SANTA CLARITA – The Westmont women’s volleyball team knew what they were getting into when they stepped onto the court on Tuesday evening to face off against The Masters College in Santa Clarita, Calif. They had watched film and practiced hard- they knew that it was going to be a fight. Unfortunately for the Warriors, while they won some of the battles, they ultimately lost the war and dropped the match in five sets to The Master’s 16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 16-25, 15-9.
“It was an absolute battle. We were matched up pretty evenly, it just came down to who made the little plays,” debriefed head coach Patti Cook. From the moment the women took the court, both teams went to work. With senior Heidi Thompson taking control and running a well distributed offense, the Warriors were able to consistently put the ball away.
Freshman Taylor Beckman lit up the gym tonight with a team high of 14 kills, earning an outstanding hitting percentage of .407. Beckman was a key player throughout the entire match as she brought consistency and power. Both Ciena Colburn and Sarah McGough contributed significantly to the offensive powerhouse as well. Colburn tallied 11 kills on the night while McGough tallied eight.
“We had some players who had a great hitting match. Taylor, Ciena and Sarah had great offensive matches and were putting the ball away with power, authority and minimal errors,” continued Cook. As a team, the Warriors collectively earned 58 kills to The Master’s 54.
Unfortunately, while offense fills the seats of a gymnasium, its defense that wins matches. Tonight, all aspects of the Warriors defense were lacking. “Our block was not the best tonight as The Masters seemed to hit through us a lot. We also got completely annihilated by their setter’s dumps and their opposite’s swings. We simply didn’t have an answer for them,” reported Cook.
The Mustangs’ setter alone, who rarely has the chance to actually attack the ball, tallied nine kills off of her dumps over the net. With two other players earning double-digit kills, The Master’s offense was a force to be reckoned with. The Warriors seemed to be struggling to close the block and were caught on their heels on defense—unable to make quick movements towards the ball.
While the war waged on and both sides gained control at different points of the match, The Mustangs were able to clinch the fifth set and add another win to their record.
With this loss, the Warriors drop to 10-9 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. Up next, they host Hope International this Saturday October 4 at 7PM in Murchison Gymnasium.
