Storm collect first A-R-C win against Loras

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Emily Williams registered double-digit kills, Lauren Roman tallied seven service aces to go with six kills, and the Simpson College women's volleyball team secured its first American Rivers Conference victory of the season with a 3-1 win over Loras.

The Storm (5-14, 1-1 A-R-C) recorded 11 kills in each set they won, hitting .158 for the night. The Duhawks (8-11, 0-2 A-R-C) hit a blistering .636 in set two to take one from the Storm, but only managed to swing at a .075 clip the rest of the night.

SET SUMMARY

• The Duhawks used a 5-0 run to take an early lead in set one, leading all the way out to 19-14. The Storm battled back and tied things up at 20-20 with the help of two aces from Lauren Roman and a solo block by Peyton Mitchell. Scoring five of the last seven points, Simpson finished out the frame on top 25-22.
• Simpson did not have an answer for the Loras offense in set two as the Duhawks knocked down 14 kills and made no mistakes in 22 attempts, eventually winning 25-11.
• A block by Mitchell and Emily Williams put Simpson ahead 5-3 early in the third, but the Duhawks went on a 9-2 scoring run to lead by five. The Storm chipped at the lead and tied it at 15-all before scoring four unanswered to get the lead back. Kills by Jada Schmidt, Williams, Blayne Koster and Roman down the stretch helped lift the home team to a 25-21 win.
• Using the momentum from the set three win, Simpson raced out to a 13-5 lead with a balanced attack and two more aces by Roman. After Loras made it 18-13 with a mini run, the Storm fired off seven straight points for the 25-13 win. Rachel Hardwick served up three aces in the final moments to help clinch the match victory.

STORM STANDOUTS

• Emily Williams - 10 kills, 7 digs
• Blayne Koster - 9 kills
• Jada Schmidt - 7 kills, 7 digs
• Lauren Roman - 7 aces, 6 kills
• Morgan DenBeste - 28 assists, 5 digs, 4 kills
• Iman Ghalibaf - 13 digs, 5 assists

NOTES

• Simpson is now 1-1 at home in 2023.
• The Storm improved to 32-25 against Loras in the series dating back to 1978.
• Simpson's 14 service aces were a season-high. Lauren Roman's seven aces were the most by a Storm player since Tabitha Blaser had seven in a five-set match against Dubuque on Oct. 6, 2015.

UP NEXT
Simpson is back inside Cowles Fieldhouse tomorrow for a 1 p.m. conference matchup against Dubuque.