BOSTON, Mass. – Mount Ida College fought back to force a fourth set on Saturday afternoon but couldn't even their match against Simmons College, falling 3-1 to the Sharks in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball match at Moore Gymnasium.
Sophomore outside hitter Mary Kate Reidy (Agawam, Mass.) led the Mustangs with 12 kills and a .222 hitting mark to go with five digs. First year outside hitter Kristy Walton (Fairhaven, Mass.) recorded six kills, three aces and seven digs, while senior setter Taylor Davis (Machiasport, Maine) set for 21 assists, got down for four digs and served up an ace. Senior libero Kelcey Koolman (Bedford, N.H.) led the squad with 10 digs on the defensive side of the net.
Junior setter Andalyn Duke (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) set for 33 assists and fired a match-high five aces to help the Sharks win 3-1 (25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21).
The Sharks have won four of their last six matches and improve to 9-11 overall and 6-2 in league play, while the Mustangs fall to 10-13 and 2-4.
Duke also added a kill and three digs for the Sharks, while junior outside hitter Cailin Fredrickson (Columbia, Md.) smashed 12 kills, picked up six digs, fired an ace and got up for a block assist. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Woodward (Deerfield, Mass.) also registered 12 kills and added seven digs and a block assist. Junior middle hitter Abby Hart (Westfield, Mass.) hit .500 for the match to fuel an eight-kill effort in addition to four total blocks. Junior libero Alex Itasaka (Bradford, Mass.) anchored the defense with a match-high 15 digs.
The teams played within three points of each other through the first 29 points and were knotted at 13-13, before the Sharks ripped off four straight points, paced by a pair of aces from sophomore right side hitter Amber Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev.), to take a 17-13 lead. The Mustangs later closed to within 20-17, but Simmons scored five unanswered points to close out the set.
The Sharks took a 9-8 edge midway through the second set, before going on a 9-2 run, fueled by two kills from Fredrickson, to take an 18-10 advantage. Mount Ida responded with a 9-3 stretch, behind a pair of kills from Reidy, to pull to within 21-19. Simmons put the set away by scoring four of the final five points.
The Mustangs cut the match deficit to 2-1 with a 25-20 win in the third frame. The Sharks jumped out to a 5-1 cushion, but Mount Ida put together a 10-2 burst, led by two more kills from Reidy, to take an 11-7 margin. Woodward later put down a kill for Simmons to pull the home team to within 13-12, but it was as close as the Sharks would get for the rest of the set. The Mustangs led by as many as five, before taking the set.
The teams played to 12 ties and four lead changes in the fourth set and were tied at 14-14 midway through the frame. Simmons scored 10 of the next 13 points, paced by a pair of aces from Duke, to take a 24-17 lead. Mount Ida made one last push, scoring four straight points, but Woodward swung for a kill to decide the match.
The Mustangs will be back at home on Wednesday, October 21st when they host Suffolk University at 6:00 p.m.
The Sharks will be in action the same day when they host GNAC and cross-street rival Emmanuel College at Moore Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m.