Storm split at Simpson Invitational

INDIANOLA - Displaying an improved offense, Simpson earned a pair of wins at the 23rd Simpson Invitational this weekend.

The Storm (12-16) opened the tournament on Friday with a loss to No. 15 St. Olaf, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 28-26) and a win against Illinois Wesleyan, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-20). On Saturday, Simpson fell to No. 8 UW-Whitewater, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-21) and beat Gustavus Adolphus, 3-1 (25-20, 25-27, 25-16, 25-19).

St. Olaf won the tournament, going 4-0. UW-Whitewater placed second at 3-1, followed by Wartubrg (2-2), Simpson, Gustavus Adolphus (1-3) and Illinois Wesleyan (0-4). St. Olaf's Kim Smisek earned tournament MVP honors.

As a team, Simpson hit a tournament-high .264 during the weekend. Megan Dunlavy led the offensive charge, hitting .474 with 41 kills. Amy Schuster led the team with 42 kills and all-tournament selection Ashley Padgett handed out 106 assists.

Despite falling 3-0, Simpson put forth one its best efforts against tournament-champion St. Olaf. Dunlay hit a scalding .632 with 13 kills and Schuster put down 12 kills against the Oles. Padget had 36 assists and the Storm hit .282 compared to St. Olaf's .248.

For the complete all-tournament team, final standings and tournament stats, view the Simpson Invitational website here.

Simpson returns to action Wednesday, hosting Coe on senior night. The match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.