Central sweeps Simpson in league volleyball opener
Central College
INDIANOLA—Icing the Simpson College offense, the Central College volleyball squad cruised to a 25-20, 25-11, 25-21 victory over the Storm Wednesday night in Indianola.
Central held Simpson to a -.018 hitting percentage in the Iowa Conference opener for both teams.
“We broke their offensive rhythm,” coach Kent Clayberg said. “We did a nice job containing their middle hitter. We served intelligently and although we didn’t get a ton of blocks, we touched a lot of balls and changed their swing.”
Middle hitter Kiley Meyers (senior, Grundy Center) and right-side hitter Caitlin Kouba (senior, Dubuque, Wahlert HS) led the Dutch attack with nine kills apiece, followed by middle hitter Jessica Laflin (freshman, Phoenix, Ariz., Horizon Honors HS) with six.
“We struggled to find our own offensive rhythm in the first set but got a nice flow going in the second set,” Clayberg said. “Our hitters did a better job transitioning and putting themselves in positions to be powerful.”
Setter Maggie Snyder (senior, Alexandria, Minn., Jefferson HS) handed out 27 assists. Libero Chelsea Grieger (senior, Pella) tallied 19 digs and outside hitter Amy Golly (senior, Ankeny) had 14. Meyers also posted four blocks, including two solo.
Clayberg highlighted Central’s determination.
“It’s the first time we’ve played in front of a big crowd, in a place with volume and energy,” Clayberg said. “It was good to see our players deal with the emotion, keep their focus and follow the game plan. They kept their faith in the team and their faith in each other and found a way to get it done.”
Central improves to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in league play while Simpson drops to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
The Dutch compete at the Wis.-Platteville Invitational this weekend in Platteville, Wis. Central squares off against Millikin (Ill.) (4-0) Friday at 6 p.m. and Monmouth (Ill.) (2-2) at 8 p.m. Saturday Central meets Edgewood (Wis.) at 10 a.m. and No. 19-ranked Platteville at noon.
“It will be a good, challenging tournament,” Clayberg said. “Each school plays at different rhythms. It’s another chance to see to see how we match up and adjust.”
