By Jeff Raymond
September 13, 2025
 
(NAMPA, Idaho) –The Westmont volleyball (4-3) squad dropped two matches on Saturday at the Hampton Inn Nighthawks Classic hosted by Northwest Nazarene (Idaho). The Warriors fell 3-0 to a strong team from Colorado School of Mines (7-1) to start the day, and then lost a 3-1 decision to Westminster (Utah) (6-2).
 
The Warriors got off to a good start against the Orediggers and took an early 7-4 lead after a kill by Nariah Prescott. School of Mines tied the set at 7-7 before the teams traded points until it was knotted at 12-12. A brief 4-0 surge then gave the Orediggers a lead they would not relinquish. Westmont twice closed within a single point, but fell 25-22 in the opening set.
 
School of Mines opened set two with a 3-1 advantage and would briefly give up the lead when Westmont went up 9-8. The Orediggers then bolted on an 8-1 run to break the set open and went on to win 25-19. The Warriors struggled on the attack, committing four service errors and 10 attack errors in the set.
 
Unfortunately for Westmont, the third set was similar to the first two. The score remained close for the first half of the set, followed by a key surge by the School of Mines to take control. This time, there were nine ties, the final one coming at 17-17. Three straight attack errors doomed the Warriors, as the Orediggers pulled away to win 25-18.
 
"We put up a good fight, but we were definitely overpowered," said Coach Ruth McGolpin. "There were some really bright spots, and as a team, we never gave up, which is a good sign."
 
Ceanna O'Loughlin led the Warriors with 12, while Rylee Elias picked up 14 digs.
 
The first set against Westminster was a tight battle in the early going. The two teams traded points until a decisive 10-1 run by the Griffins turned a 15-15 tie into a 25-16 setback for Westmont.
 
"I decided to change things up in the second set and ran a 5-1 offense with Sierra (McClure) as our only setter," explained McGolpin. "It was back and forth, and we had some chances."
 
The Warriors served for the set four times, but couldn't close the door. After a kill from Maddie Finnegan tied it at 28-all, Westminster pulled out the set 30-28.
 
"We stayed with the 5-1 in the third game and really took it to them," commented McGolpin. Three service aces by McClure jump-started Westmont in the third set, as the Warriors built a commanding 7-0 advantage. Four kills and a block by O'Loughlin kept the Griffins at bay as Westmont won 25-12.
 
"The momentum quickly switched to Westminster in the fourth set, as the Warriors fell behind 7-3. An 8-1 surge put the Griffins up 18-8, and they finished off the match 25-12.
 
"Westminster changed their lineup in the fourth set and presented a different look," said McGolpin. O'Loughlin, Finnegan, and Audrey Hyde each recorded nine kills. Hyde added seven blocks, while McClure ended with 28 assists.
 
"I'm proud of the team and the way we continued to fight," added McGolpin. "It's been a good non-conference season, and we look forward to getting home and hosting Concordia this week."
 
Westmont will begin PacWest play on Wednesday when Concordia comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. match.