Simpson rides hot start to victory, advances to semifinals

INDIANOLA, Iowa – For the first time since 2010, the Simpson College women's volleyball team is headed to the semifinal round of the conference tournament after defeating Central 3-1 inside a packed Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (10-20, 4-4 A-R-C) had all the momentum from the get-go, racing out to a 16-2 lead in the opening set which they later won 25-19. Simpson dominated again in the second frame behind five kills from Emily Williams, who swung at a .647 clip with 11 kills and zero errors in the first two frames. The Storm made just one attack error as a team, winning the second set 25-7.

Central (22-10, 4-4 A-R-C) separated itself with a 10-3 run in the third set and held on for a 25-22 win after Simpson closed the gap to 23-22. The Storm bounced back with a 25-20 win in set four, however, securing a spot in the American Rivers Conference semifinals on Thursday.

STORM STANDOUTS

• Morgan DenBeste - 31 assists, 17 digs, 2 blocks
• Emily Williams - 18 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks, 2 aces
• Peyton Mitchell - 8 kills, 4 blocks, 4 aces
• Jada Schmidt - 10 kills, 3 blocks
• Lauren Roman - 7 kills, 3 blocks
• Iman Ghalibaf - 19 digs
• Rachel Hardwick - 8 digs, 3 aces

NOTES

• Simpson advances to the conference semifinal round for the first time since 2010.
• The Storm have now won four consecutive games against the Dutch.

UP NEXT
Simpson makes its way to Dubuque to take on the top-seeded Spartans on Thursday night at 7 p.m.