Storm fall to No. 9 Millikin in opening match of tournament

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Up against No. 9 Millikin to open the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament, the Storm fought hard but fell in four sets. 

The match opened with a close first and second set with the Storm (7-13) falling in both of the games, however, in the third set, Simpson fought back to keep themselves alive in the match. Unfortunately it was not enough for the team and they lost the match by falling in set four.

Emily Williams led the team in kills, tallying 12 for the Storm. Jada Schmidt and Peyton Mitchell were close behind with nine each. Morgan DenBeste led the team in assists with an outstanding 30 assist performance. Ella Meyer led the team in digs, putting up 18 total.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Storm opened up set one with a 3-0 run and a kill by Lauren Roman. Simpson increased its lead early on with a kill by Emmy Seiler and an ace by Jada Schmidt. At their best, the Storm had a 14-8 lead over No. 9 Millikin (25-3). A late run by the Big Blue led to a win in set one, 25-22.
• Simpson started down 4-0 in set two, but a kill by Jada Schmidt cut off the Millikin scoring run. The Storm fought hard to get back into the set with a pair of kills from Emily Williams, but they still remained down through the mid-set. Simpson fell in set two 25-17.
• Set three began with a defiant 6-0 run from the Storm, highlighted by Morgan DenBeste's back-to-back aces. Despite an attempt at a comeback from Millikin, the Storm held strong at 11-11 with another ace from DenBeste. A series of small runs by Simpson brought 25-22 victory in set three.
• Set four began with the Storm falling to a 5-0 run. Despite an early pair of back-to-back kills from Emily Williams, Simpson could not fight back from the large deficit. The Storm fell in set four 25-13.

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS

• Emily Williams: 12 kills, 10 digs, 1 ace
• Jada Schmidt: 9 kills, 1 ace
• Peyton Mitchell: 9 kills, 3 blocks
• Morgan DenBeste: 30 assists, 3 aces, 12 digs
• Ella Meyer: 18 digs

UP NEXT
The Storm return to play tomorrow to face off against Illinois Wesleyan at 10 a.m. followed by a match against Albion at noon. Both matches will take place in Bloomington, Ill. as part of the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament.