Women’s volleyball makes easy work out of weekend opponents

Gyno Pomare / Staff Writer / The USD Vista

Six straight set wins gave the Torero volleyball team a pair of wins over WCC opponents Gonzaga University and the University of Portland. The Toreros swept their northwestern opponents in three straight matches each. The wins give the Toreros the chance to share first place alongside San Francisco in West Coast Conference standings.

On Oct. 30, the University of San Diego traveled to Portland. The Toreros took an early 9-5 lead in set one. But the Pilots put together a run to pull the game close, trailing at one point 10-9. Both teams battled for the lead and kept the game close, they were tied at 21 before the Toreros closed out the match, winning 25-21.

In the second set, the Toreros again jumped to an early lead with a score of 9-5. Both teams rallied to gain the lead with a score of 14-12 with the Toreros ahead. The Toreros later took the match when they won 25-17.

During the final set, the game remained tight throughout the match. Neither team gained much of an advantage as the Pilots played the Toreros hard until the end. The game was tied at 19 until the Toreros clinched the match 25-21.

Junior Amy Degroot lead the team with 11 kills while senior Jessica Nyrop added 39 assists on the night.

In Spokane, the game was far more one-sided. In set one, USD jumped out early on the Zags to take a 10-2 lead and did not look back. The Toreros were on fire as they ended the first match quickly beating the Zags 25-10.
The second match would show little improvement for the Zags as the Toreros had a major lead of 15-4 late in the game. The Toreros would go on to finish out the match 25-13.

The third and final set of the match was closer. The Toreros again jumped to an early 7-2 lead, but the Zags would fight back keeping the game close trailing 13-10. The Toreros would eventually win out the match 25-20 giving them the victory over the Zags. Three Toreros recorded double digit kills: Sophomore Ali Troost with 12, and Degroot and sophomore Colleen Carlson both recorded 10 each.

This week will not make or break the Toreros season, but it will be important if they hope to win back to back WCC title.

On Saturday the Toreros will welcome the No. 25 USF Dons to the JCP for a matchup that should determine the conference champion. They will be out for revenge as their only conference loss this season came to USF on the road on Oct. 11.

Later in the week the Toreros will welcome St. Mary’s and Santa Clara before wrapping up their conference schedule in Los Angeles.