Simpson cruises to third straight sweep

PELLA, Iowa – The Simpson women's volleyball team kept its hot start rolling with a 3-0 sweep of Knox on Tuesday night in Pella.

The Storm (3-0) controlled every phase in the straight-sets win (25-16, 25-18, 25-11), piling up 37 kills and 12 service aces while holding the Prairie Fire (0-5) to just 14 kills across the match.

Peyton Mitchell continued her strong opening week with 12 kills on a .588 hitting clip to go with three aces. Morgan DenBeste added eight kills, three aces, and nine assists, while Emily Williams (11) and Maddie Dunham (10) anchored the defense with 21 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 | Simpson 25, Knox 16
Knox opened with a six-point burst to grab the early momentum, but Simpson answered right back as Hannah Jansen delivered three straight aces to close the gap. From there, Peyton Mitchell caught fire, going 4-for-4 on her swings during a 9-1 run that pushed the Storm firmly in front on the way to a 25-16 win.

Set 2 | Simpson 25, Knox 18
The Storm came out blazing with a 15-2 advantage behind a 10-point surge that featured four more kills from Mitchell and an assisted block with Jada Schmidt. With the cushion in hand, Simpson spread the reps across the lineup and still rolled to a 25-18 finish.

Set 3 | Simpson 25, Knox 11
Simpson closed the door in dominant fashion, ripping off 5-0 and 9-0 runs to build a 16-5 edge. The defense allowed just two Knox kills in the frame while forcing six errors, sealing the sweep with a 25-11 final.

STORM STANDOUTS

• Peyton Mitchell: 12 kills (.588), 3 aces, 2 blocks
• Morgan DenBeste: 8 kills, 9 assists, 3 aces
• Lauren Dockendorff: 13 assists, 4 digs
• Emily Williams: 4 kills, 11 digs, 2 blocks
• Maddie Dunham: 10 digs, 3 assists

NOTES

• Simpson improves to a perfect 5-0 in the head-to-head series with Knox. The two teams last met in 2012. 

UP NEXT
Simpson will put its perfect start to the season to the test in River Falls, Wis. this weekend. The Storm are set to face Carleton and Wis.-River Falls on Friday followed by North Park and Bethel on Saturday.