Storm drop conference opener to Nebraska Wesleyan

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College women's volleyball team dropped its home and conference opener to Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday night inside Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Prairie Wolves (9-5, 1-0 A-R-C) hit .206 overall and registered set wins of 25-19, 25-10 and 25-15.

SET SUMMARY

• Nebraska Wesleyan used a couple of 4-0 runs to build a 12-7 lead in the first set, coaxing a timeout from the home bench. Each team traded four points before another 4-0 spurt put the visitors ahead 20-12. Simpson closed the gap to 21-17 behind blocks from Lauren Roman and Taryn Bertini, but the Prairie Wolves finished things out for a 25-19 win.
• The Prairie Wolves had just two attack errors in the second frame and led by as many as 16 before going ahead 2-0 with a 25-10 victory.
• The Storm kept things closer in the third set and used a 5-0 run to tie the game at 11-11. The scoring spree was fueled by solo blocks from Aaliyah Johnson and Teria Campbell as well as an ace from Audrey Behrens. A Nebraska Wesleyan timeout stifled the Storm's momentum, however, as the Prairie Wolves scored five unanswered and secured the sweep with a 25-15 win.

STORM LEADERS

• Jada Schmidt - 9 kills, 5 digs
• Courtney Paxton - 6 kills, 2 blocks
• Emily Williams - 4 kills, 2 solo blocks
• Taryn Bertini - 9 assists, 4 digs, 1 block
• Iman Ghalibaf - 17 digs

NOTES

• Tonight's game was Simpson's first time playing inside Cowles Fieldhouse in 718 days due to floor renovations taking place all last season.
• Nebraska Wesleyan improves to 21-7 in the all-time series with the Storm.

UP NEXT
Simpson goes back on the road for a nonconference matchup at Cornell on Friday. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Iowa.