Costa Mesa -- Returning to the Pit, the Vanguard women's volleyball team welcomed the rival Westmont Warriors for Golden State Athletic Conference play Friday night. The Lions showed a lot of grit and determination by staying with Westmont for most of the match, but WC had another level when they needed it and the visitors would win in four sets. With set scores of 18-25, 27-25, 23-25, and 22-25, the Lions fall to 10-6 overall and 5-5 in the GSAC, while the Warriors go to 14-8 overall and 8-2 in the conference.
What Happened? Westmont took the first two points of the match before Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) got a kill and an ace to tie the first set at 2-2. But Westmont drove away from there, running out a 10-2 run to take a 12-4 advantage. VU could have thrown it in from there but the team fought back in the middle stages, with Payton Darm (FR/San Juan Capistrano, CA) and Fernandez helping to trim the gap to 14-13 WC. The Warriors then bounced back to go up 22-15 and the guests would hold on from there, taking the first set 25-18. The Lions hit .111 in the first period, with 10 kills and six errors.
Set Two
The Blue and Gold came out ready and walked stride-for-stride with WC during the first few rallies. Tied at seven-all, an attack error and another high-powered kill from Darm gave the Lions a 9-7 lead. The team maintained a two-point edge until Westmont came charging back to take a 17-14 lead themselves. The Warriors continued to lead as the set wound down but behind 21-19, the Lions used the crowd to build some momentum. A kill from Samantha Arellano (SR/Tulare, CA), an ace from Rachel Lim (FR/La Palma, CA), and a kill from Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) put VU up 23-21. Back came Westmont to knot things at 24-24, and then the visitors took a 25-24 lead to put the Lions on the brink. But in the face of defeat, Fernandez, Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA), and a block from Darm and Bickmore powered VU to three-straight points to snag set two 27-25. VU hit .192 in the set, with 18 kills and eight errors.
Set Three
The Lions got the first few points in the third period but WC quickly came back to tie the game at 5-5. But then Rachel Lim got behind the service line and had a dominant run, with three aces over six serves. VU also got a kill from Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) to take a huge 15-7 lead. However, the good times slowly came to an end, as Westmont chipped away over the rest of the set until they tied the game at 22-22. Vanguard took two timeouts during the late charge but could not halt the Warriors, who took a 24-22 lead. Bellfi then threw down a serious kill to make it 24-23. But the third set ending in some controversy, as what looked like a ball that fell out of bounds was instead called a kill, with the down ref ruling a touch by the block, and WC took the third frame 25-23.
Set Four
Everything was set up for Westmont to roll through VU in the fourth but Vanguard did not pack it in and roll over. Down 5-2, Bellfi, Petersen, and Bickmore all got kills to help tie the game at eight-all. Vanguard once more erased a five-point gap to even the set at 16-16 a few rallies later. Again the Warriors grabbed a hold on the set and threatened to end it quickly, but the Blue and Gold responded to their plight. Fernandez and the block helped the Lions draw level at 20-20. But despite the spirited effort, Westmont put the pedal down and took the set 25-22, and the match three sets to one.
Vanguard hit .127 in the match and was led by Fernandez, who delivered another fantastic effort. #11 had 13 kills and 24 digs to lead the team in both categories. Bellfi had 11 kills and Darm had a great night with eight kills. Kynzey Mitzel (SR/Tigard, OR) had 18 digs to finish second in the defensive stats. Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) had 20 assists while Lim added in 22. It was another big night for the block, especially for Darm and Bickmore, who combined for 16 of the 20 block assists for the Lions. VU also had nine service aces in the close defeat.
Why is it Important? Vanguard falls to 26-50 against Westmont in the all-time series and has not won since September 27 of 2019.
What was said? "We did the work to put ourselves in the position to win multiple times," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "We need the toughness to finish."
What's next? Vanguard travels to The Master's tomorrow to face the Mustangs at 6:00 p.m.
