The Westmont women’s volleyball team put on a show in front of a rowdy crowd in Murchison Gymnasium in their final home game of their undefeated season Saturday night.
The No. 1 ranked Warriors (29-0, 14-0 GSAC) swept Golden State Athletic Conference foe Vanguard University (11-19, 7-5) 25-19, 25-20, 25-13; demonstrating exactly why they’re still undefeated.
“We have a lot of talent on the team,” said Westmont coach Patti Cook. “We have a lot of offensive power, and we’re strong in every position. It’s hard to pick out our weaknesses.”
Sophomore star Libby Dahlberg led the way for the Warriors, earning nine kills on a .571 hitting percentage. Dahlberg was a consistent presence at the net, contributing five blocks.
In the first set, the Warriors relied on seven digs from senior libero Kami Troesh, as the team hit a combined .093. Westmont’s defense was stellar, holding Vanguard to a .083 hitting percentage in the set and recording 24 digs as a team.
The second set was the most competitive of the three, and was knotted up at 16-16 before the Warriors went on a 9-4 run to close it out. Junior Taylor Beckman notched five of her seven kills in the set, and senior setter Alexa Nestlerode added 10 assists. Nestlerode finished with 19 assists on the night.
The third set was a true show of dominance by the Warriors, who jumped out to a 21-9 lead before finishing the Lions off for good. Vanguard hit .000 in the set, compared to Westmont’s .370.
The Warriors celebrated six graduating seniors; Jessica McCann, Miranda Beach, Courtney Crosby, Nestlerode, Troesh, and Sarah McGough, in a pregame ceremony.
“The seniors have such great leadership, great steadiness, and a passion to play,” praised Cook. “They’ve been a fantastic group, both on the court and off. I can’t say enough good things about the seniors that we have this year.”
Westmont has two away games this week, at Master’s University and at Hope International, before their regular season comes to an end. The Warriors then have two weeks off before the opening round of the NAIA Tournament.
“We’re always trying to get better,” Cook mentioned. “We’re always looking for things to improve on.”
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
