By Jacob Norling
October 1, 2021
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont (11-7, 5-2) labored at times, but ultimately got the job done on Friday night, as they defeated William Jessup (5-9, 3-3) in four sets. Westmont posted an exciting come-from-behind win in set one by the score of 25-21, followed by a 25-15 victory in the second set.
 
After Jessup took the third set 25-21, Westmont responded with a 25-21 win to seal the victory.
 
"Tonight, being able to turn the page quickly after set three was a good sign," said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "To come back and claw their way to a win in set four is something that should give them confidence."
 
In the first set, Jessup climbed on top 8-3 before a Sara Krueger block began a Westmont rally that saw the club pull within a pair at 9-7. Kills by Jessie Terlizzi, Phoebe Minch, and Patty Kerman kept the momentum for the Warriors, who continuously chipped away at the early deficit.
 
Spectacular digs by Keelyn Kistner and Minch on back-to-back possessions sparked the biggest momentum-shift of the set, when the two kept alive what looked to be sure kills for Jessup. After the defense woke up the Warrior bench, Terlizzi's first block of the night allowed the Warrior crowd to erupt as Westmont finally tied things at 13.
 
Later, with the game tied at 20, kills by Kerman and Sydny Dunn built Westmont's lead to 22-20.
 
Then, with Westmont up 24-21, a free-ball drifted into no-man's-land on the Westmont side of the court. Minch then sprawled to her left and dove while flinging her left forearm at the ball, connecting with it before it hit the ground. Spectacularly, not only did Minch's attempt to send the ball over the net work, but it landed in between a trio of Jessup players, giving the home club a 25-21 win to open the night.
 
"We had a lot of funky plays that went our way," said McGolpin, "and then our blocking was fantastic. Defensively, Phoebe was on fire and that generated a ton of excitement, and while it's the funky plays that stand out, our blocking is what led us to have success."
 
In set two, Westmont came out on fire, beginning the game on a 6-1 run before the first Jessup timeout. Coming out of Jessup's second timeout, Westmont led 12-5, but saw the lead shrink to 14-11. Then, Westmont closed out the set on an 11-4 run, capped off by Terlizzi's third block of the evening, to win it 25-15.
 
In the third set, Jessup came out of the gate looking more like the team from set one, keeping the game knotted at eight. Then, a four-point run sparked by a pair of kills from Minch allowed Westmont to claim a 12-8 lead going into Jessup's first timeout.
 
Later, with Westmont holding a 16-12 lead, Jessup responded with a four-point run of their own to knot things up as the road-Warriors eyed a possible fourth set. With Westmont in front 19-18, a kill by Jessup followed by a Westmont bad set and attacking error gave Jessup a 21-19 lead.
 
Eventually, the road club took the third set 25-21, forcing a fourth set.
 
"I can't quite put my finger on these types of sets," said McGolpin, "but the fact of the matter is we have to be able to maintain our urgency without letting up. We can't keep letting teams back in games, especially at home. We have to be able to shut teams down and put matches away early."
 
In the fourth set, every ball seemed to bounce Jessup's way in the beginning, with the road club initially claiming an 8-5 lead. Then, Kerman collected two kills in three possessions to tie the game, reawakening the home crowd.
 
Jessup was quick to quiet things however, going on a 4-1 run to reclaim a 12-9 lead. Then, thanks a run that included kills by Malone and Brown, Westmont knotted things at 15, with ten points between them and their fifth GSAC win. With the score tied at 18, Malone reminded all in attendance why she was named an NAIA First Team All-American last season.
 
First, Malone collected consecutive blocks to give Westmont a 20-18 advantage going into a Jessup timeout. Out of the timeout, Malone immediately kept the momentum alive with her 11th kill of the night, then two plays later collected her match-high fifth block of the night to put the club on the brink of victory.
 
With Westmont up 24-21, Malone completed her takeover with her team-high 12th kill of the night, giving the home club the 25-21 win, and 3-1 set victory.
 
"That was awesome," said McGolpin. "It was big for Lexi to step up and get us a couple key kills, but it was her blocking down the stretch that really made the difference."
 
Minch collected 11 kills behind Malone, while also leading the club in digs with 25, and service aces with three. Krueger and Terlizzi each collected four blocks.
 
"In the entire match, blocking was probably our best attribute," noted McGolpin. "Our hitting percentage wasn't great tonight, but our serving and blocking put us in a position to win."
 
Kistner tallied 19 assists on the evening, while Dunn added 18 of her own. Libero Lilian Reininga continued to show improvement in her new role, as the sophomore collected 24 digs to go along with a pair of service aces.
 
The club now has a quick turnaround as the Menlo Oaks come into town tomorrow for a matinee match at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available on the Westmont website.
 
"We haven't seen Menlo since the (2019) GSAC Championship," noted McGolpin, "so it'll be fun after all this time to get to be on the same court again. Tomorrow, I want us to come out and continue to be hungry."