Box Score

By Bradford Sargent
December 2, 2016
 
Westmont's (34-2) remarkable volleyball season came to an end Friday night at the hands of Park University (36-3).  Park advanced to the NAIA semifinals via a four-set (26-24, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18) victory over the Warriors. The playoff-tested squad faces Hastings College (31-3) in a semifinal matchup on Saturday.  The Pirates won it all in 2014 and are only one win away from another title bout. 
 
After the match, Coach Patti Cook expressed pride in the way her team played throughout the week.  According to Cook, "My team was incredible the entire tournament.  We were resilient.  We never gave up fighting.  That's been a theme for us the entire season.  We keep pushing and we stay hungry."  Cook's compliments extended across the net to the quality of her competition.  Looking back, Cook noted, "The tournament was an incredible experience for my girls.  It was a well-run event and every single team got treated well.  We got to see some really fantastic teams with a lot of good sportsmanship.  These teams were a fine example of how to win and lose with a lot of grace."
 
Westmont earned its quarterfinal berth with a three-set victory over second-ranked Viterbo University (42-3) earlier in the day. Taylor Beckman and Libby Dahlberg combined for 24 kills in that win-or-go-home match.  Kami Troesh shined in a 7-0 streak as part of her team's dominant 25-10 win in the match's second set.  Troesh was errorless in that mid-set run, as the team scored on her seven straight serves.  In the closing set, Westmont staved off four set points in rallying for a 26-24 victory and a three-set sweep.    
 
In the quarterfinal on Friday night against Park University, the Warriors refused to surrender freebies throughout a pressure-packed struggle.  After losing the initial set, Westmont came back strongly for a 25-20 victory. Mila Maricic contributed four kills to help Westmont even the match at a set apiece.  Park University, on the other hand, committed multiple net violations, though they took the pivotal third set.  With their season on the line in the fourth set, Westmont stubbornly fended off three straight match points before Park was able to storm the court.  Even in the loss, Westmont's composure and grit were a joy to watch. 
 
Sophomore Amy Buffham contributed five assists in the team's final set.  She, alongside her 14 teammates, will return next year with valuable playoff experience in addition to the memory of an undefeated regular season.  Congratulations to the Westmont College volleyball team on an excellent 2016!  The Athletic Department will look back on this superb season in an end-of-year article that will be posted to the Warriors' website—athletics.westmont.edu.  Check out www.naia.org for tournament updates.