By Ron Smith
October 23, 2023
 
(HONOLULU) Westmont Volleyball (9-11, 6-7 PacWest) will have a happy plane flight home after claiming a four-set win over the Sharks of Hawai'i Pacific (3-13, 3-9) on Monday evening. The Warriors won by scores of 25-16, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-20.
 
"I think we played cohesively and we were competitive," noted Westmont's head coach Ruth McGolpin. "We had a good team meeting last night and talked about how we need to play selflessly and for one another. We need to play with grace, give each other good eye contact and play more as a team.
 
"Our serving was excellent today. So was our passing and defense. Kaili Hashimoto played really well."
 
With the score tied at 12, Nariah Prescott produced a kill that sparked a 6-1 Warrior run. Alexa Dennick's four kills sustained the rally and Phoebe Minch finished it off with a service ace.
 
After a kill from the Sharks' Marley Sandoval, Westmont went on a 5-0 run to go up by a score of 23-14. The latter run included two kills from Jessie Terlizzi.
 
From there, the teams traded side outs until the Warriors reached the requisite 25 points to claim a one-set-to-none lead.
 
In the second set, Westmont held an 18-16 lead before Hawai'i Pacific tallied four in a row to go up 20-18. The next ten serves each resulted in a side out, giving the Sharks the win.
 
The Warriors held a 22-17 lead in the third set before the Sharks reeled off four straight point to pull within one. Setter Alexa Shiner dumped the ball over the net to end Hawai'i Pacific's run and give Westmont a 23-21 advantage. Like the previous two sets, the third set ended with consecutive side outs – this time a total of five. As a result, Westmont took a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The fourth set did not start well for the Warriors who quickly fell behind 6-1. Westmont began inching its way back into the match and pulled to within three points, down 10-7. A kill by Phoebe Minch made it a 10-8 score and sent Alexa Shiner to the service line. Shiner served for six straight points to put the Warriors on top 14-10. Dennick tallied three kills during the run and Minch added two more.
 
After a side out by the Sharks ended the run, Westmont scored the next four points on kills by Shiner, Sara Kruger and Terlizzi, as well as a block by Terlizzi and Dennick. That gave Westmont an 18-11 advantage.
 
The Sharks made another run at the Warriors to pull within three at 23-20, but it turned out to be too little, too late. A kill by Dennick made it match point and an attack error by the Sharks gave the Warriors the victory.
 
Terlizzi led the team with 17 kills while producing a .342 attack percentage. Dennick added 14 points and posted an attack percentage of .423. Minch notched 10 kills and 13 digs while Prescott produced eight kills and led all Warrior hitters with a .438 attack percentage.
 
Westmont returns to Santa Barbara tomorrow and, after a day off, begins preparing for a rematch with Chaminade on Monday, October 30.
 
"I just want to show up against Chaminade," said McGolpin in reference to Sunday's loss to the Silverswords. "We did not give them anything that is Westmont Volleyball. I want us to show up and show them who we are."
 
That opportunity will come with the first serve, which is scheduled for seven o'clock on Monday evening.