Women's Volleyball 10/17/2022 12:00:00 AM

Match Preview: No. 19 Women's Volleyball at Simmons

No. 19 Women's Volleyball at Simmons
Tuesday, October 18 | 7 p.m.
Holmes Sports Center | Boston, Mass.

SERIES HISTORY
• Babson is 20-7 all-time against Simmons in a series that dates back to 1980.
• The Beavers have won three straight and 10 of their last 11 matches against the Sharks dating back to 1999.
• Simmons' lone win during this stretch was a three-set sweep of the Green and White in Boston back in 2017.

LAST MEETING
• Senior Jordan Lapins registered eight kills and classmate Laura Zuloaga added seven kills and four blocks to help the Beavers defeat Simmons in three sets, 25-20, 25-14, 25-17, on October 19, 2021, in Babson Park.
• Senior Martina Jankovic Chin finished with six kills and four blocks, while junior Lulu McShane chipped in with six kills and three blocks for the Beavers, who hit .258 in the victory.
• Junior Claire Connors led all players with nine kills and classmate Jordan Hacker had a match-high 15 digs to lead the Sharks.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• No. 19 Babson (18-2) has been idle since cruising past Wheaton 3-0 last Tuesday inside Staake Gymnasium.
• Jankovic Chin, junior Lauren Gips and first-year Isabella Allen each registered seven kills and the duo of graduate student Izzy Seebold and junior Ruby Reich combined for 36 assists and helped the Beavers hit .318 on the night.
• Allen is averaging a team-high 3.23 kills per set, Gips (2.80 k/s, 0.90 b/s) ranks 37th in Division III with a .354 hitting percentage, and Zuloaga is contributing 2.30 kills per set and hitting .346 on the year.
• Seebold ranks fourth in Division III in assists per set (10.59), while first-year Roz Cabuena leads the team in total digs (210) and digs per set (4.67).

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
• Simmons (12-7) has won 10 of its last 12 matches but is coming off a 3-1 loss to Rivier last Thursday.
• Conners finished with 16 kills, junior Jayla Parnell hit .314 and recorded 14 kills, and classmate Kat Simeonidis contributed 38 assists and 10 digs for the Sharks, who fell into second place in the GNAC.
• Conners is hitting .241 and averaging a team-high 3.29 kills per set, senior Sydney Iannantuono (2.97 k/s, 3.05 d/s) leads the team in digs, and Parnell (1.98 k/s) is hitting a team-best .251 this fall.
• Simeonidis is handing out 8.75 assists per set, while sophomore Joenissa Ortiz is second on the team averaging 2.65 digs per game.

OLD FRIEND ON THE OTHER SIDE
• Simmons is coached by Patrick Helmas, who took the reins of the Sharks' program back in June following a successful eight-year run as Babson head coach Eric Neely's top assistant.
• During his time in Babson Park, the Beavers captured four NEWMAC Tournament championships and made six NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's first trip to the national quarterfinals in 2018.

STEPPING UP ON DEFENSE
• Sophomore Tatum Stelter is averaging 4.20 digs per set over the last four matches, which includes a career-high 23 in a four-set win over Brandeis on October 8.
• Junior Olivia Leinenweber has finished with double-digit digs in three of the last four matches and is averaging 2.87 digs per set during this stretch.

FINDING A RHYTHM
• In six matches over the first two weeks of October, the Beavers are averaging 12.86 kills per set and hitting .225 as a team.
• Allen (3.60), Gips (3.06), Jankovic Chin (2.77) and Zuloaga (2.23) are all averaging better than two kills per set and the trio of Gips, Jankovic Chin and Zuloaga have made just 24 errors while combining to hit .352.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
• The Beavers, who rank 16th in Division III in opponent hitting percentage (), are 59-1 since 2019 when their foes hit .150 or worse.
• Babson has recorded more kills than its opponents in 19 of 20 matches this fall.
• The Green and White has won 10 of 12 matches away from Staake Gymnasium this fall.
• Babson is 28-6 in the month of October going back to 2019.

UP NEXT
• The Beavers host Middlebury to open the New England Challenge on Friday at 7 p.m.

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