SALT LAKE CITY — Westminster volleyball outlasted Western Colorado in five sets, 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13), in an RMAC match Saturday at Behnken Field House. A Clara Philipsson block on the final point sealed the win. The match featured 28 ties and eight lead changes. The Griffins also got the better of the rematch after a five-set loss to Western Colorado in Gunnison on Sept. 25.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Set One
Westminster set the tone with a 25-21 opening win and never trailed in the set. Apiline White served two aces and added four digs and two kills. Katelyn Eichert ran the offense with five assists and went a perfect 3-for-3 from the service line, and Isabella Deantoni was a perfect 6-for-6 on her serves. Elsa Gilmore and Alie Coleman each added two kills, with Coleman also going a perfect 4-for-4 serving. Kyra Mahler chipped in two blocks and three digs, and Ava Livolsi served an ace and added four digs. The Griffins finished the set with three aces and 23 digs.
Set Two
Western Colorado took the second set 25-21, but the Griffins traded points with them through seven ties. Kyra Mahler hit .750 with three kills. Jocelyn Grieser added three kills, two blocks and a perfect 5-for-5 night in serve receive, good for 5.0 points in the set. Nora Elliot was a perfect 1-for-1 on her attack, served an ace, and added five assists and four digs. Apiline White was perfect both serving (2-for-2) and passing (6-for-6) with three digs. Ava Livolsi and Alie Coleman each went a perfect 4-for-4 from the service line, and Livolsi added five digs.
Set Three
Western Colorado jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Westminster tied it at 3-3 and never trailed again, building a 16-9 advantage before holding off a late push to win 25-23. Kyra Mahler paced the offense with four kills and finished the set with a kill. Clara Philipsson added three kills and two blocks for 5.0 points, and Alie Coleman had two kills, a block, five digs and a perfect 7-for-7 from the service line. Nora Elliot was also perfect from the line (6-for-6) and led the team with seven digs. Katelyn Eichert dished four assists, and Ava Livolsi was perfect in serve receive. The Griffins totaled 26 digs in the set.
Set Four
Western Colorado edged out a 25-23 win, but Westminster erased a five-point deficit (trailing 12-17) to pull even at 20-20, 22-22 and 23-23. Jocelyn Grieser had four kills, a block and a perfect 10-for-10 in serve receive for 5.0 points. Alie Coleman hit .333 with three kills and went a perfect 3-for-3 serving. Elsa Gilmore added two kills and two blocks for 4.0 points, and Claire Cook had two kills, a block and a perfect 5-for-5 in serve receive. Isabella Deantoni was a perfect 6-for-6 from the service line with five digs, and Ava Livolsi passed a perfect 7-for-7 with three assists. Nora Elliot added an ace and four assists, and Katelyn Eichert had four assists and four digs. The Griffins totaled five blocks in the set.
Set Five
Down 5-7 and 6-8 in the decider, Westminster kept pace through eight ties in the set, and a four-point run from 10-11 gave the Griffins their first lead at 12-11 and a 14-11 advantage. Jocelyn Grieser was outstanding, with three kills on .750 hitting, an ace, a perfect 5-for-5 from the service line and a perfect 5-for-5 in serve receive for 4.0 points. Claire Cook added two kills on .500 hitting, and Nora Elliot and Katelyn Eichert combined for five assists. Alie Coleman chipped in a kill, an assist and a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. Elsa Gilmore added a kill and a block. Isabella Deantoni was a perfect 3-for-3 serving, and Ava Livolsi passed a perfect 3-for-3 with three digs. As a team the Griffins were a perfect 15-for-15 from the service line and sided out at 76 percent in the set, and Philipsson's block ended it.
GRIFFIN PERFORMANCES
Jocelyn Grieser led Westminster with 13 kills, three blocks, 12 digs and an ace. Her 17.0 points tied for the match high. She also passed at a .971 clip, going 33-for-34 in serve receive. Kyra Mahler hit .333 with nine kills and two blocks for 11.0 points. Clara Philipsson had five blocks and four kills for 9.0 points. Elsa Gilmore added seven kills, three blocks and seven digs, and Alie Coleman posted nine kills, 11 digs and a block. Claire Cook had five kills, a block and a perfect 9-for-9 in serve receive, and Apiline White, who played two sets, served two aces and had seven digs.
Katelyn Eichert led the setters with 18 assists, and Nora Elliot added 17 assists, 16 digs and two aces. Libero Ava Livolsi had a team-high 17 digs, six assists and an ace. Isabella Deantoni added 12 digs and was perfect from the service line, going 18-for-18. Paired with Coleman's 20-for-20, the two combined to go 38-for-38 serving.
As a team, Westminster finished with 51 kills, 45 assists, six aces, 99 digs and 15 blocks, out-blocking Western Colorado 15-11.
UP NEXT
Westminster is back on the road Friday at Colorado State Pueblo.
