The Simpson women’s volleyball team put a stop to Central College’s eight-game win streak on Wednesday, Oct. 1, on the home court. The Storm is now 13-3 for the season, after coming out on top in the five-set battle against Central, who is now 13-6.
After losing the first set 27-25, Simpson came back, winning the next two 25-16 and 25-17. Central won the fourth set 25-22, but Simpson finished the game strong and claimed the fifth set, 15-11.
Students and fans packed Cowles Fieldhouse, and senior Peyton Mitchell said the student section was the most involved she has ever seen in her time at Simpson.
Junior Jada Schmidt said the team has loved being able to feed off of the crowd and keep the energy high.
“With the student body being there, I definitely think the energy just flows between the court and student body, and it’s really fun having that big game atmosphere,” Schmidt said.
For most of the team, this game was more than just a victory over their rivals.
Schmidt put up 15 kills, and a career high of 18 digs, and two 2 blocks against the Dutch. These stats gave Schmidt her second double-double in a row.
A double-double means a player individually achieves a double-digit total in two out of five of the following categories: kills, blocks, digs, aces, or assists.
Sophomore Lucia Gómez de Luiz was another standout player, achieving a career high in kills with 18 in a match, along with seven digs.
Schmidt was named American Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the week on Sept. 29 for her stellar display. Schmidt said receiving this award felt good.
“I’m thankful for my teammates’ help; I couldn’t do it without any one of them,” she said.
Seniors Peyton Mitchell and Morgan DenBeste joined Schmidt in obtaining awards, both named to the Wisconsin River Falls Falcon Invitational All-Tournament Team. This honor goes to the standout players from the teams that competed in the tournament. DenBeste was also awarded Simpson’s Female Student Athlete of the Month for September.
“It’s a good feeling to get Athlete of the Month, it’s super exciting, but obviously I just want to do it all for my teammates,” DenBeste said.
For the women’s volleyball team, this season is all about playing for each other. A sense of connection runs deep on the team, especially for Schmidt, Mitchell, and DenBeste, who all played together at Ankeny Centennial High School. This trio has brought their chemistry and team culture from high school to the collegiate level.
“It’s a nice feeling knowing that I’m playing next to someone who I kind of grew up with,” Schmidt said.
All three girls said that they were proud of the team’s performance during the game.
“I was proud of how we stuck together. We were able to rely on each other to put the ball away,” Mitchell said.
The Storm will be on the court once again at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. versus North Park University and Wisconsin-Platteville.
