Storm fall to league-leading Wartburg in straight sets

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The Simpson volleyball team hosted the top team in the American Rivers Conference Tuesday night but could not pull of the upset over Wartburg and lost 3-0 inside Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (8-12, 0-4 American Rivers) held on tight during the opening set, but fell 25-19. In the second, the Knights (16-7, 4-0 American Rivers) began with an 11-2 surge to help take the set, 25-9. The visitors claimed the match and kept a perfect league mark with a closing set score of 25-18 to claim the sweep.

Simpson battled during the first set as the score was stalled at 18-18 as the Storm came back from a four-point deficit. Wartburg would stop the scoring spree and finish it off on a 7-1 streak. The Knights held the gap the whole second set to go out in front at 2-0. Simpson looked like it was going to force a fourth set as the squad had a 6-4 tilt in the beginning of the third, but Wartburg held on to make it an 8-8 contest. The Knights would use a 9-3 spurt to make it 17-11 and would hang on to clinch the victory.

Wartburg hit .258 for the night while the Storm tallied a -.026 hitting clip on the attack. Hannah Lester paced the offense with six kills. Alyssa Mathews accounted for 14 of the team's 19 assists and came two digs shy of having a double-double with eight. Ariana Martinez led the back row with 11 digs.

Tonight's game meant more than just volleyball as Simpson hosted a Dig Pink Match to show support and raise money for breast cancer research. Events leading up to and during the contest brought awareness to the disease and gave fans a chance to reflect on loved ones who have been affected by the disease.

Up Next
The Storm stay home for another A-R-C battle on Friday as Coe visits for a 7 p.m. showdown. Simpson will honor its three seniors, Hannah Lester, Alyssa Mathews and Taylor Sudmann, before the match.