Women’s Volleyball advances to GNAC Finals

The Emerson Women’s Volleyball team beat Simmons in the GNAC Semifinals Thursday, taking the match in four with scores of 25-16, 25-16, 24-26, and 25-15. The win puts the Lions in the GNAC Finals where they will face the Rivier College Raiders. That game will take place this Saturday at 1:00 pm on the home court of the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym.

Thursday’s win pushed Emerson to 24-7 for the year and 2-0 in postseason, while Simmons dropped to 20-10 and 1-1 postseason.

The Lions started set one off a bit sluggish, as Simmons jumped ahead 5-1 in the set, but the Lions offense kicked into gear with a .229 attack percentage as a team. Madeleine Breeland helped lead the team to a 25-16 win with a .400 attack average and four kills. Alexa Krakowiak put up a block assist.

The Lions also won the second set 25-16, this time hitting slightly better with a .237 attack percentage. Breeland had an even bigger set, with a .667 attack percentage. Another stand-out, Kat Rice, had a .444 attack percentage and five kills. Four Emerson players put up block assists to make it a 2-0 Emerson lead.

Simmons, determined not to head home in a sweep in the third set, battled the Lions off nine tie scores and four lead changes in the set. The Brown-Plofker Gym crowd, rooting for both teams, cheered enthusiastically. In the end, Simmons player Meaghan Flynn’s eight kills helped Simmons squeak out a 26-24 win in the set to stay alive.

The Lions came back strong in the fourth set, though, with a .286 clip. Kat Rice unleashed a .750 attack percentage and Jaime Morgan had four digs in the set, 19 total in the match, with Emerson rolling to a 25-15 final, and taking the match.