THE LEAD
Saint Joseph’s trailed after the first and third sets but managed to withhold a Simmons comeback in the fourth set, forcing a deciding fifth frame in the process. The outlook was bleak midway through the final set as the Sharks owned a 9-5 advantage after an unforced SJC error, but senior Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) took over from there, as the fourth-year starter registered a pair of kills and 2.5 blocks during a 10-0 Saint Joseph’s run that saw the hosts claim a 15-9 win and five-set triumph.
Wachowiak led the Monks with 12 kills, seven total blocks and a career-high 14 digs in what was the program’s first GNAC Tournament victory in nine years as a member of the conference.
With the win, Saint Joseph’s moves on to the semifinals and will face second-seeded Johnson & Wales University, which swept #7 Lasell College in other GNAC quarterfinal action tonight, in Providence on Thursday night.
The loss signals the end of the 2015 campaign for the Simmons College Sharks.
FIRST SET
The Monks came out strong and held a 17-6 lead midway through the first set, but the visiting-Sharks rallied with scoring spurts to remain in play. Trailing 24-20 after junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) belted a kill, Simmons achieved the improbable by netting six unanswered points, a string that was closed out with a Nicole Alberghini (Northborough, Mass.) kill, to take the first set by a 26-24 margin.
SECOND SET
The second set was eerily similar to the first, at least until the latter segment, as the Monks built an eight point (17-9) before the Sharks fought back into contention with an 8-2 run. Saint Joseph’s responded with five unanswered points, as a Huntley kill lifted the hosts to a 23-16 cushion, and the Monks closed out the set with the help of two attack errors to even the score at 1-1.
THIRD SET
The Sharks rallied again in the third, as the visitors erased a 12-6 deficit by posting a 13-4 run en route to securing a 19-16 edge. The Monks fought back to within two points (22-20) on a Simmons service error, but would get no closer to the lead as the Sharks rattled off three-straight points, capped by a Kat Guillotte (New Bedford, Mass.) ace, to take the third set and a 2-1 advantage.
FOURTH SET
The seesaw battle ensued with the fourth set, which may have been the Monks’ most consistent frame of the evening. Saint Joseph’s led for the duration of the fourth and owned a 20-12 cushion after a Simmons attack error, but the Sharks threatened again as a pair of Alberghini kills and a Guillotte strike helped the visitors climb back to within six points (23-17). The Monks managed to hold off the late rally bid with the help of a Simmons service miscue and looked to maintain momentum going into the deciding set.
FIFTH SET
The Sharks opened the final frame with a Guillotte service ace and held a 9-5 cushion after St. Joe’s committed an attack error. A Simmons service miscue opened the door for the Monks and sent freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) to the line, where she remained for the duration of the fifth set, as Wachowiak posted a pair of kills, junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) added a strike, and a Simmons attack error knotted the set at 9-9.
The defensive front came up big for the Monks late, as Wachowiak and junior Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) shared a block to lift the hosts to their first lead of the closing set and Wachowiak notched a pair of block solos to provide her team with a 13-9 advantage. With Thompson still at the service line, the Sharks committed a pair of unforced errors to account for the 15-9 final.
NOTABLES – Saint Joseph’s
• Huntley contributed six kills and 17 digs
• Senior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) posted four kills and five digs
• Gosselin added three kills and 20 digs and became the fifth Saint Joseph’s player to reach the 1,000-dig plateau in tonight’s win
• Senior Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) chipped in with 20 digs
• Hebert boasted 25 assists, 12 digs and three total blocks
• Wachowiak became the first player in program history to notch 400 kills in a single season – she entered tonight’s play requiring nine kills to reach the plateau
NOTABLES – Simmons
• Junior outside hitter Cailin Fredrickson (Columbia, Md.) tallied seven kills, 18 digs and a pair of service aces
• Alberghini added seven kills, three digs and three total blocks
• Junior middle hitter Abby Hart (Westfield, Mass.) posted six kills, three digs and three block solos
• Guillotte contributed three aces and a team-high 20 digs
• Junior setter Andalyn Duke (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) netted s4 assists and 17 digs
• Sophomore middle blocker Amber Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev.) chipped in with three kills and 15 digs
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph’s held the advantage in digs (110-101) and total blocks (10-8) while Simmons led the way in kills (30-27) and assists (28-27) on the evening. The Monks posted a .033 hitting percentage in the victory while the Sharks recorded a negative .056 rate, with 40 attack errors in the loss.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph’s improves to 6-5 all-time versus Simmons College, a team the Monks defeated by a 3-1 margin at the Alfond Center on Saturday. The Sharks defeated the Monks by the same 3-2 score the last time Saint Joseph’s hosted a postseason match, a quarterfinal bout on November 5th, 2013.
With Tuesday’s win, the 2015 Monks tie the program’s single-season victories record. The 1995 team, led by former Head Coach John Razsa, went 27-10.
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