Storm survive another five-set battle to stay perfect in A-R-C play

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College women's volleyball team went the distance for the second match in a row, defeating Nebraska Wesleyan to open conference play 3-0 for the first time since 2009.

The Storm (14-3, 3-0 A-R-C) clawed their way through another thriller, taking the first two sets 29-27 and 25-22 before the Prairie Wolves (11-4, 1-2 A-R-C) forced a deciding fifth with 25-21 and 28-26 victories in sets three and four. Simpson regrouped in the final frame, using an early 6-0 run to build separation before closing things out 15-9.

The match was tied on 39 occasions and had 20 lead changes.

SET SUMMARIES

• 1st: Simpson scored the first four points of the night and later went ahead 18-15 after a 5-0 run, featuring back-to-back blocks from the trio of Peyton Mitchell, Emmy Seiler and Emily Williams. Nebraska Wesleyan rallied to go ahead 23-21, but a kill from Jada Schmidt followed by two from Lucia Gómez de Luis knotted things up at 24-24. The Prairie Wolves had set point at 27-26, but Simpson won three in a row to take the opener 29-27.
• 2nd: Simpson built a 10-6 advantage before the Prairie Wolves responded with a 7-1 run to grab a 17-15 lead. Maddie Dunham swung the momentum back with a pair of aces in a five-point surge, and late kills from Schmidt and Mitchell helped the Storm close it out 25-22 for a 2-0 match lead.
• 3rd: The third set stayed tight with ties at 19, 20, and 21 before the Prairie Wolves rattled off the final four points to extend the match.
• 4th: Simpson shook off the third-set loss quickly, racing out to 7-1 and 12-4 leads. The Prairie Wolves chipped away and closed within one at 15-14, but Emily Williams delivered key kills to keep the Storm in front. Simpson held match point twice, only to see Nebraska Wesleyan rally and push the set to extras. Williams added two more kills before the Prairie Wolves scored three straight points to force a fifth.
• 5th: The Storm wasted no time in the decider, using 6-0 and 3-0 runs to create a six-point cushion at 10-4. Simpson answered every push from the visitors the rest of the way, and Gómez de Luis hammered down the final point to finish off the 15-9 victory.

STORM LEADERS

• Peyton Mitchell: 15 kills, 9 blocks
• Emily Williams: 14 kills, 3 digs, 2 blocks
• Jada Schmidt: 10 kills, 19 digs, 5 blocks
• Morgan DenBeste: 33 assists, 13 digs, 5 kills
• Hannah Jansen: 30 digs, 6 assists
• Maddie Dunham: 21 digs, 4 aces

NOTES

• Simpson begins conference play with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2009.
• The Storm collect just their second win over the Prairie Wolves since 2006.
• Simpson improves to 5-1 in five set matches this season.
• Jada Schmidt has tallied three consecutive double-doubles since moving to the middle.

UP NEXT
Simpson plays a pair of nonconference games in Platteville, Wis. next Friday. The Storm will take on North Park at 3 p.m. followed by Wis.-Platteville at 7 p.m. Both opponents are receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll.