October 27, 2023
WU Battles the No. 1 Team in the Cal Pac, Loses in Three
By Francisco Claudio
The Westcliff women's volleyball team was going through one of their best moments of this season as they headed over to the University of Saint Katherine on Thursday evening.
This was one of the biggest tests for the Warriors, going up against the No. 1 team in the Cal Pac who has not lost a game since August.
This was also a great marker for the Warriors of where they are currently at and what to expect if they can get into the postseason.
The final score was a straight-set loss 25-12, 25-11, 25-20.
The first couple of points of every set were closely contested.
Westcliff won the first point of the match and started the second set up 2-0, but it would never be easy for them.
What hurt the Warriors was the big runs that USK went on, sometimes winning five in a row and taking over the momentum.
However, Westcliff continued fighting throughout the match and it started paying off in the third set when they took the lead, 16-14.
But USK went on to win 11 of the next 15 points to take the third set and continue their dominance in the Cal Pac.
"As much as the score would suggest, each set was very similar with the exception of the third set," said head coach Andy Cole. "The battle to the first five points was excellent. There was a run of points that then happened each set.
"In the third set, the team came back in the middle of the set. We reverted to a lack of finishing. However, the good news is one step often means two steps forward."
The Warriors will have to shake off this hiccup during their best moment of the season because on Friday they play again, this time against La Sierra.
Every match is important for the Warriors from here on out because they'll need to go perfect to give themselves the best chance at a postseason spot.
The match will be at La Sierra's gym with an earlier start of 2PM.