BOX SCORE

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. --- Senior opposite hitter Brittany Wing had 11 kills and seven blocks to lead No. 5-ranked Biola University to a 30-26, 30-26, 30-15 sweep over Westmont College in a Golden State Athletic Conference match on Saturday night at Murchison Gymnasium in Santa Barbara.

The Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the latest NAIA Poll, improve to 9-0 on the year and are 2-0 in the GSAC. The Warriors fall to 7-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

Biola's outside hitters struggled on the night but the middle blockers picked up the slack and led the Eagles. Sophomore Kristen Peterson had nine kills and six blocks in the middle while Kelsey Christoferson added four kills and three blocks.

Biola jumped out to a quick lead in game one and led by 10 at 21-11 midway through. However, the Warriors closed the gap to 26-24 later on. After the teams traded points, Biola finally closed out the game with a kill by outside hitter Meghan Warkentin and a block by Wing and Christoferson.

Game two was nearly a reprise of game one as the Eagles jumped out to a quick lead and held a 21-13 advantage at one point. But again, Westmont fought back and this time tied the game at 25-25 but five errors by the Warriors helped the Eagles close out the game.

The third game was a lot closer and went back and forth until Biola broke an 11-11 tie with a 14-1 run to break open the game and cruise to the easy win.

Biola outside hitter Jessica Buffum had eight kills while Warkentin added seven. However, both hit below .200 for the first time this season. The Eagles still managed to outhit the Warriors in the match by a .229 to .016 count and recorded nine blocks as a team.

Sophomore libero Katie Stevens had a strong night, recording a match-high 19 digs. Junior setter Christina Perkins contributed 24 assists in the winning effort.

Biola remains on the road to open next week, traveling to face San Diego Christian College in a GSAC match on Tuesday (Sept. 11) at 7:00 p.m.