Storm fall in 3-2 battle against Grinnell

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson College volleyball came up short in a 3-2 (25-23, 15-25, 23-25, 25-19, 11-15) match against the defending Midwest Conference Tournament Champions, Grinnell, on Wednesday.

Junior Jessica Jacobs had 15 kills and freshman Courtney Paxton clubbed 10 kills in their first career outing for the Storm (0-1). Junior Marissa Salber dished out a game-high 33 assists with 12 digs for a double-double, while sophomore Rachel Hardwick (13) and freshman Ellie Gray (12) also had double-figure dig totals.

In the season opener for both squads, the first set had nine ties with Simpson never holding a deficit. With the frame placed at 22-22, sophomore Teria Campbell recorded the last three points via kill to give Simpson a 1-0 advantage.

After a year off from actual competition due to COVID-19, the Pioneers (1-0) bounced back with a 25-15 win in set two. The visitors tallied 14 kills in the set and held Simpson to four.

Grinnell looked poised to go up 2-1 with an easy win in set three by building a 20-5 lead. The Storm went on a 18-3 burst to knot the set at 23-all. The Pioneers were able to regroup after a timeout and tally three straight points.

With three lead changes occuring in the third, Simpson executed a 9-2 run to close out the set and tie the match at 2-2. The offense had seven players record a kill, with freshman Aaliyah Johnson and Jacobs both having three.

The fifth set saw seven ties and four lead changes as both teams were vying for the victory. Both squads were even at 10-10, but Grinnell rattled off three kills in the final five points to claim the match.

Up Next
Simpson stays close to home this weekend for the Central/Grinnell Invitational. The Storm head to Pella on Friday to take on Minnesota-Morris (0-1) and Wisconsin-Superior before ending the weekend against Dominican (0-1) in Grinnell on Saturday.