By Ron Smith
September 11, 2018
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Samantha Neely pounded down 10 kills while Cassidy Rea, Hali Galloway and Audrey Brown each added eight as the #7 Westmont Warriors (11-1) defeated the Warriors of Westcliff (2-5) in straight sets 25-22, 25-11, 25-10.
 
Westmont has now won 11 matches in a row and has a winning streak of 27 straight sets.
 
"We took a little bit of time trying to figure out what Westcliff was doing," acknowledged Westmont head coach Patti Cook. "They came out strong with scrappy defensive plays and some good arms. Their Kaitlin Meyer, even though she was small, was very effective. I can see why she usually gets the most sets."
 
Meyer connected for four of her eight kills in the opening frame.
 
"Once we got our wits about us and figured out what they wanted to do on offense, I thought we did a much better job stopping them in sets two and three."
 
The first set remained close throughout. With the score tied at 21, Galloway and Neely recorded back-to-back kills to give Westmont a 23-21 margin. Westcliff pulled to within one but gave up a point on a service error to make the score 24-22. Galloway struck again to score the set's final point, giving Westmont a one-set-to-none lead.
 
"Sam and (setter) Amy (Buffham) really lit the team up," said Cook. "We were struggling to find our rhythm a little bit. When we do that, we have a tendency to play tentatively. I liked what I saw of Sam and Amy's connection. They lit a fire under the rest of the offense.
 
"I am liking what I am seeing in our production from Hali. She has been working really hard and can focus up in big games like this."
 
The Warriors of Westmont jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set and maintained a comfortable lead throughout. However the best was yet to come. In the third set, Westmont produced an amazing .550 attack percentage, connecting for 11 kills on 20 attempts without committing an attack error.
 
Westmont also tallied an astonishing seven serving aces in the third set – four by freshman setter Sydny Dunn in the midst of serving for 12 straight points.
 
"I liked what we saw out of Audrey in the middle," said Cook. "She is doing a good, steady job in there and she is very teachable in the moment. She got more successful when she got aggressive with her approach."
 
Tonight's match was the final non-conference showdown of the regular season. Saturday, Westmont returns to Golden State Athletic Conference play with a road trip to Santa Clarita to take on The Master's.