Storm fall to Luther in three

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Anna Larson had a match-high 10 kills and Luther finished strong in each set to beat the Simpson volleyball team in three Friday at Cowles Fieldhouse, 25-23, 25-20, 25-17.

Karissa Kime added nine kills and Emma Veum had eight and four block assists for the Norse (14-9, 4-2 Iowa Conference), who used big runs to close out each set and win for the fourth time in their last five conference matches.

Luther erased a six-point deficit by closing with a 9-1 run in set one, outscored Simpson 8-3 to break a 17-17 tie in set two and scored eight unanswered to break a 17-17 tie in set three.

Morgan Taylor had nine kills while Jacque Luth and Hannah Lester had seven apiece for the Storm (9-13, 1-5), who led 22-16 in set one before watching Luther come charging back.

The loss effectively knocks Simpson from Iowa Conference Tournament contention.

Stat Leaders
Morgan Taylor — 9 kills, -.077 pct, 11 digs
Hannah Lester — 7 kills, .417 pct
Jacque Luth — 7 kills, .160 pct
Ty Duve — 4 kills, .444 pct
Alyssa Mathews — 28 assists, 5 digs
Chelsey Smith — 10 digs

Set 1
Simpson led 22-16 before Luther closed the set on a 9-1 run. A kill by Duve gave Simpson the six-point edge, but a kill by Morgan Towne sparked the late Norse rally. With the score tied 23-all, Kime dropped a service ace then finished the comeback with a kill on set point.

Set 2
The Storm led 5-2 early in the set but the teams ended up tied at 17 apiece. A pair of attack errors by Simpson and a kill by Towne made it 20-17 and the Norse closed the set on an 8-3 run to take a 2-0 lead.

Set 3
Simpson battled back from an early 6-0 deficit to tie the set 17-17 on an ace by Ariana Martinez. A Veum kill broke the tie and Luther got three aces in the final eight points, scoring eight unanswered to close out the match for a 25-17 win.

Up Next
Simpson travels to Nebraska Wesleyan on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The Prairie Wolves (10-12, 2-4) went 2-2 at a tournament in Naperville, Ill. last weekend and travel to play Coe on Saturday. Start time in Lincoln is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.