Comeback falls short in five-set loss to Loras

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Hannah Lester had 16 kills but the Simpson volleyball team's comeback bid fell short in a five-set loss to Loras on Saturday.

Simpson came back from two sets down to force a fifth set and led 14-9 in the deciding set before Loras mounted an 8-1 run to close the match and hold on for the win.

Michelle Budden had a match-high 30 kills and hit .431 to lead the Duhawks (9-9, 3-1 Iowa Conference).

Lester hit .343 and Alyssa Mathews handed out 39 assists for the Storm (9-9, 3-1).

Set Scores
25-19, 25-17, 21-25, 22-25, 17-15

Stat Leaders
Hannah Lester — 16 kills, .343 pct, 4 block assists
Jacque Luth — 9 kills, 11 digs, 2 block assists
Madison Fleer — 9 kills, .400 pct
Alyssa Mathews — 39 assists
Ariana Martinez — 25 digs

Notes and Numbers
• Luth's nine kills increases her career total to 980 as she looks to become the 16th player in school history to reach the 1,000 kill milestone.

• The Duhawks won their third straight match in the series, winning for the sixth time in the last seven tries.

• The Storm fell to 2-4 in five-set matches. Simpson played in just one five-set match in all of 2016.

Up Next
The Storm return home to host Coe on Tuesday, Oct. 3 in their annual Dig Pink Game. The Kohawks (9-12, 1-2) lost to Carthage and Wis.-Stevens Point on Saturday.