AN UNEXPECTED JOY

By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff women's volleyball team got within two points of sweeping rival Simpson and punching a ticket to the Continental Athletic Conference championship match, but the Warriors ran out of gas late and fell in five sets to Red Hawks on Saturday afternoon in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Warriors won the first two sets, 25–14 and 25–21, and were tied 23–23 in the third before Simpson found just enough rhythm to flip the match. The Red Hawks survived the third set 27–25, took the fourth 25–22 and carried the momentum through the fifth for a 15–9 win.

Despite the loss, Westcliff's season ended not in disappointment but in validation.

A year ago, the program won a single match. This fall, with a roster almost entirely rebuilt and a coaching staff piecing together roles on the fly, the Warriors closed the season winning 10 of their last 15 and became the first women's volleyball team in school history to record multiple postseason victories.

By advancing out of pool play and knocking off the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in the tournament, this group won more postseason matches than any Westcliff team before it.

On Saturday, the Warriors were again led by the star duo that carried them through the back half of the year.

Samantha Carelock thundered down 26 kills on 58 swings (.345), added two aces and posted 30 total points.

Stacy Folas finished with 24 kills and two blocks, attacking 71 times to keep Westcliff steady in long rallies.

Joliayns Roman chipped in seven kills, and setter Amanda Ferreira handed out 53 assists while adding a kill, an ace and eight digs.

Libero Daniela Sandoval anchored the floor with 35 digs.

Westcliff hit .367 and .300 in the opening sets and .341 in the third before slipping to .085 and .038 in the final two frames as Simpson settled in.

Even so, the Warriors finished with 63 kills to Simpson's 60, 90 digs to the Red Hawks' 88 and a 10–7 edge in aces.

Simpson countered with a late surge from its top hitters; Tiara Manns had 15 kills, and Mariah Napoleon registered 18 to help fuel the comeback.

For head coach Greg Wakeham, the end landed heavy but proud.

"You know it's kind of the type of players that you want — people that are excited about coming," Wakeham said. "That's what's neat about Westcliff. They all have to sacrifice to be here. They're not my employees. I get to coach girls that are happy to play. I don't have to do a lot of checking and micromanaging."

Wakeham said the growth was as meaningful as the wins.

"It's neat to see them grow. We've had players develop a lot of different skills — the physical, the leadership, all of it," he said. "Seeing them manage school and work and volleyball… it's a group I'm excited about coaching. So, it's emotional to lose. We were so close. And I think we woke up Simpson. They were going through some personal struggles, and I think they got a little slap in the face and realized they needed to be better."

Wakeham paused, then looked past the match and into the bigger picture.

"Beyond today, I don't know," he said. "Lex was kind of limping, and we did a lot with these girls. But I'm proud to coach them. I was proud in the beginning and proud now. They're just fun people."

Westcliff finishes the year 15–14 overall, 10–4 since their midseason win at Cal Lutheran — a match Wakeham himself admitted "changed everything" for a team that started 4–9 but never stopped learning its new identity.

They went 10–0 after CLU against teams not named Simpson, beat the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and authored the most lucrative postseason run the program has ever seen.

More than anything, they set a new standard — one built on joy, growth, sacrifice and belief — and the foundation for whatever comes next.