GUNNISON, Colo. — Westminster volleyball went the distance with Western Colorado in a non-conference battle on Friday at Paul Wright Gymnasium, falling 2-3 (20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-18) after claiming the third and fourth sets to push the match to a decisive fifth.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Set One
Western Colorado took the opener 25-20, but Westminster showed early signs of the fight to come. Nora Elliot was perfect on her lone kill attempt, and Clara Philipsson hit .500. Ava Livolsi was outstanding at the service line, going a perfect 8-for-8, and Isabella Deantoni went a perfect 3-for-3 on her serves while also passing at a perfect clip. Alie Coleman hit .500 with two kills and added a block assist.
Set Two
Western Colorado won the second set 25-22. Apiline White served two aces and was perfect from the line, going 5-for-5, while also passing a perfect 11-for-11 in serve receive. Alie Coleman added four kills on a .200 clip and served a perfect set from the line as well, and Kyra Mahler hit .667. Isabella Deantoni served an ace and was perfect serving and passing once more, and Tiia Heikkinen contributed seven digs.
Set Three
Westminster turned the match around, winning the third set 25-22. Alie Coleman was outstanding, hitting .800 with four kills and serving an ace, and Clara Philipsson hit .500 as well. Apiline White and Tiia Heikkinen each served two aces, with Heikkinen also perfect from the service line. Jocelyn Grieser passed a perfect set in serve receive, and Nora Elliot ran the offense with seven assists.
Set Four
Westminster kept the momentum going, taking the fourth set 25-21 to force a decisive fifth. Apiline White led the way with four kills, an ace, a perfect night serving and a perfect night passing, finishing with 5.0 points. Jocelyn Grieser hit .400, and Elsa Gilmore added four kills on a .286 clip with a block assist. Nora Elliot served an ace to go with five assists and five digs, Alie Coleman served a perfect set, and Ava Livolsi was perfect both serving and passing.
Set Five
Western Colorado edged the Griffins 18-16 in the decisive fifth set, but Westminster kept battling until the end. Alie Coleman hit .750 with three kills, Elsa Gilmore added three kills on a .250 clip, and Isabella Deantoni served two aces while passing and serving perfectly once more. Ava Livolsi served an ace and passed a perfect set of her own.
GRIFFIN PERFORMANCES
Alie Coleman turned in the standout performance of the match, leading all players with 17.0 points and tying for the match high with 13 kills on a .360 clip. Elsa Gilmore added 12 kills and 13.0 points, and Apiline White chipped in 11.5 points. Kyra Mahler was error-free at the net, hitting .312 on the match. Nora Elliot ran the offense with a team-high 23 assists, and Tiia Heikkinen added 20. Libero Ava Livolsi was perfect from the service line on the match and led Westminster with 17 digs, while Isabella Deantoni tied for the team lead with three aces and turned in a perfect night passing.
As a team, Westminster finished with 52 kills, 51 assists, 12 aces, 66 digs and 16 block assists.
Westminster is back in action at Colorado Mesa University tomorrow in another non-conference matchup at 3 p.m.
