Simpson falls twice to ranked opponents

TACOMA, Wash. – No. 25 Simpson dropped a hard-fought match to host No. 19 Puget Sound to start the day and couldn't get things going against No. 10 St. Benedict as Simpson begins the 2009 Puget Sound Premier volleyball tournament with an 0-2 mark.

Simpson (0-2) went up two sets to one against the host Loggers (1-1) before UPS rallied in the final two stanzas. After falling 25-12 in the opening set against St. Benedict (2-1), Simpson narrowly dropped 25-22 and 25-23 decisions in the final two sets, respectively.

Tara Christensen (Hinton, Iowa) and Amy Schuster (Indianola, Iowa) each charted game-highs in the first match of the day, as Christensen distributed 52 assists and Schuster pounded 16 kills. Schuster's .394 hitting percentage also led all players while Whitney Oviatt (Carnation, Wash.) and Lara Gillespie (Lake Park, Iowa) each contributed 14 kills.

The Storm dropped the first set against the Bennies 25-12, but regained their footing in sets two and three. The Storm enjoyed a five-point lead at 19-14 after a service ace by McKaylie Croghan (Manning, Iowa) in the second set before St. John's went on a 7-0 run to take a 21-19 lead, one they would not relinquish.

Simpson trailed by as many as nine in the third set before clawing back to within 24-23 before a service error ended the threat. Megan Dunlavy (Bettendorf, Iowa) and Oviatt each recorded 10 kills to lead the Storm, while Dunlavy's .500 hitting percentage paced the squad.

Needing only 28 digs to become the program's all time leader entering play, Brittany Friesth (Adel, Iowa) had 22 on Friday. She will have a chance to become the all-time leader when Simpson takes the floor tomorrow, facing No. 13 Pacific Lutheran at 11 a.m. with a fourth match yet to be determined.