Box Score

By Bradford Sargent
December 1, 2016
 
How sweet it is!  Westmont (33-1) advances to the Sweet Sixteen with a four-set victory (28-30, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22) over the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University (35-4).  Westmont's next opponent is the #2 team in the nation, Viterbo University, which enters the match at an impressive 42-2.  On the eve of the heavyweight contest, Coach Patti Cook stated, "It's going to be an epic battle." 
 
For the third match in a row, Westmont struggled in the opening set.  The Warriors jumped out to a 14-8 lead, yet Indiana Wesleyan rallied and pushed Westmont to set point.  From there, the teams seesawed until Remy Bucknor's block put Westmont down 1 set to 0.  The Warriors have struggled in opening sets as this tournament has progressed.  When asked what her team can do to reverse this trend, Coach Cook responded, "We need to adjust to the players on the other side of the net faster."
 
Westmont validated its #1 ranking by taking the next three sets.  The Warriors showed depth with contributions from across the roster.  According to Cook, "Courtney Crosby made some good digs.  She set the second ball nicely.  Cassidy Rea was really great on offense and on defense.  She is playing steady."  Junior Taylor Beckman had five kills in set two.  Set four was the Amy Buffham-show as the sophomore recorded eight assists.
 
The tournament has progressed to single-match eliminations.  Westmont proved it can prevail in a win-or-go-home match.  Cook's talented squad has what it takes to go the distance.  Check out www.naia.org for tournament updates.