It was a marathon at J.R. Richards Gym as Santa Barbara outlasted Westlake in five tight sets on Tuesday night.
“We kept having long rallies,” Santa Barbara coach John Gannon said of the 27-25, 22-25, 29-27, 23-25, 15-13 victory. “The match could have gone either way. In total scoring, we had 115 points to 114 points for them.”
In the fifth set, Jessyca Beksa delivered three big kills to spark the Dons (5-4).
Gannon said the team did a good job serving the ball in the deciding set and passing. “We didn’t shank a ball. It was pretty impressive to see us handle the ball like we did.”
He cited libero Bailey Roach for her passing.
Jackie Starnes had 12 kills and Tessa Dewell added 12 kills to lead the Dons’ attack.
“It was good volleyball for us,” Gannon said. “It was nice to see us playing with a lot of resolve.”
