Simpson takes down Central in five-set thriller

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College women's volleyball team defeated Central in a five-set thriller on Wednesday night inside Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (6-15, 2-2 A-R-C) overcame large deficits in both the first and fifth sets and used a dominating offensive performance in set two to come away with the win. The first, fourth and fifth sets were all decided by two points as the match featured 25 tied scores and 15 lead changes.

SET SUMMARY

• Central (15-5, 2-2 A-R-C) hurried out to a 9-2 lead and led by as many as eight before Simpson mounted a huge comeback to steal the opening set 25-23. The Storm closed the frame on a 12-2 run, with Emily Williams leading the charge with a kill, a block and an ace.
• Simpson's offense was firing on all cylinders in the second set led by outside hitters Williams and Jada Schmidt. The Storm hammered down 13 kills while making just three errors for the lopsided 25-9 victory.
• The Dutch used a pair of 8-1 runs to pick up their first set win of the night, a 25-13 win in set three. The visitors hit .304 in the frame.
• The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair that saw 13 tied scores and eight lead changes. The Dutch worked to a 22-18 advantage late in the match, but Simpson closed the gap at 23-23 with kills by Williams and Peyton Mitchell. Central eked out a 25-23 win though to send the match into a fifth set.
• The Storm fell into a 7-2 hole in the deciding set, but battled all the way back with the help of five consecutive kills by Williams. After tying the game at 10-10, the two teams traded two points and a kill by Mitchell put Simpson ahead 13-12. Central took the next two rallies to set up match point, but a couple of attack errors around a kill by Blayne Koster secured the win for the hosts.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Emily Williams - 17 kills, 19 digs
• Blayne Koster - 13 kills, 5 digs
• Jada Schmidt - 10 kills, 5 digs
• Peyton Mitchell - 8 kills, .438 efficiency
• Morgan DenBeste - 38 assists, 19 digs
• Iman Ghalibaf - 19 digs, 6 assists
• Kylie McVey - 10 digs

NOTES

• Simpson wins its third straight over the Dutch, picking up win number 33 in the 81-game series.
• The Storm are now 2-2 in five-set matches this season.
• Emily Williams has registered double-digit kills in three straight games as well as two consecutive double-doubles.

UP NEXT
Simpson goes south for its final nonconference tournament of the year hosted by Washington University - St. Louis. The Storm will face Wis.-Oshkosh, Washington and DePauw.