By: Hope Hensley
October 10, 2026
HONOLULU — Navigating a quick turnaround and stifling gym conditions, the Westmont women's volleyball team notched its second consecutive victory in Hawaii on Saturday evening, defeating Hawaii Pacific 3–1 (25–21, 22–25, 25–19, 25–18) at the HPU Shark Tank.
Coming off an exhausting five-set win over Chaminade the night before, the Warriors (8-9, 5-4 PacWest) showed remarkable resilience and defensive grit to push past the Sharks.
"It was definitely a tough match," said Westmont Head Coach Ruth McGolpin. "The gym was super hot, and coming off a tough five-set win last night, our team played extremely gritty and resilient on defense."
A key tactical adjustment proved to be the difference-maker for the Westmont attack. Switching into a 5–1 offensive system with setter Sierra McClure directing the floor, junior opposite hitter Audrey Hyde put on a clinic. Hyde erupted for a career-high 22 kills while hitting an efficient .386 on 44 total attacks.
"Audrey Hyde was obviously amazing," McGolpin praised. "We switched to a 5–1 system, and she did an outstanding job in that offense, hitting effectively both in the front row and out of the back row."
McClure dished out 31 assists to guide the attack, while junior outside hitter Ceanna O'Loughlin posted double-digit kills with 10 on a strong .269 hitting percentage. Middle blocker Camila Cornejo-Farmer added nine kills on a .250 hitting percentage while leading the front row defense with seven block assists as Westmont racked up 22 total block assists.
"Malia de Jesus did a fantastic job stepping into the libero role tonight," McGolpin noted. "And once again, our blocking was fantastic across the board."
After dropping the second set 22–25, Westmont took total control in the final two frames, holding HPU to just .059 and .095 hitting percentages in sets three and four to seal the four-set victory.
With the win, Westmont improves to 5–4 in PacWest action as they prepare for the final leg of their island swing.
"We are super stoked to get that victory in four sets," McGolpin added. "Now, it's on to Hilo for our next match on Monday."
Westmont concludes its Hawaii trip on Monday, October 12, when they face Hawaii Hilo.
