Gritty, positive, and unified are a few words mentioned by Simpson volleyball head coach Lana Smith to describe this season’s Simpson College volleyball team. 

The Storm were ranked ninth in the American Rivers Conference preseason rankings, but that doesn’t bother senior Hannah Lester. 

“We have better team culture and a lot of potential talent overall,” Lester said. 

Last season the Storm ended the season with a 9-18 record.

“We need to work hard and get one percent better everyday, that is a big thing this season,” senior Taylor Sudmann said. “Our goal is to beat our winning record from last year.”

Coach Smith is starting her 21st season with the Simpson volleyball team, tallying 335 career wins.

“We will get better as the season progresses and by the time of conference play,” Smith said.

Smith’s goal is for the team is to reach the top six in the A-R-C and make the conference tournament. She shared that all of the girls have the utmost respect for each other. 

Coach Smith also shared the team looks better than they have the past two seasons. 

Senior Alyssa Mathews is looking forward to the fresh faces and finding where those pieces fit into this year’s team. The experience of some of the team is one of the strengths of the squad this season.

This year they gained four freshmen which is different than past years. The new faces to the team bring a lot of energy and competition to the floor everyday. 

All of the girls emphasized team unity is a key part of the team culture. They plan on keeping the energy as positive as they can the entire season, and watching out for one another.

“I want to go out with a bang, regardless how we do, but hopefully winning,” Lester said. 

The Storm are 1-2 on the season, winning against Rockford and losing against Illinois College and Trine.

The volleyball team kicks off the home opener on Sept. 24 against Luther at Cowles Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m.