OSKALOOSA, IA – Stellar performances by Katie Kieffer (58 assists), Mackenzie McGraw (16 kills), and Tabitha Blaser (20 kills), gave the Storm enough to beat the Lady Statesmen, 3-2 in five sets (25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8) Monday.

Despite dropping sets two and three, the Storm (4-2) were able to regroup to take sets four and five by hitting .194 and .429 in the fourth and fifth sets respectively. The Storm were down 14-9 in a must-win fourth set before they rallied behind seven straight points to go ahead and force a fifth set.

Simpson dominated the fifth set as the Lady Statesman managed to only get eight points after hitting a dismal .059.

The Lady Statesmen (2-8) were led by Kylie Giger and Kayce Skocko who had 15 kills apiece. The Storm have now defeated William Penn in consecutive years.

Simpson’s Olivia Suentic contributed with 17 assists and 12 digs, while Torey Buenger matched Suentic with 13 total points. Kayla Aronow led the Storm with a robust 30 digs.

Simpson jumps into the season’s second tournament with the Gustavus Invitational this weekend. The Storm are guaranteed to play four matches, beginning with Augsburg College at 6 p.m. on Friday.