Storm come back for five-set win over Waldorf
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Waldorf (4-21) | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 11 | 2 |
|
Simpson (9-12) | 25 | 13 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
INDIANOLA, Iowa — Morgan Taylor, Hannah Lester and Jacque Luth combined for 44 kills and the Simpson volleyball team came back from one set down to beat Waldorf in five sets Wednesday night at Cowles Fieldhouse.
Taylor finished with 16 kills, Lester had 15 and hit a team-high .281 and Luth added 13 kills to help the Storm (9-12) win their second match in a row. Alyssa Mathews handed out a career-high 51 assists, the most by a Simpson player since the 2012 season.
Kyra Platzek had a match-high 20 kills and hit .340 for the Warriors (4-21), who suffered their fourth loss in a row.
Taylor, Lester and Luth all combined for six kills in the final two, must-win sets for the Storm. Simpson got out to a 6-0 lead in the fifth and deciding set and never looked back.
Set Scores
25-23, 13-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-11
Stat Leaders
Morgan Taylor — 16 kills, .085 pct, 17 digs
Hannah Lester — 15 kills, .281 pct, 3 block assists, 1 block solo
Jacque Luth — 13 kills, .209 pct, 2 block assists, 1 block solo
Allyson Rose — 9 kills, .280 pct, 2 block assists
Alyssa Mathews — 51 assists, 10 digs
Ariana Martinez — 20 digs
Coach Speak
"I thought we had a little more fight as we got deeper into the match. I was happy with our first set performance but I didn't feel like we were ready. We gained momentum as we got deeper into the match." — head coach Lana Smith
Number & Notes
• Simpson is now 3-5 in five-set matches in 2017 after playing in just one in all of 2016.
• Simpson evened its record against non-conference opponents to 8-8 on the year.
• After allowing Waldorf to hit .339 with 28 kills in sets two and three, the Storm defense held the Warriors to just 15 kills and a .056 hitting percentage in the final two sets.
• Mathews' 51 assists are the most by a Simpson player since Katie Kieffer had 65 against William Penn on Oct. 27, 2012.
Up Next
Simpson hosts Luther on Friday, Oct. 20 at Cowles Fieldhouse. The Norse (13-9) lost to St. Benedict in four sets on Oct. 14. Start time is set for 7:30 p.m.
