By Jacob Norling
August 18, 2021
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) After a pair of wins to begin the season on Tuesday, Westmont Volleyball (4-0) added two more to the win column on Wednesday. After going up 2-0 on Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) in the morning, the Warriors had to roll with the Redhawks' best punch and win a decisive fifth set. In the afternoon, Westmont was able to handle UC Merced in three sets.
 
In the first two sets against Benedictine, Westmont relied heavily on Patty Kerman, the fifth-year senior. Kerman collected six of her team-high 19 kills during sets one and two. The Warriors originally led in the first set 23-19 before a furious Red Hawks rally put Westmont down 24-23.
 
Fortunately for the Warriors, two attacking errors and a bad set by the Redhawks gave Westmont the victory in set one, by a score of 26-24.
 
"I think we still started a little flat," said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "As the season gets going, something we'll have to work on is being more mentally ready the minute we step on the court.
 
"Luckily Patty was on fire. She was unstoppable in sets one and two and had some key attacks later. Overall she was phenomenal whenever we needed her to be."
 
Jessie Terlizzi made her presence felt early on with five kills during the back half of the second set, allowing the Warriors to pull away with a 25-19 win, giving the club a 2-0 advantage. Terlizzi tallied 12 kills in total during the first match of the day.
 
After going up 2-0 against Benedictine, the Warriors were witness to a one-woman show for the Redhawks, one that allowed the Arizona club to force set five. In the first four sets, Benedictine's Brianna Rivera had 28 kills on 72 attempts, including 14 kills in the third and fourth sets. The rest of the Redhawks had 27 kills combined.
 
"Obviously (Rivera) caught fire," Noted McGolpin. "That's something we have to recognize, when the opposition is locking in on one attacker. I think in those two sets we just needed to focus on her more. She was having a great game and we just needed to basically leave everyone alone and go block Rivera."
 
In the fifth set however, Rivera managed to get only one attempt off before the Warriors won the sprint by a score of 15-7. Kills by Kerman and Addie Paul followed by an attacking error and bad set put the nail in the coffin for the Warriors, as they survived the match and defeated Benedictine Mesa three sets to two.
 
"In the end we won in grand fashion," said McGolpin. "Our serving was awesome, and we were able to stay away from Rivera for the most part. Our passing was the best it had been all day and that let us finally put that match away."
 
Later in the day, Westmont came out swinging against UC Merced to take an early advantage. Kerman, Terlizzi, and Kaylee Ivie all collected four kills each during the first set and the club held on to win 25-22.
 
In the second set, the Warriors jumped out to a 6-0 lead and spent the majority of the set holding off a handful of Bobcat rallies. Kerman, Paul, and Phoebe Minch all collected three kills each during the second set, and Kerman's seventh kill of the match gave the club another 25-22 win.
 
In the beginning of the third set against, Westmont was clicking on all cylinders. Thanks to three consecutive kills by Kerman the club at one point led 13-6 before the Bobcats creeped back into the picture.
 
In the end, a kill by Terlizzi and a Bobcats bad set put an end to the match by a score of 25-20, clinching a perfect weekend for Westmont.
 
In the final set Kerman added six more kills to finish with 13, and Terlizzi added four more of her own to finish with eight.
 
"Patty was unreal," said a pleased McGolpin. "13 kills with two errors in 21 attempts for a .524 attack percentage is amazing."
 
The Westmont setters continued to help the offense produce consistently during the latter match as Keelyn Kistner contributed with 17 assists, while Sydny Dunn added 15 of her own.
 
"That was a complete match for us," said McGolpin. "One of the things that we were trying to work on was establishing the middle and it was nice to see the attack spread out. Although the numbers were not super high, we were at least attempting to set them which spread our offense out.
 
"We know what we have to work on still, and there's a lot. However, if we continue to have a growth mindset and strive to be better, the results will continue to come."
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The Warriors return to Murchison Gym for their home opener this Friday Night against Corban (Ore.) with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The two clubs will play again Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Admission will be free to both events.
 
Due to state and local mandates spectators must wear a face covering while inside Murchison Gym.