(COSTA MESA, Calif.) A trip to Orange County didn’t end the way #17 Westmont Volleyball (17-6, 9-4 GSAC) had hoped. The Warriors had designs on upsetting #7 Vanguard (18-4, 11-0) and handing the Lions their first Golden State Athletic Conference lost. Unfortunately, it was Vanguard who improved their record with a 3-1 victory (29-27, 21-25, 25-14, 25-18).
Trailing 20-14 in the first set, Westmont produced a 9-3 run to tie the game at 23. The run began with a kill by Taylor Beckman and was fueled by a kill from Sarah McGough, two service aces by Alexa Nestlerode, two kills by Jessica McCann and a kill by Missy Fuerst.
The two teams scored four times each to advance the score to 27-27 before Vanguard took advantage of a kill by Taylor Jackson and a Westmont attack error to claim the first set.
With the score tied at five in the second set, Westmont unleashed another run, this time scoring 11 of the next 13 points. Vanguard whittled away at the Warriors’ advantage, pulling to within one point at 22-21. However, after a Warrior timeout, Beckman and Fuerst delivered back-to-back kills and Vanguard committed an attack error to end the set and tie the match at one set each.
In the third and fourth sets, however, the Warriors seemed to run out of gas. Vanguard took early leads and held off the Warriors the rest of the way.
McCann and Libby Dahlberg led the Warriors offensively, producing 11 kills each.
In other GSAC action, #1 Biola (23-2, 12-1) defeated The Master’s (18-9, 9-4) in straight sets. San Diego Christian (12-11, 4-9) claimed a 3-1 win over Arizona Christian (2-21, 0-13).
As a result, the Warriors remain in a tie with The Master’s for third place in the GSAC standings.
Friday, Westmont will return home for the first of four games in Murchison Gymnasium that will conclude the regular season. The Warriors will host Biola at seven o’clock.
