Senior night at the Behnken Field House was a huge success for Westminster women's volleyball, as they won their third consecutive home match, defeating Fort Lewis College (9-16, 4-13) three sets to one. The Griffins finished the season winning five of their last 6 games to finish the season 1016 overall and 7-11 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Griffins dominated the first two sets, winning the first set 25-17 and the second set 25-16. The Griffins outhit the Skyhawks with a combined hitting percentage of .362 to .159. Senior Amara Spere, with 10 kills, and freshman Audrey Green, with 11 kills, led the griffins in the attack as nine other Griffins tallied kills during the two sets.
After two very good sets, the Griffins came out flat in the third set and the Skyhawks came out strong defensively. The Skyhawks' defense tallied 21 digs in the third set, equaling the total number of digs in first two. The Griffins struggled to make any significant runs against the Skyhawks' defense, scoring 13 of their 22 points one point at a time, loosing the third set 25-22.
The Griffins regained control of the match with an early 7-3 lead. The Griffins didn't surrender the lead the rest of the match as sophomore Sydnee Simmons tallied four kills out of five attempts, and Spere, Green and Katie Hutchings had three kills each. The team combined for 4 blocks and 16 digs to win the set 25-19, and the match 3-1.
Simmons came up big on the night with 10 kills and a season high .714 hitting percentage. Spere had a great night with 22 kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Green Contributed 16 kills, nine digs and 4 block assists. Senior Taylor Gustafson had 55 assists, nine digs and two kills. Senior Megan Gallegos contributed 13 digs, and sophomores Hannah Stearman and Amber Lamborn each had 11 digs.
"I am very proud of the way the team and the seniors played tonight, and over the last six games," Head Coach Al Givens said. "Winning five of the last six matches will provide a lot for the younger athletes to build on."
The Griffins wait to see what their final standing in the conference will be, as the remaining teams have either one or two games to play.
