Indianola, Iowa – Nebraska Wesleyan volleyball went toe-to-toe with one of the American Rivers Conference's hottest teams Friday night, but Simpson defended its home court in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (29-27, 25-22, 21-25, 26-28, 15-9) inside Cowles Fieldhouse.
The loss moves NWU to 11-4 overall and 1-2 in league play, while Simpson extended its winning streak to three matches, improving to 14-3 and 3-0 in the A-R-C.
Despite falling behind two sets to none, the Prairie Wolves showed remarkable fight, storming back with clutch performances in sets three and four to force a decisive fifth. Balanced offense and gritty defense highlighted the night for NWU, who out-dug Simpson 113–101 and matched their energy point for point until the final stretch.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One: Simpson 29, NWU 27
The opener set the tone for the evening as both sides traded lengthy rallies and momentum swings. After trailing 21-17, Nebraska Wesleyan responded with a 7-3 run behind kills from Jera Schuerman and Macy Plucker, along with a kill by Ava Stone, to get it to set point at 24-22. The set saw 10 ties and four lead changes, with Simpson finally escaping 29-27 on a kill from Jada Schmidt.
Set Two: Simpson 25, NWU 22
The Storm used a 6-2 mid-set surge to grab control. NWU tied the match at 22 after a pair of errors points from the Storm, but Simpson's front line answered late to secure the 25-22 win and a 2-0 match advantage.
Set Three: NWU 25, Simpson 21
Facing elimination, the Prairie Wolves flipped the momentum. NWU hit .130 in the third, their best efficiency to that point, while holding Simpson to just .074. Plucker sparked the offense with five kills in the frame, and libero Raegan Holle kept rallies alive with a string of clutch digs. A late 4-0 push, punctuated by Ava Stone's back-to-back service ace, sealed the 25-21 victory and extended the match.
Set Four: NWU 28, Simpson 26
The most dramatic set of the night saw four ties and three lead changes. Nebraska Wesleyan leaned on its veterans in crunch time: Schuerman and Molly Ramirez each posted timely kills, while setter Elecea Saathoff distributed 18 assists in the frame alone. Simpson served for the match at 26-25, but NWU responded with three straight points from Plucker and Kobie Patten for a 28-26 win to force the decisive fifth.
Set Five: Simpson 15, NWU 9
The fifth set began trading the first couple of points, but Simpson proved the difference down the stretch. The Storm closed the match on a 7-5 run.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Macy Plucker - paced the Prairie Wolves with 20 kills and 19 digs, finishing with her fifth double-double of the season.
- Molly Ramirez - added 18 kills, a new season high, while also contributing seven digs.
- Elecea Saathoff - ran the offense with 51 assists and 17 digs, her seventh double-double.
- Raegan Holle - anchored the back row with a match-high 26 digs.
- As a team, NWU tallied 65 kills to Simpson's 57 and held a 113-101 advantage in digs. However, the Storm controlled the net with 15 total blocks compared to NWU's five, and Simpson's late efficiency in sets four and five ultimately swung the match.
UP NEXT
Nebraska Wesleyan continues their road trip up to Minnesota tomorrow, for a key pair of key nonconference matchups at St. Olaf. The Prairie Wolves start by playing the Oles at 1:00 p.m.
