By Jacob Norling
October 5, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Volleyball (7-6, 2-4 PacWest) had their way with the Dominican Penguins (3-9, 2-4 PacWest) on Homecoming weekend, where the Warriors swept the visitors in three quick sets. In front of a strong contingency of Warriors both past and present, the crew rattled off wins by the score of 25-18, 25-15, and 25-20 to send the crowd home happy.
 
The Warriors appeared noticeably different from their typical maroon-and-gold uniforms, instead rolling out in brand-new pink uniforms in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month.
 
The new-look Warriors ran things in The Murch at the beginning of the day, when five kills from Nariah Prescott and another four from Maddie Finnegan highlighted a set where Westmont never once trailed. Ending the first set emphatically was freshman Aaliyah Czernin, who delivered a thunderous block to solidify a 25-18 set one win. Five of Westmont's seven freshmen saw the floor during the set, with Czernin, Finnegan, Rylee Elias, and Audrey Hyde making notable impressions early on.
 
Set two saw the two sides play a tight-knit contest early on, before a solo block from Alexis Dennick and a kill from Finnegan pushed Westmont's lead to 11-6, forcing the Penguins into a timeout. Things only grew worse for the Penguins moments later, when Dennick and Krueger greeted the Penguins with another pair of blocks immediately after the timeout (13-6). The block party continued later on, when Czernin and Hyde collaborated on another stuff-block, pushing Westmont's advantage to 18-10 with a 2-0 lead in sight.
 
Fittingly, another block from Krueger pushed Westmont's total to 24, before another block from Prescott finished a 25-15 victory.
 
The third set began with a kill from the Penguins, which was the first time the Warriors trailed all game. That deficit did not last long, when the Warriors scored five of the next six points, led by a trio of kills from Prescott (5-2). The Penguins refused to let the Warriors waltz to victory this time, however, tying the match at 13, before forcing McGolpin to call her first timeout of the match with Westmont trailing by a point at 15-14.
 
The two sides traded points for the next handful of possessions, before a string of strong serves by Alyson Wurster led to the Warriors leading 19-17. Another kill from the southpaw Hyde sent Westmont into the final stretch leading 20-18, before an ace by Czernin put Westmont in control at 21-18.
 
The Penguins called one final timeout trailing 23-19, but another kill from Finnegan pushed it to match point two plays later. In the end, one more block Dennick put the finishing touch on a 25-20 win, a 3-0 sweep, and a happy Saturday in Santa Barbara.
 
Reflecting on the win, head coach Ruth McGolpin said, "Last night's practice was intense. I pushed the team hard in all facets, and I give them credit, they responded. You could see it in the stats, our outside hitters got after it. It was also great to see Aaliyah come in and do her thing. It was a good match to watch today."
 
The Warriors will return to action on Friday, October 11, in Honolulu, when they begin their Hawaii road trip against Chaminade.