Storm close out weekend tournament with two hard-fought wins

GRINNELL, IOWA – The Simpson College women's' volleyball team closed out its weekend tournament in dominant fashion this morning.

First, the Storm women fought their way to a five-set victory against Rose-Hulman, led by Morgan DenBeste's five aces (a career high), Emily Williams' 16 kills, and Emmy Seiler's 14 kills.

In the second match of the day, the Storm swept opponent St. Scholastica, led by standouts Emmy Seiler and Emily Williams with six kills each. Peyton Mitchell added five kills and Ella Meyer picked up 12 digs.

GAME ONE SUMMARY

• The Storm played a close first set, staying even with opponent Rose-Hulman throughout the set. The team dropped seven straight points late in the first set, falling 25-20.
• Simpson came out strong in set two, with kills from Emily Williams and Lauren Roman to start off an 8-0 run. The Storm continued to go on to a mid-set 4-0 run to bring the score to 18-7. The Storm won set two 25-15.
• Set three began with an early lead from the Storm, putting them up 7-4. Rose-Hulman brought the score back to a tie, and the lead changed multiple times throughout the close set. Simpson dropped set three 25-22.
• Simpson attacked early in set four with a 3-0 run to begin the match. Four kills from Emily Williams put the Storm on a late 9-0 run, bringing the score to 21-12. The Storm won set four 25-15 with an ace from Lauren Roman.
• In a deciding fifth set, the Storm came out as the aggressors with an ace from Morgan DenBeste and an early 3-1 lead. The set continued as a back-and-forth game with many ties during the set. Simpson took the fifth set, and the match, with a 15-11 victory.

GAME ONE TOP CONTRIBUTORS

• Emily Williams: 16 kills, 1 block, 1 ace
• Morgan DenBeste: 21 assists, 14 digs, 5 aces
• Emmy Seiler: 14 kills, 5 digs, 1.5 blocks
• Lauren Roman: 6 kills, 3 aces, 3 blocks
• Ella Meyer: 28 digs, 7 assists, 1 ace

GAME TWO SUMMARY

• Simpson came out strong against St. Scholastica with a 7-0 run to begin set one, led by Morgan DenBeste's three straight service aces. The Storm held their lead, finishing the set on a kill from Courtney Paxton with a score of 25-16.
• The Storm started set two just as strong with an early 4-0 lead. Simpson held and grew this lead throughout the second set, finishing the set 25-20.
• Set three kicked off with a kill by Emily Williams, setting the tone for the rest of the set. The Storm held the lead to finish the set, and the match, 25-14.

GAME TWO TOP CONTRIBUTORS

• Emmy Seiler: 6 kills, 1.5 blocks
• Emily Williams: 6 kills, 2 aces
• Peyton Mitchell: 5 kills, 2 aces
• Morgan DenBeste: 13 assists, 4 aces
• Ella Meyer: 12 digs, 2 aces

WEEKEND STANDOUTS FOR THE STORM

• Emmy Seiler: 33 kills, 6 blocks
• Morgan DenBeste: 54 assists, 14 aces
• Emily Williams: 28 kills
• Ella Meyer: 66 digs

NOTES

• Morgan DenBeste recorded a career-high five aces in the Storm's victory over Rose-Hulman.
• The Storm begin their season 3-1, their best opening weekend since 2022.

UP NEXT
The Storm will travel to River Falls, Wis. next weekend to compete at the UW-River Falls Tournament. Their next game is Friday against Saint Benedict at 5 p.m.