Westmont rallied from a 2-1 deficit and outlasted Davenport, Mich., in a five-set season-opening women’s volleyball match on Tuesday at Murchison Gym.
The set scores were 25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-11.
The Warriors broke a 17-17 tie in the fourth set with a four-point run. In the fifth set, they opened up an 11-6 lead and finished the match with a kill by middle Ciara Turner.
Turner had 12 kills and hit an impressive .400. Madison Serrano led the team in kills with 21 kills and picked up 15 digs.
“I told Maddy after the match that she put on the backpack and the team jumped in,” said Westmont head coach Patti Cook. “She carried us throughout that match. We would not have had a shot of winning without her steady play. Her experience and aggressiveness is what impressed me. She was making big plays in the back court and was the go-to person in the front court.”
Setter Heidi Thompson had 27 assists, 16 digs and three aces. Marie Trudelle served two aces, including one during the key run in the fourth set.
“We had heavy arms in almost all positions at all times,” assessed Cook. “That definitely helped us overcome the 2-1 deficit. The other thing that helped overcome the deficit was the chemistry of the upperclassmen that we put on the court during sets four and five. Putting Marie and Kayta (Goyich) on the court together, along with returners like Ciara, Madison and (setter) Heidi (Thompson) helped steady the ship. They found the chemistry that was missing in other sets. They made very few errors toward the end of the match.”
The Warriors will continue the 2013 season on Thursday and Friday when they compete in the Biola Summer Slam Tournament in La Mirada. On Thursday Westmont will take on #6 College of Idaho and Southern Oregon. Then on Friday, the Warriors will square off with Concordia (Ore.) and William Jessup.
