FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – All season long, the Johnson & Wales University women's volleyball team has been a dominant force in the GNAC. Saturday the No. 10 nationally ranked Wildcats were nearly unstoppable as they defeated Simmons, 3-0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-6), to capture their third-straight conference championship.

Records:
Simmons: 21-10
Johnson & Wales: 32-0

Statistical Leaders:
Kate Walker (JWU): 11 kills, .500 hitting %
Brylee Frank: 32 assists, 6 digs
Katie Leidhold: 11 kills, 10 digs, 3 aces
Maria Coniglio: 8 kills, 11 digs

Of Note
Johnson & Wales improved the tenth-best home court winning streak in NCAA history to 39 matches. JWU is one shy of tying Bowdoin for the number nine spot. The Wildcats are 65-1 over the last two seasons.

A kill by the Sharks' Allie Erk Thompson tied the first set at 10-10, but the Wildcats finished on a 15-7 run. Kate Walker (Oakland, Calif.) had a trio of kills during the run. JWU put the second set out of reach early, jumping out to a 14-1 lead. Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) staked the Wildcats to their lead by serving 11-straight points. JWU used a 15-2 run at the start of the third set to put the match away. The Wildcats had four aces – three by Bella Oldham (Irvine, Cailf.) - during that stretch.

As they've done all season, the Wildcats were strong offensively and defensively. Thanks to setter Brylee Frank's (Palm City, Fla.) 32 assists, the top hitting team in the country had a .429 rate – including .591 in the third set – while holding the Sharks to .045. JWU also had a 48-29 margin for digs.

Six different players had five or more kills, led by 11 from the Tournament MVP Walker and All-Tournament selection Leidhold. Outside hitter Maria Coniglio (Old Bethpage, NY) was next with eight.

Leidhold added 11 digs for the double-double and was one of three Wildcats to post double-digit digs. Libero Elyssa Nicolas (Brisbane, Calif.) and Coniglio tied for the match-high with 11 digs.

Simmons was led by outside hitter Morgan Weeg, who produced five kills and seven digs. Thompson added four winners and a pair of blocks.

Next Game:
Johnson & Wales now waits to find out who it will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is Monday at 12:30 p.m.

All-Tournament Team:
Kate Walker, Johnson & Wales - MVP
Brylee Frank, Johnson & Wales
Katie Leidhold, Johnson & Wales
Morgan Weeg, Simmons
Amber Peterson, Simmons
Olivia Addington, Lasell
Hayley Macken, Rivier

Tuesday, October 31 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #1 JWU 3,  #8 Mount Ida 0 | BOX
Game 2: #4 Lasell 3, #5 Regis (Mass.) 0 | BOX
Game 3: #3 Rivier 3, #6 Saint Joseph's Maine 0 | BOX
Game 4: #2 Simmons 3, #7 Suffolk 0 | BOX

Thursday, November 2 - Semifinals
Game 5: #1 JWU 3, #4 Lasell 0 | BOX
Game 6: #2 Simmons 3, #3 Rivier 0 | BOX

Saturday, November 4 - Final
Game 7: #1 JWU 3, #2 Simmons 0 | BOX

The 2017 GNAC Women's Volleyball Championship