Simpson defeats No. 21 Cornell in weekend finale

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Simpson College women's volleyball team split its games on Saturday, taking home a big win over No. 21 Cornell College after dropping a morning matchup to Augsburg.

The team was led by Emily Williams' 14 kills in their victory against Cornell College, followed by Blayne Koster's 10 kills. In the morning match against Augsburg, the team was led by Emmy Seiler's nine kills and Courtney Paxton's seven kills. Ella Meyer was the dig leader in their early matchup with 19 digs. Audrey Behrens recorded a career-best five aces in the team's win against Cornell College. Their five-set victory brings the team to 5-5 on the season.

GAME ONE SUMMARY:

• Set one started out neck-and-neck as the Storm and Augsburg went back and forth up until Simpson took the 8-7 lead. Augsburg went on a 7-0 run in the middle of the set to take the lead 14-8. Simpson fell in set one 25-20.
• The Storm fell to a 3-0 run to start the second set, but they regained the lead at 8-7 on a kill from Courtney Paxton. The score stayed nearly tied for the remainder of the set until Augsburg closed the game with a 25-21 win.
• Simpson began the third sets with a pair of kills from Emmy Seiler. Augsburg went on a 6-0 run in the middle of the set. The Storm went point-for-point with Augsburg with Simpson still down 14-9. A late run for Augsburg finished the game with a loss for the Storm 25-15.

GAME ONE STANDOUTS:

• Emmy Seiler: 9 kills, 2 digs, 2 block assists
• Courtney Paxton: 7 kills, 2 block assists
• Emily Williams: 6 kills, 5 digs, 2 block assists
• Ella Meyer: 19 digs, 1 ace
• Audrey Behrens: 11 assists, 1 ace, 6 digs

GAME TWO SUMMARY:

• The set began with back and forth play from both teams until the Storm went on a 3-0 run with a kill from Emmy Seiler. The game continued with many ties until another run from the Storm that was seven straight points with two aces from Emily Williams. Simpson took set one 25-22.
• The Storm started up early with a 7-6 lead marked by a kill from Lauren Roman. Cornell went on a 5-0 run to take an 11-7 lead in the middle of the set. The Storm fell on a 4-0 run by Cornell to close the set 25-18.
• Simpson opened with a 3-0 run in set three with two aces by Morgan DenBeste. A mid-set run by the Storm brought the lead to 13-5 in favor of Simpson with two kills by Courtney Paxton. Their early lead stuck for the remainder of the match, with Simpson taking set three 25-18.
• The Storm fell to a 4-0 run to start set four, however they went on a 3-0 run to bring the score back to 6-4 in favor of Cornell. The Storm fell to another late run in the game and Cornell took the set 25-18.
• In the decisive set five, Simpson had an early 3-0 run with a couple of kills from Emily Williams. Another 5-0 run later in the set helped the Storm to a 9-3 lead with an ace by Audrey Behrens. The Storm won the game on a kill by Peyton Mitchell to close the set, and the match, 15-10.

GAME TWO STANDOUTS:

• Emily Williams: 14 kills, 3 aces, 3 digs
• Blayne Koster: 10 kills, 2 block assists, 4 digs
• Emmy Seiler: 7 kills, 5 block assists
• Audrey Behrens: 17 assists, 5 aces, 13 digs

WEEKEND'S BEST:

• Emily Williams: 20 kills, 8 digs, 3 block assists, 3 aces
• Emmy Seiler: 16 kills, 7 block assists, 3 digs
• Blayne Koster: 13 kills, 2 aces, 2 block assists, 3 digs
• Courtney Paxton: 12 kills, 7 block assists, 3 digs
• Ella Meyer: 24 digs, 7 assists, 1 ace
• Audrey Behrens: 28 assists, 6 aces, 19 digs

UP NEXT:
Simpson will return to the court on Wednesday, Sept. 18 to face off against Grinnell at 6 p.m. before a weekend tournament in Waverly, Iowa.