By Ron Smith
October 19, 2018
 
(COSTA MESA, Calif.) In a showdown for second place in the Golden State Athletic Conference, #17 Westmont (19-4, 10-3 GSAC) outlasted #15 Vanguard (21-5, 8-4) in a five-set thriller. After taking the first set 25-20, Westmont dropped sets two and three by scores of 25-20 and 25-23. However, the Warriors took control in the fourth set, notching a 25-21 victory to force the decisive fifth set.
 
The Warriors fell behind 7-4 in the final frame, but put together a 9-1 run to go up 13-8. Amy Buffham delivered several serves that put the Lions out of system and resulted in three errors in a row by Vanguard. Then the Warrior attackers took over with hits from every angle. Hali Galloway, Cassidy Rea, Kaylee Ivie and Brooklynn Cheney each delivered a kill in the decisive run.
 
"It didn't feel like we were down 7-4," said Cook. "It felt like we were absolutely still in it. Everyone kicked it into second gear and played like there was nothing to lose."
 
Vanguard responded by scoring the next four points to pull within one (13-12), but back-to-back kills by Rea ended the threat and gave the Warriors the victory.
 
"Vanguard played a really good game," said Westmont head coach Patti Cook. "They seem to play us really well and really tight. Their outsides were swinging well, their right sides were making good plays and the middles were putting balls away when they needed to.
 
"The match was won in the small things, in the simple moments, where we kept on swinging away when maybe we were starting to feel nervous. We stayed composed when we could have lost our heads."
 
Rea led the Warriors with 19 kills while hitting .250. The total was the most Rea has ever accumulated in a GSAC match and second highest in her Warrior career.
 
"Cassidy didn't start super aggressive, it took her a little while to find her rhythm," said Cook. "Someone who is weaker mentally would have let that affect her in a negative manner. She turned it into a positive and brought us some points in some big moments. Cassidy had one of Vanguard's better blocker in front of her most of the night. For her to stay aggressive with her approach and continue to swing away was crucial."
 
After hitting a negative .222 in the first set, Rea turned things around to hit .371 the rest of the way.
 
Samantha Neely added 13 kills while hitting .312. Cheney added 12 kills while also contributing 31 serve receptions, 23 digs and three ace serves. Also producing double-digit kills was Galloway with 10. She also added 23 digs and recorded 20 serve receptions without an error.
 
"Hali came up in a really big way for us in this game," said Cook. "Vanguard has a tough serve and we decided to go with a three-person serve receive. She stepped right into that role and did a nice job keeping balls in system for us. She is so fast on defense. Our entire back court, including Lauren Friis and Brooklynn, were handling the down balls and lose balls and taking advantage of them."
 
Friis recorded 29 serve receptions and 16 digs for the Warriors. Buffham notched 48 assists, the third-highest total of her four-year career at Westmont. Buffham also recorded seven digs.
 
"Madison Morrison served really tough, keeping Vanguard out of system and getting them into trouble," noted Cook. "I really appreciated the composure of Sydny Dunn and Audrey Brown to come into the game in some big moments and get us sided out and pointed in the right direction."
 
As a result of the win, Westmont's grasp on second place in the GSAC standings has been strengthened. The Warriors now have a match and one-half lead over Vanguard and Menlo (12-6, 9-5). The Master's (23-4, 12-1), ranked 11th, sits atop the GSAC standings with a two-match lead over the Warriors.
 
The win also cliched a spot in the GSAC Tournament at the end of the season. The top six teams earn a tournament berth. However, Westmont has its eyes on a top-two finish in the conference standings so that it can secure one of two first-round byes.
 
The win also buoys the Warriors odds of earning a bye in the NAIA National Tournament. The top 19 seeds are awarded an Opening Round bye. By defeating two team ranked ahead of them in their last two games, Westmont has positioned itself to stay in the top 19.
 
Westmont plays again tomorrow, traveling to San Dimas to take on Life Pacific (7-16, 2-11) in a one o'clock game