Simpson falls short in home opener

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson College volleyball looked to start its home slate on a high note Tuesday night, but Central had other ideas. The Dutch walked away from Cowles Fieldhouse with a 3-2 victory with set scores of 12-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 15-9.

The momentum was still going strong for the Storm (1-1, 1-1 A-R-C) after Saturday's victory over league-favorite Dubuque at the start of tonight's showdown. With the help of two kills from reigning American Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Week, junior Lexie Parks, Simpson had an early 5-0 lead.

Senior Kamryn Juni provided a punch on the attack with three kills to push the advantage to 13-3. Juni finished with six kills in the first set to help the Storm claim an early 1-0 lead over Central (1-1, 1-1 A-R-C).

In the second, Simpson owned a 10-7 tilt before the visitors tallied a 4-1 run to knot the set at 11-11. The teams remained tied through 15-15 until a kill by Central's Krissa Larson propelled the Dutch to four-straight points. The Storm rebounded to bring the game to two at 23-21, but Central ended things with two kills.

Simpson and the Dutch could not find an edge in the third as the teams were tied 11 times and traded leads on six occasions. Juni led the attack once more by clubbing six kills in the frame. Sophomore Marissa Salber dished out nine assists to help the squad go up 2-1.

Central started strong in the fourth by garnering an early 6-0 lead. Simpson fought back to take an 8-6 advantage as senior Madison Fleer collected two kills and the Dutch committed three attack errors. A kill from Juni pushed the game to 15-10 in favor of the Storm. A 6-1 run by the Dutch proved costly as they gained momentum to steal the set at 25-22. Central collected 16 kills and three aces in the frame.

The Dutch held the lead the whole fifth set for their second victory in a row over the Storm.

Juni paced the offense with a career-high 17 kills, while Parks added 11 and Fleer had 10. Senior Ariana Martinez filled the back row with 31 digs, only her third time receiving over 30 digs in a contest. Freshman Rachel Hardwick had 18 digs in her first match at home and Salber ended with 32 assists.

Serving was a difference maker for Simpson as the offense collected 11 aces, the most by an A-R-C team this season. Hardwick had five, while senior Emmalyn Pratt and Martinez each had two.

Up Next
Simpson looks to get back in the win column this Saturday with a road trip to Dubuque to take on Loras (2-0, 2-0 A-R-C) at noon.