Storm fight hard in conference opener, come up short against Neb. Wesleyan

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Storm fell to conference opponent Nebraska Wesleyan tonight in Lincoln, despite outstanding performances from many of the women on the team.

Simpson (6-9, 0-1 A-R-C) hit the road tonight to face off in their first American Rivers Conference matchup against the Prairie Wolves (13-3, 1-0 A-R-C), but came up short in a five-set competition, the team's sixth straight. The Storm started strong, winning the first set. NWU took sets two and three, but the Simpson women held on in the fourth set to get a win and force a fifth set.

Amidst the loss, many players for the team had standout nights, including Emily Williams and Emmy Seiler who each had 16 kills. Jada Schmidt added 14 kills while Morgan DenBeste secured 25 assists. Ella Meyer totaled 24 digs to lead the team in that category.

Both Emily Williams and Morgan DenBeste recorded double-doubles in tonight's matchup. Williams recorded her double-double with kills and digs while DenBeste recorded her double-double with assists and digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Set one started strong for the Storm with a kill by Peyton Mitchell, assisted by Morgan DenBeste. The team gained an early 4-0 run with a kill by Emily Williams, and they held that lead through the rest of the match. Their lead grew wider when the Storm went on another 4-0 run late in the match. A kill by Emmy Seiler ended set one 25-19 in favor of Simpson.
• A kill by Jada Schmidt opened set two on a strong note for the Storm, followed by an ace from Schmidt as well to start an early run for the team. Simpson held its lead until a fight back from NWU tied the game at 21-21. The Storm fell 25-23 in set two.
• The Storm started down in the third set, but a mid-set 3-0 run, starting with a kill by Emmy Seiler, brought the team back within striking distance. NWU went on an 8-0 run late in the set, but Simpson never gave up. The Storm went on three more runs at the end of the set with multiple kills from Emily Williams. Simpson lost set three by just two points, 25-23.
• An early 4-0 run for the Storm was exactly how the team wanted to start the fourth set, with a kill by Emily Williams. The two teams went back and forth for the remainder of the set, but a strong attack from Emmy Seiler, assisted by Ella Meyer, helped the Storm to a fourth-set victory 25-20.
• In a crucial fifth set, the Storm opened strong on a 3-0 run with kills from Peyton Mitchell and Kylie McVey. Simpson fell to a mid-set 6-0 run that was cut off by a Courtney Paxton kill. The Storm couldn't catch up from the deficit and fell to NWU in the fifth set 15-8.

STORM STANDOUTS

• Emily Williams: 16 kills, 21 digs, 2 blocks
• Morgan DenBeste: 25 assists, 20 digs
• Emmy Seiler: 16 kills, 3 digs
• Ella Meyer: 24 digs, 8 assists
• Jada Schmidt: 13 kills, 4 blocks, 1 ace
• Lauren Roman: 6 blocks

UP NEXT
The Storm will travel to Dubuque to face off against Loras for their next American Rivers Conference matchup on October 11th at 6 p.m.