Volleyball comes up short at Buena Vista

STORM LAKE, Iowa — The Simpson College volleyball team dropped a three-set decision to Buena Vista on Wednesday evening. The Beavers used a pair of 25-17 set victories to take a 2-0 lead in the match before controlling the action in the final frame to claim the sweep with a 25-16 win.

The teams battled to a 10-10 draw in the first set before back-to-back aces by the Beavers (3-4, 3-4 A-R-C) ignited a 7-2 run. With the help of two kills from Lexie Parks, the Storm (2-5, 2-5 A-R-C) managed to pull within two at 17-15 but Buena Vista outscored the Storm 8-2 down the stretch to close out the first set 25-17.

The Storm trailed 15-9 midway through the second frame after the Beavers scored six unanswered points. Simpson pulled within 21-16 on a Marissa Salber block, but Buena Vista scored four of the last five points to take a two-set lead.

In the deciding set, the Storm found themselves in an early hole. The Beavers jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the teams traded the next eight points. Buena Vista pulled away with a 10-0 run, but the Storm battled back. Niya Harris fueled a 7-0 run with two kills and a block, but the comeback fell short as the Beavers held on to win 25-16.

Sydney McLaren tallied 10 kills, 14 digs and three aces to lead Buena Vista. Taylor Wedemeyer set up the attack with 34 assists.

Harris and Salber each knocked down eight kills for the Storm, while Parks had six. Salber distributed 19 assists and added 10 digs.

Up Next
Simpson lines up against Wartburg College on Saturday, March 20 for senior day. First serve is set for 1 p.m.