GNAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Quarterfinals featured three 3-0 sweeps and one five-set thriller on Tuesday (Nov. 7) evening as No. 1 seed Simmons, No. 2 seed Regis, No. 4 seed Lasell, and No. 6 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) all advanced to the semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 9.

The Sharks, Pride, and Lasers all came away with 3-0 sweeps in their quarterfinal matchups. Simmons eliminated No. 9 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), while Regis took down No. 7 seed Emmanuel and Lasell defeated No. 5 seed Rivier. Meanwhile, the Monks took No. 3 seed Johnson & Wales all the way to the fifth set where they became the only team to win on the road on Tuesday.

In the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 9, the Sharks will host the Lasers and the Pride will welcome the Monks. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. starts.

The two semifinal winners will compete for the GNAC title on Saturday, Nov. 11. The winner of the GNAC Championship match will be named the 2023 GNAC Women's Volleyball Champion and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.

#1 Simmons 3, #9 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) 0

Recap courtesy of the Simmons Athletic Communications Department.

BOSTON – No. seed 1 Simmons volleyball is moving on to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals for the second straight year after ousting No. 9 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in the GNAC quarterfinals on Tuesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Simmons 25, USJ 14
The Blue Jays came out of the gate strong and hung around until midway through the first set, before the Sharks pulled away with a 4-0 run to take a 14-8 lead and never looked back. Senior outside hitter Claire Conners led the way offensively with three kills, while graduate senior Chelsea Simmons paced the offense with five assists. 

Set 2: Simmons 25, USJ 13
Momentum continued to build for the Sharks in the second set, jumping out to the 10-7 advantage and forcing the Blue Jays to call their first time out. Coming out of the timeout, the Sharks piled on to their lead. 

In the midst of a 5-0 run late in the set, senior Jayla Parnell gave the Sharks an eight-point, 20-12 lead, and forced USJ to call their second time out. The Sharks added another two points to extend their lead to 10 as they cruised to the 25-13 second set win and take a 2-0 match advantage. 

Set 3: Simmons 25, USJ 16
Hitting .303 as a team, the Sharks shut the door on the Blue Jays with a 25-16 win in the third and final set. Conners and Parnell were flawless from the floor, each notching three kills, while Chelsea Simmons was outstanding from the service line in addition to pacing the offense with seven assists. In the third set, Simmons registered three of her five aces in the match. 

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Graduate senior Chelsea Simmons tied her career single-match best tallying five aces and controlled the offense with 20 assists.
• Senior outside hitter Jayla Parnell posted a .500 attack percentage with nine kills on 16 attempts and just one error.
• Senior outside hitter Claire Conners also notched nine kills on 22 attempts and two errors for a .318 attack percentage.

#2 Regis 3, #7 Emmanuel 0

Recap courtesy of the Regis Athletic Communications Department.

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College women's volleyball team defeated Emmanuel College, 3-0, to set a new single-season win mark, on Tuesday. The Pride rallied 3-0, (25-21, 25-13, 25-16) in the quarterfinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Higgins Court.

Regis' offensive output was spread out, as Ahnasia Mckinney and Grace Fabiano led the Pride with six kills apiece, with Kamdyn Tenorio leading the team with four service aces and 11 digs, while Aryam Serrano-Monserrate put out with 12 digs for the Pride.

The two teams exchanged several small scoring runs in the opening set before Regis was able to breakthrough. After Kason Huynh's service ace brought the Saints even at 18-18, Regis responded by scoring instantaneously, featuring two kills by Tenorio, gaining momentum to finish the first set 25-21.

The Pride opened the second set strong, leading 5-0, with a kill from Avery Mola. Consecutive attack and service errors allowed Regis to gain six points and lead 15-5 just before Tenorio and Fabiano earned one kill each, inching closer to the final set. Ayla Albers and Mckinney wrapped up the set with one kill each, bringing the Pride to lead 2-0.

With four consecutive kills from Rita Dow, Fabiano, and two for Mola, Regis quickly jumped to a 9-2 lead in the third and final set of the match. Kate Montigny had three kills in the final match, while Fabiano had two. The Pride finished the set 25-16 and led the match with 14 total kills. 

#4 Lasell 3, #5 Rivier 0

Recap courtesy of the Lasell Athletic Communications Department.

NEWTON, Mass. - The Lasell women's volleyball team defeated the Rivier Raiders on Tuesday in straight sets 25-19, 25-17, 25-19. The Lasers are now 25-4 on the season while the Raiders are 17-10. This was just the third time in school history the Lasers defeated the Raiders, with the other two occurring in 1999 and earlier this season.

The Lasers got off to a fast start, scoring the first four points of the match. They would then use a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 16-4. But an 8-0 run by the Raiders closed the gap to 18-13. The Lasers would dig in, and win the set 25-19.

It was a similar story in the second set, as the Lasers got out ahead early, and wouldn't look back, taking the set 25-17. While the third set would stay close early, a 4-0 run followed soon after by a 5-0 run would put the Lasers up 21-12. A 6-1 run by the Raiders would close the gap, but the Lasers would win the clinching set 25-19.

