(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) It was an exciting night at Murchison Gymnasium as the Westmont women's volleyball team defeated La Sierra University 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 25-27, 25-14) in their first home game of the season.
After coming off multiple tournament appearances in the last few weeks, it was time for Westmont to showcase their talent and abilities on their home court. In front of a crowd of parents, students and family members cheering them on, the Warriors did just that.
Game one of the four game match could be characterized as well-balanced. Both the pin hitters and the middles were running effective combinations, putting the ball on the ground time and time again. Westmont out-killed La Sierra 13-7 in this game, partially because of the effective offense but more-so because of a scrappy defense. The Warriors tallied 17 digs to the Golden Eagles' eight, making it difficult for their opponent to rally any points.
"The main goals were to be really aggressive, work on our blocking and solidify our defense. We wanted to make sure that we were stopped and in our proper spots on contact. As a result, our blocking was on tonight! We were closing seams and the defense was set around the block which made everyone's job a little easier," exclaimed head coach Patti Cook.
Game two could be defined by the high energy on the court. "There was energy, but I think a lot that was nervous energy. I was encouraging them to keeping yelling, cheering and celebrating their awesome kills" remarked Cook.
It was in this game that senior middle blocker Ciena Colburn came alive. She tallied five kills in the set and consistently pulled La Sierra's blockers, opening the net up to Westmont's pin hitters.
"Our middles were on fire and it was great to watch. Ciena is doing a fantastic job in the front row for us. She is turning on the heat and it is really fun to see her get her rhythm and limit her errors. I am really proud of the progress she has made so far," raved Coach Cook.
"Mila is solid. She is always going to come in and give you a good game. It is nice to have a really good, solid freshman. We need to be able to rely on our middles to be good every game," continued Cook. Maricic ended with seven kills, zero errors for the night, putting her at an astonishing team high hitting percentage of .538.
Game three brought about a little bit of change. Suddenly, the energy was down and things were not quite working out as planned for the Warriors. As a result, they switched to a 6-2 offense, adding more attacking options to their lineup. "I went to a 6-2 in the third game because I want them to be comfortable with it. Alexa came in to set and did a fantastic job. I want our hitters to be effective in both offenses," explained Cook.
While game three did not go their way, the fourth game absolutely did. "I told them I did not mind a fourth game because it allowed us to work out our jitters, but I emphasized that we did need to take care of business and hold strong on our side of the court," remarked Cook. With 17 kills, zero errors and a final score of 25-14, it is safe to say that the Warriors did just that.
Other standout performances came from senior Heidi Thompson who finished with 42 assists and libero Kami Troesh who controlled the back row, ending up with 17 total kills.
Westmont will take the court at Murchison Gymnasium again this Saturday September 6 at 2:00 pm in a match-up against La Verne.
