Storm close opening weekend 3-1

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Simpson volleyball team earned a split Saturday at the Illinois College Invitational to close its first weekend of play 3-1. The Storm beat Concordia Chicago 3-1 in the first game of the day before falling to Missouri Valley 3-0.

Outshide hitter Jacqueline Luth and freshman middle hitter Ty Duve earned all-tournament team honors. Luth led the team with 41 kills and a .292 attack percentage while Duve had 17 kills and eight total blocks. 

The Storm beat Concordia 25-12, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19 before falling to Missouri Valley 25-14, 25-17, 25-7. An already seasoned Missouri Valley squad improved to 9-1 with the win.

Luth, Madison Hawtrey and Alyssa Mathews all posted double-doubles in the Concordia match. Luth had just one error, finishing with 11 kills, a .417 hitting percentage, 23 digs and five aces. Hawtrey added 10 kills and 11 digs and Mathews handed out 20 assists to go along with 10 digs. Kayla Aronow had a team-high 23 digs.

The Storm had trouble with Missouri Valley, hitting just .000 against the Vikings. Luth led the team with five kills in the loss.

Up next: Simpson travels to Graceland on Tuesday, Sept. 6. in a 7:30 p.m. start. The Yellowjackets are 5-2.