By
Jacob Norling
October 25, 2025
(HILO, Hi.) It was another not-quite night for the Westmont Volleyball team (7-13, 2-5 PacWest) on Saturday, as the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans (17-7, 6-2) swept the Warriors. The two teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum right now, as Hilo's seventh-consecutive win served as Westmont's eighth-consecutive loss dating back to the third of October.
Again, however, it was not as though the Warriors did not hang with the Vulcans, as Westmont dropped the first two sets 25-22, and 25-23. The first set saw Westmont never again tie the set following a 16-15 deficit, with the Warriors hanging with a pair until the final swing of the opener. Then, in the second, the Warriors fell down 20-12, before another resilient surge saw the Warriors come oh-so-close to pushing the Vulcans to the brink. Down 24-20 the Warriors won three-straight points, but a kill from Hilo left the Warriors one-point shy of pushing the game beyond 25.
In the third set Westmont led 14-10, only for Hilo to respond with a 9-1 run flipping the set on its ear to create a 19-15 deficit. The Warriors would get within a pair at 23-21, but Hilo would find its way to the finish line again, this time winning 25-22 to seal the match.
Individually,
Maddie Finnegan collected 10 kills, while
Rylee Elias led the team with 12 digs, and
Sierra McClure led the Warriors with 17 assists. As a team, Westmont was held to an attack percentage of .086, with Hilo out-blocking Westmont 10-5.
"Obviously it's a loss, but the team played really hard," assured head coach
Ruth McGolpin. "I'm really proud of the way they played from start to finish. The fact is, that Hilo team is an excellent team.
"They were big, and they out-blocked us, but gosh, we just kept on battling. It was a really gritty performance, and I loved our energy tonight. Yes, we came up short again, but we are right there.
"It will come. I am a firm believer that it will happen."
Westmont will fly home on Sunday, and then prepare to take on Azusa Pacific come Wednesday night.
