By Ron Smith
August 29, 2018
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Sophomore outside hitters Brooklynn Cheney and Hali Galloway led the way for #6 Westmont Volleyball (8-1) as the Warriors swept California Lutheran in three sets 25-13, 25-19, 25-21. Cheney tallied a game-high 12 kills while recording a .321 attack percentage. Galloway produced eight kills for the Warriors and a .286 attack percentage.
 
"I liked the performance of our outside hitters Brooklynn and Hali," said Westmont head coach Patti Cook. "We have come to rely on them now that they have a year's experience under their belts and they are rising to the occasion. They are swinging hard and very smartly."
 
As a team, the Warriors hit .257 and produced five blocks.
 
"We continue to improve little by little with every ball we get to touch," offered Cook. "We are still a little bit raw in a couple of places, but we are able to hide those pretty well with what we are doing. We are doing some really good things, especially on our offense.
 
"Defensively, we are shoring up our back line with Lauren (Friis) playing both right back and left back and doing a great job back there. She always has a job to do and is hungry for the ball. She makes immediate correction if she doesn't get something up. She was really on fire today.
 
"I liked what I saw of our block on both pens as well as in the middle. Libby (Dahlberg) is proving once again to be one of the most dominate blockers as well as attackers in the middle position in the nation. It has been a real honor to get to coach her and work with her these last few years."
 
Dahlberg notched 8 kills, hit .261 and had three block assists.
 
The Warriors jumped ahead early in the first set and never looked backed. Friis served for the first six Warrior points before the Regals got on the scoreboard. By the time she rotated back into the serving position, Westmont had a 19-12 lead. The Warriors scored the next five points with Friis on the service line to put the Warriors ahead 24-12.
 
The sophomore libero recorded 24 digs and eight serve receptions.
 
"What a treat it is to play Cal Lutheran in our own gym," said Cook. "They are always a fun opponent and we can expect a good game out of them. Coach (Kellee) Roesel is doing a phenomenal job with that program. I really respect her and what she is doing with the teams that she has had. They did not disappoint with their level of play, their grittiness and their unwillingness to let a ball die."
 
In the second set, Westmont turned a 2-2 tie into a 7-2 lead with two kills by Dahlberg and another two by Cheney. Westmont continued to build on its advantage over the rest of the set, going up two sets to none with a 25-19 win.
 
The final set saw the Warriors down 4-5 before Samantha Neely delivered a kill that began a three-point rally for the Warriors. While the score remained close, Westmont never trailed again. Galloway produced the final kill off a set from Sydny Dunn, giving the Warriors their fifth sweep in a row.
 
"I was pleased that we beat them in three, but it did not feel like a sweep," acknowledged Cook. "Cal Lutheran kept in it and their attitudes were great with every single point. We never felt like we could ever trust our lead. We needed to close out the games and not let them come back in and I think our players did just that."
 
The Warriors begin Golden State Athletic Conference play next week with a road trip to Arizona. On Friday, Westmont will in Phoenix at Arizona Christian. Then on Saturday, Westmont takes on GSAC newcomer Ottawa in Surprise.