Volleyball splits final day of Gustavus Invitational

ST. PETER, Minn. - The Simpson volleyball team came back to beat Gustavus Adolphus in five sets in the first match of the day before dropping a five-set contest against a tough Bethel squad to close play at the Gustavus Adolphus Invitational on Saturday.

The Storm (5-5) faltered in the first set against the host Gusties before coming back for a 15-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13 win. They then went on to lose the first two sets against Bethel before re-grouping to take the Royals to five, ultimately falling 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 15-13.

Tabitha Blaser led the team with 36 kills on the day, getting 107 total attempts. Olivia Sulentic had an effecient effort, hitting .268 with 24 kills. Katie Kieffer finished with 87 assists and hit .389 with eight kills.

Blaser and Sulentic did most of the heavy lifting in the win over Gustavus, as each tallied 17 kills. Sultentic added 21 digs for the double-double and committed just two errors, hitting .326 for the match. Kieffer recorded a double-double as well with 43 assists and 14 digs.

After hitting just .029 as a team in a forgettable first set, Simpson hit better than .200 in each of the final four sets.

Against Bethel, Blaser was again the go-to hitter. The junior finished with 19 kills, accounting for nearly half of Kieffer's 44 assists. Elisa Wildy stepped up in the final game of the weekend, hitting .235 with 13 kills.

Simpson hosts Iowa Conference preseason favorite Wartburg in the first league contest of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 17.