By Ron Smith
February 17, 2021
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Volleyball, ranked fourth in the NAIA, opened up Golden State Athletic Conference play on Tuesday night with a three-game sweep of Vanguard by scores of 25-21, 25-19, 25-17. Middle Blocker Lexi Malone tallied 11 kills with a .321 attack percentage and outside hitter Patty Kerman added 10 more while hitting .400 to propel the Warriors to victory.
 
"I thought as the match went on we got progressively better," said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "Our defense got better and our blocking improved. The people who stuck out to me were Lexi Malone, Patty Kerman and Madison Morrison. Patty's was hitting the seams and throwing the dip tips. Lexi was utilizing her angles for attacking. Maddy orchestrated the defense well. It is so nice to see things you worked on in practice come to fruition.
 
The first set was contested closely with the lead changing hands four times. With the Warriors up by one at 18-17, momentum finally found a home on the Warriors side of the court. Westmont rattled off four straight points with kills by Kerman and Malone and a service ace by Morrison (16 digs, 6 serve receptions).
 
Vanguard won three of the next four points to make it a 23-20 game, but another kill by Malone gave the Warriors match point. After a successful block by the Lions, a Vanguard attack error concluded the first set in favor of the home team.
 
Westmont led 17-14 in the second set when a 5-0 Warrior run put the Warriors up 22-14. Audrey Brown and Kerman produced kills during the run and Sydney Dunn provided a service ace. A kill from Malone proved to be the final point of the match, giving the Warriors a two-set-to-none lead.
 
By the time the third set rolled around, the Warriors had found their rhythm. Vanguard scored the first three points of the match, but the Warriors went on a 7-1 run to establish a lead they would never relinquish. Freshman Phoebe Minch provided the excitement in the final frame. After sitting out the first two sets, the outside hitter tallied five kills and produced a .273 attack percentage.
 
"It was exciting to be back in Murchison Gym after 451 days (since our last home game)," said McGolpin. "The team was super focused yesterday in practice and continued to be focused in the match. Obviously, there are lots of things we need to work on. We have one day to work on them before facing Vanguard again on Thursday."
 
Westmont will travel to Costa Mesa on Thursday to take on the Lions in The Pit. Due to state mandates, spectators will not be admitted to the game. Spectators can watch the match by tuning into https://portal.stretchinternet.com/vanguard/.