PELLA, Iowa — The Knox College volleyball team suffered a pair of 3-0 losses on Tuesday evening at Central College, falling to 3-0 Simpson College, 25-16, 25-18, 25-11, before the host Dutch (3-2) handed the Prairie Fire (0-6) a 25-16, 25-16, 25-14 defeat.

The opener began well for Knox, which won six of the first seven points, and the set was tied as late as 14-all. That's when Simpson strung together eight consecutive points to build up an insurmountable advantage. The Storm thundered its way to a 15-2 lead in the second game, but had trouble shaking the Fire, which fended off six consecutive match point plays before succumbing, 25-18. The third set was all Simpson as Knox mustered just a pair of kills as the Storm completed the sweep.

Against Central, the Prairie Fire kept within striking distance for most of the first set, trailing just 18-14 before the Dutch won six of the next seven points to take control. Central turned an 8-6 lead into a 15-7 bulge with a strong run in the second set, then kept Knox at arm's length. And in the final set, the two sides traded points that led to a 6-5 Prairie Fire edge before three straight points gave the Dutch the advantage for good, though Knox was still within three at 14-11.

• Playing without kills leader Elle Haddon, Knox turned to sophomore Maria Jabor Jahn in the opener, and she produced seven kills and a .312 attack percentage.
• In the second set, sophomore Zoe Thunhurst was the big offensive weapon, matching a career high with nine kills to go with a .250 attack percentage.
• Senior Sam Black was active for the Prairie Fire defense, collecting a combined 28 digs on the evening, including 18 against Central.

This weekend, Knox will play four matches at the Rose-Hulman Invitational, beginning Friday at 5 p.m. (EDT) against Anderson University, followed by a showdown Ohio Northern after the Prairie Fire's first match.