Lester, Mathews shine in final outing

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Hannah Lester tallied 25 kills and Alyssa Mathews dished out 66 assists as the Simpson volleyball team concluded its season on Saturday with two matches in the Warrior Invitational in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Storm (8-19) opened the second day of the invite with a 3-0 loss to Concordia Wisconsin (21-8) and nearly pulled of the victory against Maranatha Baptist (20-4), but lost 3-2.

Lester was named to the Warrior Invitational All-Tournament Team for her efforts this weekend.

Concordia Wisconsin 3, Simpson 0
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-15, 25-17
The Storm owned a 13-10 advantage in the opening set and looked in control, but the Falcons went on a 6-2 run to change the tide. Simpson would drop the opener after hitting .133.

Concordia Wisconsin would take the second frame to go up 2-0. In the third, both teams were tied at 7-7, before the Falcons ignited on a 9-3 spurt to take hold of the match.

Niya Harris ended with five kills, Kenedy Grant and Lester each had four. Mathews dished out 15 helpers.

Maranatha Baptist 3, Simpson 2
Set Scores: 25-17, 19-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-12
Lester saved her best for last this year as she hammered down a season-high 20 kills. The Indianola native tallied a .304 hitting clip during the match. Mathews handed out 51 assists during the match to tie a season-high as both ended their careers for the Storm.

After going down 1-0 after the first set, the Storm won the next two to make it a 2-1 match and looked for the upset over the Sabercats. Maranatha Baptist tied things up at 2-2 to send the contest into a deciding fifth frame.

Both teams were even throughout the beginning as the set was at even 6-6 after three kills by Lester. The Sabercats closed the door on the upset by going on a 5-1 spurt to grab some breathing room.