The Lasers were led by McKenna McCool on offense as she recorded 12 kills. Right behind her was Juliana Medini with 10. Also with a good game was Tori Scambray with eight. Sydney Katz and Saige Cambonga-Meyers were the middlemen with 15 and seven set assists respectively. Katz also had eight digs, second on the team behind only Maddie Caro who had 17.

#6 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 3, #3 Johnson & Wales 2

Recap courtesy of the Saint Joseph's (Maine) Athletic Communications Department.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – No. 6 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) upset No. 3 seed Johnson & Wales, 3-2 (27-25, 22-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-12), in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks led by as many as six points in the first set before the Wildcats mounted a 9-3 run to knot the opener at 15-15. St. Joe's held at least a share of the lead until an attack error allowed JWU to claim a 22-21 edge. The visitors countered with a 3-1 surge, capped by an Abby Jerome ace, to secure a 24-21 advantage, but the hosts countered again with four unanswered points to claim a 25-24 lead. A JWU attack error kept the Monks' hopes alive and the miscue proved costly, as junior Maggie Sylvester belted a kill and sophomore Nadia Sixto delivered a service ace to lift the Royal Blue to a 27-25 opening set triumph.

Johnson & Wales opened up a 9-3 lead in the second set, but Saint Joseph's rallied with an 11-2 run to stake a 14-11 cushion. The Wildcats proceeded to tie the set at 16-16 and secured a 20-16 advantage after an SJC attack error. The Monks remained in play with kills from Victoria Briones and Larisa Comolli, but the hosts managed to escape with a 25-22 set win.

St. Joe's seemed poised to win the third set after building a 14-11 lead, but Johnson & Wales had other plans and tied the frame at 16-16 before notching a 9-4 outburst en route to clinching a 2-1 match lead.

With their backs against the wall the Monks came out swinging in the fourth set with 13 kills and four errors in 27 attempts for a corresponding .333 hitting percentage in a convincing 25-17 win. Saint Joseph's added four aces and six total blocks while forcing a deciding fifth set.

The Wildcats looked to stave off defeat with a 5-0 run to claim an early 6-2 lead in the fifth frame before Sixto ignited a 4-0 burst with a pair of aces and a kill to make it a 6-6 score. Several plays later the Monks rattled off a 5-1 run to take a 12-10 edge. JWU tied the set at 12 apiece, but SJC countered with three unanswered points – including kills from Comolli and Sylvester – to earn the upset victory.

TEAM STATS:

Johnson & Wales held the lead in kills (63-48), hitting percentage (.202 / .192), assists (47-39), and digs (73-70) while Saint Joseph's registered an advantage in service aces (12-6) and total blocks (12-4) in the triumph.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sylvester paced the Monks with 13 kills and added three digs and four block assists
• Briones notched a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs
• Comolli added eight kills, six digs, and six total blocks
• Sixto recorded five kills, three aces, and four total blocks
• Junior Hanna Webster chipped in with four kills and four total blocks
• Jerome posted four aces and 18 digs
• Senior Kailyn Chamberlin also registered a double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs
• Senior Allison McMullen contributed three aces and 10 digs
• Junior Ava Brownsword belted four kills

LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:

• Peyton Oliver had a busy night with 27 kills and 13 errors in 69 attempts with 16 digs
• Sarah Miller posted 18 kills on 54 attempts with three aces and 14 digs
• Michela Voit delivered 24 assists while Kelsie Tretera added 20 assists
• Sierra Nausieda picked up a match-high 23 digs
• Ajie Jagne and Katelyn O'Brien chipped in with six kills apiece

NOTEWORTHY:

• Tonight's victory over the Wildcats is the Monks' first since the 2011 campaign – prior to this evening JWU had defeated SJC in 14 consecutive meetings, including a 3-0 triumph in Providence on September 30th
• The postseason win is the Monks' second since Saint Joseph's joined the GNAC in 2007 and first since the Royal Blue edged Simmons by a 3-2 score in a home quarterfinal on Nov. 3, 2015
• For the Wildcats, the GNAC tourney setback brings an end to the team's 21-match conference tournament win streak; JWU's last GNAC postseason loss was a 3-1 GNAC Championship defeat at the hands of Rivier on Nov. 8, 2014
• The loss also snaps the Wildcats' home playoff winning streak of 30 matches; JWU's last setback on their home court: a five-set defeat to Rivier on Nov. 3, 2007

2023 GNAC Women's Volleyball Tournament Schedule

Play-In – Monday, Nov. 6
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#7 Emmanuel def. #10 Colby-Sawyer, 3-2 | BOX
#9 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #8 New England College, 3-2 | BOX

Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Nov. 7
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 Simmons def. #9 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 3-0 | BOX
#2 Regis def. #7 Emmanuel, 3-0 | BOX
#6 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def #3 Johnson & Wales, 3-2 | BOX
#4 Lasell def. #5 Rivier, 3-0 | BOX

Semifinals – Thursday, Nov. 9
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#4 Lasell at #1 Simmons, 7 p.m.
#6 Saint Joseph's (Maine) at #2 Regis, 7 p.m.

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 11

Semifinal winners, TBD

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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