By Jacob Norling
October 4, 2025
 
(ROCKLIN, Calif.) Westmont Volleyball (7-7, 2-1 PacWest) lost a tough one on Saturday night in Rocklin, when Jessup (5-7, 0-1) followed up a first-set loss by winning three straight to take down Westmont in four.
 
The night opened with the teams playing to a 12-12 tie until a pair of kills from Camila Cornejo-Farmer highlighted a five-point that allowed Westmont to take a 17-12 advantage. The Santa Barbara-based Warriors would cruise from there in the first, with a trio of kills from Maddie Finnegan and a set-ending kill from Alexis Dennick putting the finishing touches on a 25-19 win. The eventual loss would waste an 18-kill performance from Finnegan, who hit .342 on the night.
 
The second set did not provide much smooth sailing, with the SoCal Warriors starting up at deficits of 7-3, 10-6, and 14-9 early. Westmont would claw back to tie things at 20-20, before a kill from Nariah Prescott momentarily gave them a one-point advantage. Westmont inched closer to the finish line following a Jessup attacking error, but Westmont would eventually surrender three consecutive points on a pair of kills and block on sway momentum back towards Jessup. Westmont fought off set-point on two different occasions, but a third chance for Jessup ended with a service ace that allowed the home team to even the match with a 27-25 win.
 
The third set would also slip through Westmont's fingers, with Westmont unable to build on a 15-12 lead in the heart of the set. Two attacking errors from Westmont would open the door for Jessup to not only tie things back up, but spark an 8-3 run that allowed the home Warriors to take a 20-18 lead.
 
Following a timeout from McGolpin Westmont would rally to things at 21, but Jessup would swipe momentum right back in a big way with a block and a service ace putting the home team a couple yards shy of the finish line. In gut-wrenching fashion, it was two Westmont service errors that would lead to Jessup's final two points of the set, giving the home team a 25-23 win in the swing set.
 
Nervous times awaited Westmont in the fourth, when Jessup started the game by winning seven of the set's first 10 points. A pair of kills from Audrey Hyde, however, highlighted an 8-4 run for Westmont that allowed the team to knot things back up. Westmont would take three of the next four points as well, with an ace from Sierra McClure forcing Jessup into a timeout trailing 14-12.
 
Jessup would tie things at 20, however, weathering a storm before sending the third set into uncharted waters. The team's stayed neck-and-neck, with Westmont having set points at 24-23, 27-26, and 28-27. Westmont also fought off Jessup's match-point at 25-24, and 26-25. Westmont's final chance to force a fifth was never better than when a brilliant dump kill from Sierra McClure put Westmont up 28-27, but in the end it would be Westmont's final point of the night.
 
For Jessup, a kill tied it, a Westmont attacking error put them up one, and the 21^st kill from Addie Hamilton sent the crowd home happy with a 30-28 win to clinch. For Westmont, a frustrating flight home will await them at the end of a two-loss weekend.
 
"That's a tough loss, indeed," said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. "We had a good heart-to-heart in the locker room after this one debriefing it. You know, we beat them in every category in terms of hitting percentage, blocking, digging, but we struggled in that red zone area.
 
"It's just something we have got to figure out. Our serving was horrible, but honestly, theirs was not super strong either. That red zone is where we are really struggling, in those 20-20 moments and on."
 
McGolpin continued, "I was really proud of how Maddie stepped up. She's developing into a really nice leader for us, which I love. Rylee too, is continuing to find her voice as well, off the floor. It's exciting to see moments like this help shape young players into leaders.
 
"We are very young, but they are starting to mature, and there's nothing a coach wants more than that."
 

While tonight's contest did not count towards the PacWest standings, Westmont faces a challenging week ahead with a pair of road games that will affect their conference fate. The first is on Friday night in Irvine, where Westmont will take on Concordia at 6:00 p.m.