Storm split on first day in River Falls

RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- The Simpson volleyball team avenged a five-set loss to Hamline earlier in the season, splitting its first two matches at the UW-River Falls Invitational on Friday. The Storm beat Hamline in three sets before falling to Saint Benedict in four.

The Storm are now 5-7 on the year, moving head coach Lana Smith one win closer to a career milestone. With the win over Hamline, Smith now has 331 career wins, one shy of tying the late Shelley (Scott) O'Meara for the most wins in school history.

Simpson closes the tournament Saturday against St. Catherine (10:30 a.m. ) and St. Thomas (12:30 p.m.).

Simpson 3, Hamline 0
Set Scores: 25-21, 25-23, 25-13

Megan LeMay, Hannah Lester and Lexie Parks finished with nine kills apiece to lead an efficient Storm attack. LeMay didn't commit an error in compiling a .500 hitting percentage while Lester hit at a .400 clip. Alyssa Mathews handed out 31 assists, Ariana Martinez had 18 digs and Madison Hawtrey filled the stat sheet with six kills, 11 digs and three service aces.

St. Benedict 3, Simpson 1
Set Scores: 25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21

LeMay had another big match, finishing with a team-high 11 kills while hitting at a .455 clip. Hawtrey added 10 kills and eight digs while Morgan Taylor and Madison Fleer added seven kills apiece. Mathews handed out 37 assists and Martinez led the back row with 21 digs.

A much improved Storm squad took the second set from Saint Benedict just one week after losing to the Blazers in three. Simpson lost by an average of 12.3 points per set in the first meeting.