Simpson sweeps BVU, remains undefeated in IIAC
INDIANOLA, Iowa – Simpson hit .239 as a team while holding Buena Vista to a .089 hitting percentage as the Storm remained undefeated in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 3-0 sweep of the Beavers Wendnesday at Cowles Fieldhouse, 25-14, 25-22, 25-18.
With the win, Simpson (6-5, 3-0 IIAC) notched its fourth-straight win over Buena Vista (1-11, 0-2 IIAC), extending a winning streak that began in 2007.
In addition to her match-high 36 assists, senior setter Tara Christensen (Hinton, Iowa) landed seven kills in only 10 attempts to lead the team with a .700 hitting percentage. Outside hitters Amy Schuster (Jr., Indianola, Iowa) and Lara Gillespie (Sr., Lake Park, Iowa) notched 12 and 11 kills, respectively, leading the team.
With the sweep, Simpson remained undefeated at home against conference opponents, winning all six sets against Cornell and Buena Vista. A loss in the first set against Loras stands as the Storm's only loss in a set during the conference season.
Liz Auffert's six kills and .455 hitting percentage paced the Beavers. Katie Vondrak also accumulated six kills, but also committed a game-high six attack errors. Kelsey VanDeer dished out a team-high21 assists.
Simpson cruised to a 25-14 victory in set one, but ran into some trouble in the second set. Trailing 21-17, Simpson won the serve on a service error by Sam Narveson. After battling to a tie at 22-all tie, a kill from Gillespie gave Simpson the lead, 23-22. Middle hitter Whitney Oviatt's (Sr., Carnation, Wash.) kill gave the Storm a two-point lead before Gillespie put the game away on the assist from Christensen.
Simpson prepares to hit the road this weekend, as it travels to Platteville, Wis. for the UW-Platteville Invitational. There, Simpson will square off against Wisconsin-based foes St. Norbert, UW-Platteville, UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh. The Storm open the tournament against St. Norbert at 6 p.m. Friday.
