SAN RAFAEL, Calif.- The Penguins had themselves a great Friday night!
Dominican University of California women's volleyball delivered a thrilling comeback Friday night at the Conlan Center, overcoming a 2-1 deficit to defeat Westmont College, 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 17-25, 25-19, 15-13), to secure its first home victory of the season. It was a night that demanded patience, resilience and a whole lot of fight.
The Penguins opened the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory, but Westmont answered by taking the next two sets, putting Dominican one set away from another tough home defeat. Instead, the Penguins flipped the script.Dominican came roaring back in the fourth set, attacking with its best offensive efficiency of the night. The Penguins hit .244 in the frame while holding Westmont to a .106 attack percentage, forcing a decisive fifth set.
With the match hanging in the balance, Dominican battled through another tight set and held its nerve when it mattered most, closing out Westmont 15-13 to send the Conlan Center into celebration. Alexis Schwartz powered the Penguins throughout the night, finishing with a match-high 15 kills, five blocks and eight digs for 18 total points. Kristina Atonio added 10 kills while hitting .273, while Cierra Ray contributed eight kills and 15 digs.
At the net, Ashlyn Daugherty was a force, recording a team-high seven blocks. Jesaria Conley-Hudson added five blocks, while Schwartz chipped in five more as Dominican finished with 14 team blocks. Behind the defense, Sophia Bernabe delivered an enormous performance, recording a match-high 25 digs while adding two service aces. Ray followed with 15 digs, helping Dominican survive Westmont's offensive pressure throughout the five-set battle. Chloe Cruz directed the attack with 17 assists, while Melena Wong added 11 assists.
Dominican improves to 4-7 overall and 1-2 in PacWest play, while Westmont falls to 3-8 and 0-3 in conference action. The Penguins will be back on the court Sept. 25th as they host Point Loma at 6 p.m.
