The Westmont women’s volleyball (12-7, 6-2) made quick work of their match with Menlo on Saturday afternoon in Murchison Gymnasium, sweeping the Oaks of Menlo (4-8, 2-5 GSAC) by scores of 25-18, 25-10 and 25-21.
“I thought, as a team, we came out really strong in the first set and it showed in our score,” said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. “In the second, we came out fired up and dominated that set. We had a little bit of a hiccup in set three, but I was proud of how our players responded down the stretch.
“We needed the leadership of the juniors and seniors, and they stepped up. We had timely kills from Patty Kerman (4 kills, .333 attack percentage) and Audrey Brown (5 kills, .273 attack percentage, 4 blocks) down the stretch. Lexi Malone played great in terms of hitting percentage and blocking.”
Malone tallied nine kills, posted a .533 attack percentage and notched five block assists.
Down 12-11 in the first frame. Westmont produced an 8-2 run to go up 19-14. Kerman provided two kills during the Warriors’ offensive with Brown providing another.
After the teams traded sideouts on the next three rallies, a kill from Jessie Terlizzi (7 kills, .278 attack percentage) was followed by a block from Brown and Sara Krueger to put the Warriors on top by six (22-16). Westmont tallied its final three points of the set on kills by Krueger and Kerman and a solo block by Krueger.
Westmont controlled the second set from the first serve — a service ace by Keelyn Kistner (17 assists, 5 digs) that was the beginning of an 8-1 run. The Warriors did not let up, uprooting the Oaks 25-10. As a team, the Warriors posted an attack percentage of .381 in the second set, with 10 kills and just two errors on 21 attempts.
It was the Oaks who took control early in the third set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead. Westmont, however, chipped away at the Oaks’ advantage, finally pulling even at 18 points apiece.
The two teams traded points to get to 20-20 before Kistner served up another ace, prompting Menlo to call a timeout. After the break, the Warriors added to their advantage with a Menlo attack error, a kill from Malone, and a block by Malone and Brown, resulting in a 24-20 score.
Menlo staved off match point with a kill from Jaden Scott, but a service error by the Oaks ended the set and secured the Westmont victory.
The Warriors resume play on Friday when they host Saint Katherine in a non-conference affair. Westmont returns to Golden State Athletic Conference action when it hosts The Master’s the following night. Both matches are scheduled for first serve at 7 p.m.
Ron Smith is the sports information director at Westmont College
email: dmason@newspress.com
