By Tim Heiduk
November 23, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) The Westmont women's volleyball team advanced to the Final Site of the NAIA National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa for the fourth straight year after sweeping Point University (Ga.) in the NAIA Opening Round on Saturday afternoon: 25-15, 25-19, 25-17.
 
"They have this ritual in the locker room and they ask, 'Who are we going to play for?'" said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin on her team's pregame routine. "Cassidy (Rea) said, 'Everybody's got to come up with one.' Mine was, 'We're playing for Marriott Sioux City' because that's where we're staying. They love us there."
 
The previous three years the team received a bye to the Final Site of the National Tournament after being ranked one of the top-19 teams in the NAIA. The Warriors didn't have that luxury this year, but were able to host the Opening Round and punch their ticket to Sioux City anyway.
 
"It's definitely been a different road than other years," said McGolpin. "It's been a lot harder. Nothing has come easy for us, but I think that has made us stronger as a team."
 
Westmont's offense was clicking on all cylinders today, as the Warriors had a team attacking percentage of .343. McGolpin credited the speed of her team's offense for its efficient performance.
 
"When you compare us to Point, their pin attacks are very high and slow. We obviously saw that on film, so I told the players our offense is more like the west coast style of offense, very fast to the pins," said McGolpin. "I think the speed of our offense was something they weren't used to.
 
"Our passing was so good. There were a couple spurts where maybe they got a run of points, but our passing was really good. The keys we spent a lot of time on this week were passing and blocking. Sure enough, that's what we did well."
 
Senior Cassidy Rea, playing in her final game inside Murchison Gymnasium, once again paced Westmont's offense, leading all players with her 15 kills and .519 attacking percentage.
 
"She was ripping it line and she had the angle shot," said McGolpin. "She was just so confident and calm about it, which was great too."
 
McGolpin also credited the play of Rea's fellow opposite hitter Patty Kerman, saying Point "didn't have an answer for either one of them."
 
The Warriors raced out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first set on two Skyhawk attacking errors and a Keelyn Kistner service ace. Point rallied to tie the set at 10-10 and 11-11, but Westmont scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a commanding 21-12 lead. The Warriors went on to take set one, 25-15.
 
Westmont started quickly in the second set as well, taking leads of 4-0 and then 8-3. Point battled back to within one point on a few occasions, but were unable to find that elusive equalizing point. At 13-12 in favor of the Warriors, Westmont went on another big run, scoring eight of the next 11 points to take a 21-15 advantage. The teams then traded points before the Warriors took a two-set-to-none lead by winning the second set, 25-19.
 
In the third set, Point took its first lead in any set, scoring the first two points of the third. That lead didn't last long though, as Westmont was determined to clinch its spot among the final 32 teams in the NAIA. Behind its raucous home crowd, the Warriors won the third set 25-17 and swept the match.
 
"It was a great crowd for a 2 o'clock game," said McGolpin. "I was stoked about that."
 
Brooklynn Cheney was second on the team with nine kills, while Hali Galloway and Lexi Malone each recorded eight. Kistner dished out 18 assists, followed closely behind by Sydny Dunn's 14.
 
Lauren Friis led the defense with 17 digs, while Cheney (13) and Kistner (11) also reached double digits.
 
After sweeping Menlo in the GSAC Tournament Championship last weekend, the Warriors swept their second consecutive postseason match today.
 
"We definitely are playing a lot better the last couple of matches than we played all season long, since The Master's home match," said McGolpin. "There was chunk of time there where we weren't playing great, but the past six matches we've looked really good and sharp."
 
While her team's recent run of form gives her confidence going into the Final Site of the NAIA National Tournament, McGolpin knows the challenge that is ahead.
 
"When you get to that part of the National Tournament, everybody's won their conference, everybody is big, everybody hits hard," said McGolpin. "You've just got to find the cracks and play as best as you can, and hope for a little luck too."
 
Westmont now awaits the releasing of the groupings to see who it will take on in Pool Play, which will be played December 3-5. If the Warriors advance as one of the top two teams in their pool, they will compete in the knockout rounds beginning on December 6. The Round of 16 and Quarterfinals will be played on December 6, while the Semifinals and National Championship will take place on December 7.
 
"We can't be afraid to be aggressive," said McGolpin. "A lot of the teams are just as athletic, if not more athletic. A lot of them are bigger than us. I think that we have to go in with the mindset that anything can happen at the National Tournament. If we go in with that mindset, anything can happen."
 
The Warriors reached the Round of 16 in the NAIA National Tournament last year. In the two years previous, Westmont bowed out in the Quarterfinals. McGolpin is hoping to surpass those finishes.
 
"I want to win it all. In the time that I've been here we've never been higher than the top eight," said McGolpin, who was an assistant coach during the program's previous three national tournament runs. "It'd be nice to make it to Friday for sure and see if we can get a little more luck and make it to Saturday. I'd love to be in the semis or finals. You just never know."
 
Westmont has reached the NAIA Semifinals on two occasions, in 1993 and 1999, but have never been to a National Championship game. The Warriors' best-ever finish was third in 1993.