Despite 10 kills each from Kayta Goyich and Madison Serrano, Westmont Volleyball suffered a 3-1 (25-20, 25-14, 23-25, 25-17) at the hands of #16 Point Loma Nazarene (18-8, 10-8) in the final match of the season for the Warriors. Goyich posted a .450 attack error, making just one error in 20 attempts.
“Kayta played really well tonight,” noted Westmont head coach Patti Cook. “She gave Point Loma a tough time with her heavy arm on the right side. I was proud of the way she came out fired up. Both of our setters (Candice Adema and Heidi Thompson) also did a good job of running the offense and Kelli Ching did a good job with her ball control in the Libero position.”
In the first set, Westmont rallied from an 8-4 deficit on kills by Tessa Martin, Stacey Braceros, Serrano and a Sea Lion attack error, tying the game at eight-all. However, Point Loma scored seven of the next nine points to take a 15-10 lead. The Warriors came back to within two (18-16), but the Sea Lions closed out the set with a 7-4 run.
Tied at eight in the second set, Point Loma Nazarene scored twice on a kill by Alyssa Dwyer and a service ace by Delaney McCraney. McCraney then committed a service error to make it a 10-9 score. The next three points went to the Sea Lions, the start of a 15-5 run that gave Point Loma a 2-0 lead in the match.
Westmont turned a 6-6 tie into a 9-6 lead in the third set when Serrano followed her solo block with a kill and Nichole Miller tacked on another kill. Westmont held the lead until a service ace by Point Loma’s Tabitha Henken tied the score at 19-all. Still tied at 21, the Sea Lions scored twice on a kill by Dwyer and a Warrior attack error, threatening to end the match in three sets.
After a timeout, Goyich connected for a kill to make it 23-22. Two attack errors by Point Loma gave the Warriors set point at 24-23. A triple block by Martin, Ciara Turner and Miller settled the affair.
The fourth set looked more like the first two. Tied at eight apiece, Point Loma began to pull away with a 6-2 run. Westmont closed to within three points at 16-19, but the Sea Lions put together a 6-1 run to end the match.
“Point Loma was playing good defense and we seemed to get worn down during the long rallies,” said Cook. “Normally, we are able to end those rallies quickly.”
Before the game, the team honored senior Stacey Braceros for her contributions to Westmont Volleyball during her four year career.
“Stacey has meant fire, charisma, integrity, hard work and spiritual leadership,” said Cook of her seasoned libero. “She has been a spark for the team and it has been nice to have her godly leadership.”
Westmont concludes the 2011 campaign with an overall record of 10-16. The Warriors finished in seventh place in the GSAC with a record of 8-10. The highlights of the 2011 season included defeating #13 Biola twice on the year as well as a victory over #11 Fresno Pacific.
“The team grew by leaps and bounds in their understanding of the game’s strategy,” said Cook. “That made them better players. They are extremely athletic to start. The information that they gleaned throughout this season will help them in building experience for years to come.”
