Simpson volleyball hosts Central in home opener

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The Simpson College volleyball team hosts Central on Tuesday in the home opener. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m. inside Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (1-0, 1-0 A-R-C) provided the American Rivers Conference with an upset right away by knocking off the league favorite, Dubuque (0-1, 0-1 A-R-C), 3-2 on Saturday. The Dutch (0-1, 0-1 A-R-C) were on the losing end of a 3-1 match yesterday against Coe.

MATCH 2
Central (0-1, 0-1 A-R-C) at Simpson (1-0, 1-0 A-R-C)
Tuesday, Feb. 23 | 7:30 p.m.
Cowles Fieldhouse | Indianola, Iowa
Live Video | Live Stats

SIMPSON ATTENDANCE POLICY
The general public, faculty and staff are still not permitted to watch contests in-person, while student-athletes and coaches from both teams will be permitted two spectators that can attend, in addition to the 25 students. All spectators will be required to wear a mask and maintain a distance of six feet from others.

Click HERE for the full release from Simpson Athletics.

A-R-C PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll was announced last Friday with Dubuque being tabbed first after winning the league tournament in 2019, followed by the reigning regular season champions, Wartburg ... Coe, Nebraska Wesleyan, Loras, Buena Vista, Central and Luther fill out the remaining six spots with Simpson in ninth.

CENTRAL SERIES NOTES
Over the last five matches in the series, the Dutch hold a 3-2 advantage ... this is the first time since the 2015 season that Simpson has not opened conference play against Central ... the Storm had a quick 2-1 lead in last year's match, but the Dutch were able to upend their rivals, 3-2, after a 17-15 fifth set to close it out.

RECENT RESULTS
Sept. 18, 2019 – L, 3-2 (Pella)
Sept. 11, 2018 – W, 3-0 (Indianola)
Sept. 12, 2017 – L, 3-1 (Pella)
Sept. 13, 2016 – L, 3-1 (Indianola)
Oct. 27, 2015 – W, 3-1 (Indianola)

ABOUT THE DUTCH
Central was picked to finish seventh in the A-R-C Preseason Coaches' Poll last week after a 17-13 overall record and 2-6 mark in league play in 2019 ... the Dutch opened their season Sunday in a 3-0 loss to Coe ... Krissa Larson led the team with 11 kills, while Alicia Wendler dished out 22 assists ... Landry Luhring paced the defense with 14 digs.

LAST TIME OUT
Simpson opened the season in winning fashion after a 3-2 victory over Dubuque on Saturday ... Dubuque won the first set before the Storm took the next two to take a lead ... the Spartans prevailed in set four and Simpson owned the advantage in the final set to win 15-13 … this is the team's first league victory since Oct. 19, 2019.

UP NEXT
The Storm close out February with a match at Loras (1-0, 1-0 A-R-C) this Saturday. The contest will begin at noon.