Muristek
After being swept in Surprise on September 17, Westmont Volleyball (13-6, 7-2 GSAC) avenged themselves in Santa Barbara on Friday night against OUAZ (10-9, 5-5 GSAC). The visiting Spirit took the first set soundly, before the Warriors found their footing and three-consecutive wins to take the match.
“We got the monkey off our back tonight, for sure,” said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. “Our serving was not good, but our passing picked up, and our blocking picked up when we needed it to. We started to rip balls as the night went on too, and it was enough to get the job done in the end.”
In the first set, OUAZ opened the night on an 8-3 run, setting the tone for the first game’s result. Minutes later, Westmont trimmed the deficit to 10-8, which was as close as the team would get from there on out. Trailing 13-9, Westmont allowed OUAZ to go on a 5-0 run to lead 18-9, all but ending the set.
Eventually, Westmont’s eighth attacking error of the set gave the Spirit a dominant 25-14 lead to open the night.
In the second set, Westmont arrived once the game entered double-digits. Up 10-9, a kill from Sara Krueger sparked a four-point run that included back-to-back service aces from Keelyn Kistner, putting Westmont up 14-9. The Spirit clawed back and got within a pair at 18-16, but Westmont answered with another four-point swing, this time capped off by a kill from Taylor Distelberg.
A service error from OUAZ ended the set 25-18 in favor of Westmont, tying the match at one.
In set three, Westmont flipped momentum for good, scoring the first three points of the game, and never letting the Spirit get back within one. With Westmont leading 8-6, the Warriors scored on four consecutive opportunities which included a kill from Lexi Malone and another pair of aces from Kistner.
The Spirit stopped the run for a moment, thanks to an attacking error from Phoebe Minch, but the halt was short-lived for OUAZ. A kill from Ashely Boswell put Westmont up 13-7, and sent Minch to the service line. Then, Minch served for six consecutive possessions while Westmont built their lead to 18-7.
Up 20-10, Westmont closed out the set on a 5-1 run to win it 25-11.
The fourth set proved to be the match’s closest contest. As the set grew later, Westmont led 23-20, and 24-22, but the Spirit would not go down gently, forcing the set beyond the usual 25-point conclusion. Up 25-24, and 26-25, Westmont committed their 14th and 15th service errors of the match, giving the Spirit extra lives with a fifth set looming.
Ironically, a service error from OUAZ, followed by an attacking error from the Spirit, brought the match to an end with a 29-27 win in favor of Westmont.
Jessie Terlizzi led the Warriors with 13 kills, while Boswell and Distelberg each added eight of their own. Kistner collected five service aces, while also leading the team with 22 assists. Minch led Westmont with 20 digs.
On the defensive side of the net, Westmont collected five blocks, with Distelberg leading the team with three.
“The middles played really well tonight,” said McGolpin. “Jessie had an outstanding match, and both Keelyn and Alexa Shiner played great on defense, too.
“We worked on a lot of blocking this week, reminding the team that it’s where they set up their block, because the defense can play around them. We got nice and high touches, especially with our middles, and then Ashley Boswell, specifically, shut them down in the end.”
Jacob Norling is the sports information assistant at Westmont College.
email: sports@newspress.com
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