Storm fall in Warrior Invite opener

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Simpson volleyball team opened the Warrior Invitational on Friday with a 3-0 loss against the hosts, Wisconsin Lutheran, in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Warriors (16-11) claimed the sweep with set scores of 25-18, 25-12 and 25-17.

The Storm (8-17) were led by the trio of Ariana Martinez, Blair Glendenning and Kenedy Grant on the defensive side as each had double-digit dig efforts. Martinez had a game-high 16, while Glendenning and Grant both had 10. Alyssa Mathews guided the offense with 24 assists and Hannah Lester displayed her power with a game-high nine kills.

In the opening set, Simpson's offense was led by Kamryn Juni, who hammered down four kills and Niya Harris chipped in three kills to help the scoring. The Storm would finish with 10 kills as a unit on a -.029 hitting clip.

Lester connected on three attacks in the second set and Megan LeMay produced two kills. Simpson tallied a -.114 hitting percentage as Wisconsin Lutheran had a .154 hitting clip.

Simpson hit its best during the third set with a match-high .188 hitting percentage on 12 kills. Lester would finish with six to lead the squad in the final frame.

Up Next
The Storm resume competition tomorrow in the Warrior Invite at 2 p.m. against Concordia Wisconsin and end the day at 4 p.m. with a match against Maranatha Baptist.