By Jacob Norling
September 13, 2024
 
(SAN MARCOS, Calif.) Westmont Volleyball (5-1) continued their early-season hot streak on Friday in San Marcos, when the Warriors won their fourth and fifth consecutive matches. Westmont faced off against CSU Monterey Bay in the morning for the second time in as many weeks, and the Warriors handed the Otters another loss in four sets. Then, Westmont went toe-to-toe with the hosts of this weekend's tournament, the CSU San Marcos Cougars. The Cougars suffered the same fate as the Otters earlier, with Westmont once again leaving the match with a four-set win.
 
In the first match, Westmont came out strong and continued their dominance over the Otters with a 25-17 win. However, Monterey Bay bounced back to tie things with a 25-20 win in the second, before taking a 22-19 lead in the third. Kills by Sara Krueger and Nariah Prescott sparked a four-point swing to put Westmont back on top momentarily, but the swing-set in the match would go far beyond the necessary 25 points to determine a victor.
 
Eventually, Westmont ran out of substitutions, but it did not stop the Warriors from preventing set point on three separate occasions. After a service and attacking error from Monterey pulled Westmont within a point of victory, Ella Hosfeld lofted one up to Maddie Finnegan. From there, the freshman drilled one of her 18 kills to solidify the third-set win.
 
Westmont was back to dominant in the fourth set, where eventually, kill number 18 from Finnegan ended the match. Joining Finnegan with double-digit kills in the match was Sara Krueger, who collected 10 to coincide with an impressive attack percentage.
 
"It was a gritty performance by our team today," said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin, "and it started in the morning against Monterey Bay. The third set was especially impressive, because we ran out of subs and had to play a 5-1 with Ella. Then Audrey Hyde got it done at the service line, and we were able to win those points.
 
"In that match, Maddie Finnegan was one of the players of the game. She was amazing, hitting .385. Sara Krueger, too, hit .320. It was a great effort."
 
In the second match of the day, Westmont took a little while to get to the party, dropping the first set 25-19, before trailing 21-20 in the second. Krueger once again stepped in, however, with a kill and a block from the senior bookending a three-point swing to put Westmont back on top. Westmont had a pair of chances at set point, leading 24-22 and 24-23, but once again, Westmont was pushed beyond its usual limits.
 
Following a stalemate at 24, the Cougars committed consecutive attacking errors to allow Westmont to win it, drawing the match even at one apiece. In the third set, the two sides traded game-changing runs, with Westmont pulling off the longest at the most important time. Trailing 20-18, blocks by Krueger and Taylor Distelberg, as well as another kill from Krueger highlighted a six-point swing that ultimately led to a 25-20 victory.
 
Then, in set four, Westmont took the first five points of the game and never looked back, leading by as many as 11 at 20-9. In fitting fashion, the match ended with another joint-block from Krueger and Distelberg, who sent the Warriors back to the hotel happy with their fifth consecutive win.
 
"In the second match, it was another gritty performance after that loss in the first set," reflected McGolpin. "Set two was the big one, getting that nice comeback win, 26-24. We figured out a way to stop their attack, finally, because our blocking definitely got better as the match went on. We beat them in the serve and pass game.
 
"It was a good performance on the day, and now we get to focus on a tough match tomorrow."
 
Westmont will return to action on Saturday, when they take on Western Oregon at 12:00 p.m. in San Marcos.