Friday and Saturday brought the start of the Westmont volleyball season as the Warriors traveled to Irvine to participate in the 2006 Crowne Plaza Labor Day Festival hosted by Concordia.

First up for the Warriors was a match against Carroll (Mont.) which Westmont lost 3-1 (30-26, 30-21, 28-30, 30-23). Senior outside hitter Kelsey Voetman recorded 11 kills to lead the Warriors while sophomore Katie Sharp and freshman Stephanie Dunn each posted a .333 attack percentage.

In the late Friday match, Westmont took on Dominican and walked away with a 3-1 victory (30-25, 30-27, 24-30, 32-30). Head Coach Jim Smoot switched from a 5-1 game plan (five hitters, one setter) to a 6-2, with senior Leslie Carroll and junior Katie Pace sharing the setting duties. Voetmann contributed 15 kills to the victory with Dunn adding another eight. Sharp posted the Warriors’ best attack percentage in the contest at .308

On Saturday, Westmont battled with Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) and came up with another 3-1 win (24-30, 33-31, 30-28, 30-21). Once again, Voetmann led the offensive attack with 26 kills (.304 attack percentage). Also getting in on the act was freshman Beth Widicus who notched 17 kills and posted a .279 attack percentage. Sharp added seven more kills and recorded a .368 attack percentage.

In the final game of the festival, the Warriors fell to #25 Westminster 3-0 (30-18, 30-25, 30-24). Junior libero Malinda Reese sat out the fourth game after sustaining an injury during the Dakota Wesleyan match. As a result, the Warriors’ passing game struggled, affecting the offensive production. Collectively, the Warriors managed just 27 kills and posted a team attack percentage of .100.