Southeast Missourian Player of the Week: Brooke Simpson

Scott City's Brooke Simpson earned plenty of accolades in her high school volleyball career. She is an all-state performer who was named the 2008 Southeast Missourian Player of the Year.

Now a senior, Simpson has stepped up her game as her team's schedule has taken a step up in difficulty.

Simpson helped the second-ranked, Class 2 Rams breeze past the No. 2 team in Class 1, Leopold, 25-10, 25-19 before leading her team to straight-game victories over perennial powerhouse Bell City and Winona.

Simpson had 34 kills combined in the three victories and 27 total digs. She also added seven aces while intimidating opponents from her middle blocker position on defense.

The Rams are now 18-2 on the season but are still ranked behind Hermann, the team that beat them in the Class 2 state championship game a year ago, in the state rankings.

An eventual rematch would probably mean another step up in difficulty for Simpson, and she'll almost certainly be ready.