By: Hope Hensley
October 21, 2026
Santa Barbara, Calif. — Fueled by a rambunctious home crowd and a heroic defensive effort down the stretch, the Westmont women's volleyball team defended its home court in epic fashion on Tuesday night, outlasting Hawaii Hilo in a three-hour, five-set battle (19–25, 26–24, 26–28, 25–20, 15–13) at Murchison Gymnasium.
The Warriors (9-11, 6-6 PacWest) avenged a road loss to the Vulcans (17-6, 9-3 PacWest) from eight days prior, bouncing back from a tough weekend match to claim their sixth conference victory in front of an electric home atmosphere.
"That was probably the longest match I've been in as a coach—a three-hour match is a pretty long one," said Westmont Head Coach Ruth McGolpin. "What was great about tonight was that we stopped their middle attack. Our two middles,Jordan Weston and Camila Cornejo-Farmer, did a fantastic job of blocking them, which was something we struggled with last week. Our defense was the difference—the blocking first, the defense behind it, and our hitters putting the ball away down the stretch, which was exactly what we needed."
Westmont's front-row block provided 10 total team blocks, with Cornejo-Farmer leading the charge with eight block assists alongside 11 kills. Weston added nine kills and two block assists, helping neutralize Hilo's net attack.
On offense, four Warriors reached double digits in kills. Valerie Coward led the charge with a match-high 18 kills, while Audrey Hyde put down 16 kills to go with 11 digs. Ceanna O'Loughlin delivered 12 kills and five block assists.
Setter Sierra McClure directed the 5–1 rotation expertly, dishing out a match-high 49 assists.
"Sierra McClure did a really nice job setting in the 5–1," McGolpin praised. "And shoutout to Andrea Villar coming into the game and getting some clutch serves in the fifth set."
Defensively, the backline stepped up in critical moments. Alyson Wurster anchored the defense with a match-high 20 digs, while Rylee Elias added 17 digs.
The victory kicks off a crucial 5 match homestand for Westmont, providing a momentum boost on their home floor.
"Honestly, we played Biola so well over the weekend, and we know that we can play with the big dogs," McGolpin added. "Being on this homestand is super helpful because we've been on the road so much. We defended our home court tonight, and the atmosphere was great—the men's soccer guys with Jackson Obleda were outstanding and rambunctious."
Westmont has a quick turnaround as they continue PacWest action on Wednesday, October 21, hosting Chaminade at Murchison Gymnasium.
