By Ron Smith
October 20, 2018
 
(SAN DIMAS, Calif.) Westmont Volleyball, ranked #17 in the NAIA, earned its 20th win of the season and ninth in a row by defeating Golden State Athletic Conference opponent Life Pacific (7-17, 2-12 GSAC) in four sets (27-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-14). The Warriors (20-4, 11-3) were led by senior middle blocker Samantha Neely with 16 kills and senior setter Amy Buffham who recorded 48 assists for the second night in a row.
 
"I am very pleased with the win," said Westmont head coach Patti Cook, "even though we didn't play our best volleyball. Life played us tough and they never gave in or let down. So, we had to be on guard and aggressive throughout the entirety of the match. It was a mental battle as we were fatigued from the night before, but I'm proud of our perseverance."
 
The Warriors' defeated #15 Vanguard (21-6, 8-5) on Friday night in five sets in a battle for second place in the GSAC standings.
 
Also recording double-digit kills in Saturday's match were junior right side hitter Cassidy Rea (12) and sophomore outside hitters Brooklynn Cheney (11) and Hali Galloway (10).
 
Defensively, sophomore libero Lauren Friis notched 21 digs and 13 serve receptions for the Warriors. Cheney added 11 digs and 26 serve receptions and Galloway contributed 11 digs and 17 serve receptions.
 
As a team, Westmont recorded 13 blocks. Neely had six block assists, Rea tallied five and Kaylee Ivie posted four. Cheney had three block assists and one solo block.
 
In the first set, Westmont had a 24-21 advantage but Life Pacific rolled off three straight points to tie the set at 24. A kill by Neely gave Westmont its fourth set point, but Life's Mariah Durant responded in kind to make the score 25-all. After a kill by Galloway, Ivie and Galloway teamed up for a block on a Durant attack that ended the set, giving Westmont a one-set-to-none advantage.
 
In the second set, Westmont pulled ahead 17-10, but Life Pacific rallied to tie the game at 21 apiece. With the score 24 each, Durant struck again to give the home team set point. Neely delivered a kill to tie the game at 25 before Buffham dumped the ball over the net to put Westmont up 26-25. Galloway quelled the threat with a kill that put Westmont on top two sets to none.
 
With a 19-13 lead, Westmont looked to close out the match with a three-game sweep. However, Life Pacific produced a 9-1 run to take a 22-20 advantage. Westmont tied the game on a couple of home team attack errors, but Life Pacific scored the next three points to claim the third frame.
 
Down 10-7 in the fourth set, Westmont produced an 10-2 run to go on top 17-12. The run concluded with kills by Cheney and Rea. After a couple of Westmont errors made the score 17-13, the Warriors scored eight of the next nine points to bring the match to an end. Neely and Buffham each recorded two kills during the final run and also teamed up for two blocks.
 
In other GSAC action, #11 The Master's (24-4, 13-1) swept San Diego Christian (7-17, 1-12) while Vanguard was upset on the road by Hope International (14-12, 7-7) in four sets. Ottawa of Arizona (12-11, 7-8) defeated Menlo (12-7, 9-6), also in four sets, and Arizona Christian (13-8, 9-6) swept William Jessup (9-16, 4-11).
 
The Master's remains on top of the GSAC standings with a two-match lead over Westmont. Westmont is now two and one-half matches ahead of Vanguard, Menlo and Arizona Christian who are tied for third place. Hope International claims sixth place, a match and one-half out of third.
 
The top six teams will qualify for the GSAC Tournament that will be held on November 9 and 10 at Hope International. The top two teams will receive a bye. Westmont can clinch a bye by winning three of their final four matches. Next week, Westmont will travel north to take on Menlo on Friday night and William Jessup on Saturday.