By Jacob Norling
September 23, 2023
 
(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) Less than 24 hours after collecting Westmont's first PacWest win the Westmont Volleyball team officially began a winning streak, this time defeating the Academy of Art Knights in five sets. Westmont took the first two sets of the afternoon, but after dropping the third and fourth, Westmont was forced to play with the game hanging in the balance in a decisive fifth game.
 
In the fifth set, however, the Warriors regained control and pulled away to solidify their match win.
 
"In terms of distance, it was a tough trip," acknowledged Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "The goal was to get out of here with two wins, and we did just that. Today, the highlight was our blocking as a unit. We out-blocked them 22-8."
 
Individually, Nariah Prescott led the Warriors with 15 kills, while Taylor Distelberg and Phoebe Minch each collected 13 of their own. Distelberg was also phenomenal on the defensive end, where she posted a game-high nine blocks. Elsewhere, Ella Hosfeld led Westmont with 29 assists, while Kai Hashimoto led all players with 18 digs.
 
McGolpin continued, "A difference was Taylor hitting out of the middle and our two right sides, Sara Krueger and Nariah Prescott, were great as well. I also thought Kai did a great job anchoring the defense and our serving as well. Malia de Jesus's serving was excellent also."
 
In the first set the Warriors and the Knights fought to a 17-17 tie, before Westmont came out with a seven-point run to change the game. A pair of kills from Distelberg bookended the run that also included finishes from Minch and Prescott. Moments after the seven-point swing, another kill from Minch propelled Westmont to a 25-18 win to open the match.
 
Westmont scored the first four points of the second set, and nine of the first 11, in a game they never trailed. A service ace from Malia de Jesus pushed Westmont's second-set advantage to 11 at 18-7, which was the largest lead of the match at any point.
 
In the end, a block from Krueger and Distelberg capped off a dominating 25-15 win that put the Warriors up 2-0.
 
In set three Westmont and Art U were knotted at 12 before the Knights recorded three-consecutive kills to go up 15-12. Westmont would never again tie the set as Art U maintained their distance for a 25-20 win. In set four, the Knights carried their momentum to an 11-5 lead early with a fifth set in sight. Westmont clawed back and tied the game at 15 following a kill from Prescott, but immediately after, the Knights scored four-straight points to go back up 19-15.
 
In the end, a kill from Art U's Chandra Reed gave the Knights a 25-18 win to force a fifth set.
 
The two sides were tied 3-3 early in the fifth set, before back-to-back kills by Prescott and Distelberg allowed Westmont to jump in front. Art U stayed within a pair for a handful of possessions, but minutes later, a kill from setter Alexa Shiner sent Westmont into double-digits with a 10-6 advantage.
 
With the score 12-9, a pair of kills from Jessie Terlizzi and a match-ending kill from Prescott gave the Warriors a 15-9 win, 3-2 match victory, and a happy ride home.
 
"It was a tough crowd," revealed McGolpin, "but it was a really fun crowd to play in front of. We were happy to walk out of there with a win. We have another tough week ahead, and we're excited to keep going."
 
The Warriors return to action on Saturday, September 30 at 3:00 p.m. when they'll travel to play at Fresno Pacific. Links to live coverage will be available on the Westmont Athletics website.