INDIANOLA, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The future became bleak on Tuesday night as the Duhawks fell in five sets to Simpson College. Loras' best chance to earn a spot in the Iowa Conference Tournament required them to win their final two conference games. Now, with Loras sitting at 1-5 in conference play, they'll require assistance from the higher seeds if they hope to extend their season.
 
Simpson opened the match with a convincing showing, keeping Loras to a meager .026 attack percentage. Both sides put forth a similar number of attacks, but the difference came in the conversions. The Storm completed 18 of their 51 attacks while the Duhawks settled for six out of 43, resulting in a 25-20 set one victory for Simpson.
 
Loras responded well in set two, charging out of the gate on an 11-1 run. A timeout by Simpson attempted to dull the Duhawks' momentum, but it could do nothing to swing the pendulum in their favor.
 
The adjustments Loras made in set two proved to be effective as they maintained their advantage throughout the entire set. Whenever Simpson would attempt to mount a comeback, the Duhawks were right there to respond. The biggest adjustment for Loras was their attack as six different players recorded kills, which played a large role in the Duhawks' 25-15 win.
 
Set three played out much like the opener with Simpson grabbing the momentum early. Throughout the early goings, both sides traded short runs, but neither side was able to pull away, although Simpson maintained the lead.
 
Whenever the Duhawks would look as though they were ready to steal the show, they'd commit an error, giving the momentum right back to Simpson. Time and time again, Loras would make the athletic play to get to a hard hit ball, but the ensuing dig went awry, resulting in a point for the Storm.
 
Playing like their season depended on it, Loras came out in set four with a renewed sense of urgency. The Duhawks converted 16 of their 41 attacks and only committed one error, resulting in a .366 attack percentage.
 
For the first time all night, Loras looked as though they were going to be able to build on their play over a stoppage as they ran out to a 6-2 lead in the fifth set. Just as things were looking up, the wheels came off in disastrous fashion as Simpson rambled off 12 straight points to take a commanding 14-6 lead. Loras staved off the inevitable for a short while, scoring three points before eventually falling 15-9.
 
The loss moves Loras to 11-16 overall and 1-5 in the Iowa Conference.