Add two more tallies in the win column for 16th-ranked Westmont, which improved its volleyball record to 9-0 with a 3-1 win over No.25 Carroll (Mont.) and a sweep of William Jessup at the ASICS/Wyndham Labor Day Tournament, hosted by Concordia in Irvine.
“It’s a good feeling to have the two early season tournaments out of our way and to have had so much success in both of them,” said Westmont head coach Patti Cook. “It is good to have that as a foundation to the rest of our season.”
The Warriors prevailed against Carroll by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 19-25 and 25-20.
“The match with Carroll was a good battle,” noted Cook. “They matched up well against us and got us out of our comfort zone. We had to work hard to put the ball down because they were a scrappy team.
“We played some good steady defense,” continued the coach. “Our passing was solid throughout the whole match. Kami (Troesh) and Madison (Serrano) did a good job leading us in the back row.
Tied at six in the first set, Westmont produced a 9-3 run to go up 15-9. The Fighting Saints cut the Warriors’ advantage to just two at 17-15 and 18-16, but Westmont outplayed Carroll 7-4 to close out the first set.
Down 14-13 in the second set, Westmont put together a 6-0 run to take control. Carroll would get no closer than three points the rest of the set.
“In the third set, we started to play on our heels and they took advantage of that,” acknowledged Cook. “If you don’t put the pressure on them, they will take over the momentum. That is essentially what happened in the third set.”
With Westmont up 13-12, Carroll scored nine of the next 11 points to post a 21-15 lead. That proved to be an advantage the Warriors could not overcome.
Though Carroll jumped out to a 4-1 start in the fourth set, Westmont answered with a 9-2 run and never trailed again.
Ciara Turner led the Warriors with 12 kills in the match while Serrano added another 11. Sydney Striff and Jessica McCann each contributed another eight.
The Warriors had an easier go of it in the second match against William Jessup winning by scores of 25-16, 25-14 and 25-11. Marie Trudelle, Marissa Fuerst and McCann each recorded seven kills for the victorious Warriors.
“Ciara, Heidi (Thompson) and Madison didn’t play against William Jessup,” pointed out Cook. “I made the decision to give some players a rest and get some players in that hadn’t seen much of the court during the tournament.
“William Jessup played better in this tournament than last weekend in the Biola Tournament,” observed Cook. “They played better defense and we had to press harder to take the advantage.”
The Warriors return home for two games next week. On Tuesday, Westmont will host Capilano (British Columbia) at 7:00 p.m. Then on Friday at 4:30, the Warriors will welcome the Golden Eagles of La Sierra to Murchison Gymnasium.
