By Tim Heiduk
October 18, 2019
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) For the first time this season, the #17 Westmont volleyball team has lost consecutive matches after the Warriors fell to Hope International (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 20-25) in four sets on Friday night.

The two teams swapped places in the GSAC standings, as Westmont (17-5 overall, 8-3 GSAC) is now in a three-way tie for second place, a half-game behind Hope International (15-7 overall, 9-3 GSAC).
 
"Our passing got better as the match went on and certain players were streaky with their attacks, but we couldn't put the pieces together," said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "I feel like this has to be a wake-up call to the team."
 
In the first set, the Warriors had a 7-4 lead before the Royals quickly tied it up at 8-8. After the score remained tied at 11-11, Hope International then took a lead of its own, extending it all the way to 23-17. Westmont fought back to within 23-24, but the Royals clinched the first set, 25-23.
 
"I thought Cassidy (Rea) played well in set one. She was demanding of the ball," said McGolpin. "But our defense was lacking. The no guts, no glory type of thing. We played fearfully. Instead of being confident, we played just to get by."
 
The score was tied 4-4 in the second set before Hope International scored five points in a row to take a 9-4 lead. Westmont rallied back to tie up the set 10-10 and then later 13-13, but the Royals went on another five-point run to take a commanding 18-13 advantage.
 
"The runs killed us," said McGolpin.
 
That deficit was too large for the Warriors to overcome, as Hope International won the second set 25-18 to take a two-set-to-none lead.
 
"When you go down 0-2, it's hard to battle back," said McGolpin. "You have two things working against you, the deficit and the lack of confidence. It's like a perfect firestorm in a bad way."
 
The last time the Warriors were down 0-2, they came back to beat William Jessup in five sets on Oct. 5. What keyed the comeback in that match was switching from a 6-2 to a 5-1 formation, something McGolpin tried again against Hope International. Unfortunately for the Warriors, there would be no such comeback this time.
 
"We tried multiple lineups," said McGolpin. "We ran the 5-1 and the 6-2. We switched people around."
 
The Warriors kept battling though and won the third set, although they almost gave the set away. Westmont had a 19-12 lead, but Hope International scored eight of the next nine points to tie the set, 20-20. The Royals even took a 23-22 lead, but the Warriors won the next three points to take the third set, 25-23.
 
"Brooklynn (Cheney) started to hit the ball pretty well in set three," said McGolpin.
 
Down 16-21 in the fourth set, Westmont scored four points in a row to get within one. But Hope International went on its own four-point run to seal the set and the match, 25-20.
 
McGolpin said that last year the team had an "aha moment" when it lost on the road to Hope International. She's hoping for a similar moment this time around.
 
"This loss stung," said McGolpin. "My hope is that this stung so much that they're just going to bust out."
 
Cassidy Rea led the Warriors' offense with 25 kills (.361 attacking percentage), while Hali Galloway (13) and Brooklynn Cheney (11) also contributed double-digit kills. Keelyn Kistner tallied 35 assists on the night.
 
Cheney led the defense with 44 digs, while Lauren Friis and Kistner each contributed 25 each. Kendall Kenyon led the team with six blocks.
 
"Kendall came in and was a bright spot with her blocking," said McGolpin.
 
The Warriors now find themselves in the middle of a very crowded top half of the GSAC standings. Only one game separates first place Hope International from fifth place Vanguard, with Westmont, Menlo, and The Master's in between. The three teams tied for second place are a half-game behind Hope International, having one fewer win than the Royals, and are a half-game ahead of Vanguard, having one fewer loss than the Lions.
 
"We still are in a good spot," said McGolpin. "I guess the good thing is we can still take first, but we just need a little help from others."
 
The team has to move on from this loss quickly, as the Warriors take on Life Pacific tomorrow (Saturday) at 2:00 p.m.
 
"I'm hoping that they can stew on it and wake up tomorrow with a fresh start," said McGolpin. "We just have to get back on track in the win column. More than anything we have to get back to playing Westmont volleyball."