SPLIT DECISIONS

By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff women's volleyball team closed out its NorCal trip on a high note Friday, sweeping Pacific Union in straight sets after dropping a five-setter earlier in the day to Simpson.

Westcliff was sharp from start to finish in the second match, rolling 25-19, 25-11, 25-10 behind a balanced attack that hit .295 as a team.

Stacy Folas led all hitters with 16 kills on an efficient .636 clip, while Samantha Carelock added 12 and Renee Lepage chipped in seven.

Setter Amanda Ferreira directed the offense with 29 assists and two aces, and Daniela Sandoval anchored the back row with 13 digs.

"It was a battle," Westcliff head coach Greg Wakeham said. "We didn't have Rena, so we had some shared time with Lex, Lauren and Amaya putting in their efforts and taking advantage of their strengths. We had a lot of swings for Sam and Stacey, but in the fifth set Simpson's serving was really good. They got on a nice run and we just couldn't get back into it. Sometimes you can, but tonight they were pretty solid all the way through."

The Warriors' serving pressure and improved first-contact play proved decisive, racking up nine aces and keeping the Pioneers out of rhythm throughout.

"By the end of the day we'd gotten into a rhythm," Wakeham said. "We'd used everyone to build a strong lineup, and by that point the team had kind of taken over. They were coming up with creative solutions on their own, and that was neat to see. My goal is always to give them room to make decisions, because that's where the fun is in volleyball — being creative and spontaneous."

Simpson 3, Westcliff 2

Earlier in the day, Westcliff fell in a tight five-set battle with Simpson, 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 15-8.

Samantha Carelock posted 17 kills and five blocks, while Stacy Folas added 15 kills and six blocks.

Amanda Ferreira distributed 43 assists and Renee Lepage finished with 10 digs.

The Dubs (7-12, 2-3 Cal Pac) travel to West Coast Baptist Tuesday before hosting Park Gilbert Wednesday.