Simmons 15

Endicott's momentum from the first set spilled over into the second set. Posting a staggering .360 attack percentage from the floor, the Gulls tallied 10 kills on 25 attempts with just one error. Sanborn was nearly perfect with three kills on four attempts to help Endicott take the two-match lead.

Conners led the offense with four kills, while fellow outside hitter junior Jayla Parnell followed up with three kills. Junior setter Kat Simeonidis paced the Sharks with eight assists.

Set 3: Endicott 25, Simmons 21
The Sharks made a valiant comeback attempt in the third set. With their backs against the wall, Conners and senior outside hitter Sydney Iannantuono opened the frame with back-to-back kills to take a 2-0 lead. Sophomore April Beatty got into the offense, rattling off three straight kills to give Simmons a 9-5 advantage.

Simmons was in the driver's seat was poised to force a fourth game. They had the Gulls on the ropes, committing another serving error to increase the Shark lead to 14-12 and force Endicott to call its first time out. The timeout worked as momentum shifted back in favor of the Gulls, coming back to tie the match at 14-14 and hung in the set to edge out the Sharks, 25-21.   

Conners was flawless from the floor in the final set, posting a .357 attack percentage with five kills on 14 attempts, while Beatty followed up with four kills. Simeonidis paced the offense with nine assists. 

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior outside hitter Claire Conners came two digs shy of her second double-double of the season, tallying 13 kills and eight defensive digs.
• Junior setter Kat Simeonidis registered 26 assists for second time in as many games.
• Reigning GNAC Libero of the Week Joenissa Ortiz was outstanding defensively, tallying 11 digs. 

UP NEXT
Simmons returns to the hard court on Saturday, September 10 traveling to Willimantic, Connecticut for the Eastern Connecticut State Tri-Tournament. First match is slated for noon.