By Ron Smith
September 22, 2018
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) Westmont Volleyball, ranked 11th in the NAIA, suffered its third Golden State Athletic Conference loss in as many games tonight at Hope International (10-8, 3-3 GSAC). As a result, the Warriors fall to 11-4 overall and 2-3 in GSAC play.
 
The Warriors cruised to a first set win by jumping out to a 10-5 lead and never looking back. In the second set, Westmont had to rally from a 10-7 deficit, but did so with a 5-0 run to go ahead 12-10. The game remained close and was tied at 23 each when the Warriors closed it out with a kill by Cassidy Rea followed by a block by Samantha Neely and Kaylee Ivie.
 
In the third set, the Royals jumped out to a 6-0 lead and the Warriors were never able to pull even. It was Westmont who jumped out early in the fourth set, taking a 4-1 lead. However, Hope International went on a 5-1 run to take a 6-5 lead.
 
At 9-8, the Royal's Skye Young tied the game with a kill. However, Westmont senior middle blocker Libby Dahlberg was injured on the play. The game was suspended until Dahlberg was helped off the court.
 
Dahlberg had posted a team-high 18 kills and posted a .552 attack percentage when she came off the floor. She did not have an opportunity to add to those totals since she was unable to return.
 
"We lost our momentum after Libby came out," said Westmont head coach Patti Cook.
 
The Royals produced a 10-2 run following Dahlberg's departure on their way to tying the match at two sets apiece.
 
"Hope smelled the blood in the water and they capitalized," said Cook. "Our offensive and defensive effort weren't enough to mount a comeback after that. There were definitely some bright moments and good plays, but we didn't string them together."
 
In the deciding set, Hope International scored on the first four serves and led 8-3 at the crossover. The Warriors battled back to within two when Brooklynn Cheney served ace to make the score 9-7. However, a 5-0 Royal run put the set out of reach and provided the Royals with the upset.
 
Neely recorded 11 kills for the Warriors while hitting .216. She led the team with five block assists. Rea added 10 kills and recorded a .250 attack percentage. Cheney also had 10 kills and added 24 digs and 51 serve receptions without an error.
 
Lauren Friis contributed 31 digs and eight serve receptions while Madison Morrison produced 17 digs and 13 serve receptions.  Amy Buffham tallied 29 assists in the match while Sydny Dunn notched 27.
 
The Warriors are now in seventh place in the GSAC standings, three games behind conference leader #14 The Master's (16-3, 5-0).
 
Westmont returns to action on Friday night when the Warriors host William Jessup at Murchison Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for seven o'clock.