By Jacob Norling
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) It's tough to call it a fairytale ending when it didn't come in Sioux City. Instead, it came at the end of a difficult regular season in Westmont Volleyball's first year at the NCAA Division II level. It's tough to call it storybook when it doesn't lead to postseason play. Instead, it gives Westmont just their ninth win in a competitive PacWest Conference.
 
Still, all things aside, it's pretty hard to not get romantic about Westmont's five-set win against Concordia on Tuesday night in Murchison Gym.
 
In Jessie Terlizzi and Phoebe Minch's final match in Westmont uniforms, the Warriors came back from a 2-0 deficit to win their last game in five.
 
"That was probably the highlight of my career," said Minch, moments after. "I'm so proud of the team and I'm so proud of Jess. We played together and for each other and it was amazing to be a part of it."
 
Emotions ran high all night long, but Concordia was quick to quiet each Warrior roar as the Golden Eagles opened the night with a 25-20 win. Down 20-15 in set two, Westmont's crowd passionately urged the Warriors to make a late run. But after a four-point run to make it 20-19, Westmont did not score again as Concorida put up five unanswered points to win it 25-19.
 
Still, there was a feeling that there was more to come.
 
Maybe not for Westmont's players, but for those in attendance, panic began to set in when Concordia went up 14-10 in set three. Then, Terlizzi drilled a kill beyond the reach of the CUI block, and smacked The Murch's floor with a roar as she urged her teammates to stay in the fight. Taylor Distelberg and Nariah Prescott followed Terlizzi's kill with two of her own, and from that moment forward, it felt like the comeback was on.
 
Westmont fell down again late, trailing 19-16, but the energy on the Westmont bench never wavered. Finally, the Warriors tied the set at 20, before taking a 21-20 lead thanks to a block from Terlizzi and Distelberg. Following a 22-22 tie, kills from Terlizzi and Minch bookended a game-ending three-point run to force a fourth set.
 
Westmont dropped the first three points of set four. Then, Terlizzi gathered another adrenaline-inducing kill to wake up the crowd. Minutes later, it was Minch's turn to take the spotlight. Kills from the Fountain Valley native tied the set at 5-5 and 6-6, and later on another pair pushed Westmont's lead to 12-7.
 
Concordia refused to go away however, testing the Warriors' tenacity again when they tied the set at 13. Terlizzi was next to smoke a ball to the hardwood, and she did it again moments later to put Westmont up 17-15. Fittingly, Minch collected two more kills of her own to push Westmont's lead to 20-15.
 
Unsurprisingly, a kill from Terlizzi pushed Westmont's total to 24, and another from Minch forced a fifth set with a 25-20 win.
 
In set five, Minch and Terlizzi could do no wrong.
 
Phoebe began the set with an ace, and Jessie put Westmont up 3-0 with a kill soon after. Minutes later, another rocket from Terlizzi forced the sides to switch with Westmont leading 8-2. Terlizzi followed it up with another to push Westmont's total to nine, and Minch added one more as well to put Westmont up 10-3.
 
The Murchison-faithful rose to their feet minutes later with Westmont leading 14-10, and what better way for the play to start than a serve to Minch in the back row. With her final touch in a Westmont uniform Minch passed to Alexa Shiner, who then lofted it up for Terlizzi on the near-side.
 
With her 933rd and final kill at Westmont College, Terlizzi set the Murchison Gym floor on fire as the Warriors won it in five with a 15-10 victory.
 
"That was straight out of a movie," reflected a beaming Terlizzi. "By far, that was my favorite game we've had all four years. After those first two sets, you could tell there was a change in energy. We really didn't care if it was win or lose, we were playing for each other, and playing for the seniors. I know for me, I was playing for Phoebe.
 
"That's what wins us games, when we play as a family."
 
Minch ended the night with a game-high 19 kills, with Terlizzi adding 17 of her own.
 
"Who could have scripted that," asked Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "We had a great crowd, and they started to get boisterous, just like we asked! Our seniors played out of their minds, it was amazing to see.
 
"If we were going to go down, we were going to go down swinging. That's exactly what we did."
 
Reflecting upon her seniors, McGolpin said, "We've been talking about the 'Jessie-train' since she was a freshman, and we rode it again tonight. When she gets going, she doesn't stop, and we saw that tonight. She's always played with a lot of emotion, and nights when she feeds off those emotions can be special.
 
"Then Phoebe, she has always been reliable and consistent. She is a complete opposite of Jessie when it comes to personality, but wow, have they complimented each other over the years. Phoebe has been a staple of our lineup for four years, and it's hard to picture a Westmont court without her.
 
"The two of them have made a special pairing together, and we're going to miss them as we continue to move forward."
 
In a year of transition for Westmont Volleyball, and for all of Westmont Athletics, Tuesday night's win was a welcome reminder of how special Westmont games can be on any given night, on any given year, no matter the circumstances.
 
Westmont Volleyball will return to play in the fall of 2024.