CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa [BOX SCORE] - Westcliff (Calif.) Warriors closed its April 29 match with OUAZ (Ariz.) Spirit in four sets at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Warriors (21-5) beat the Spirit (20-6), 25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, taking the match 3-1 in a contest that swung briefly in the third before Westcliff took back control in the fourth.

Westcliff hit .409 for the match with 43 kills against only seven errors on 88 attempts, a level of sideout efficiency that made long OUAZ runs difficult to sustain. OUAZ, by contrast, hit .185 and committed 30 attacking errors on 124 swings. In the opening set, OUAZ recorded 11 kills but also seven errors and hit just .133, while Westcliff paired 10 kills with a single error to cruise to a 25-18 set score. Set two followed a similar script. OUAZ found more terminal swings (15 kills) but matched them with eight errors, while Westcliff stayed composed, hitting .455 and winning 25-20 to take a 2-0 lead.

OUAZ’s best stretch came in the third. The Spirit hit .273 behind 15 kills and a steadier rhythm, while Westcliff dipped to .217 with four errors. That was enough for OUAZ to clear the third set 25-22 and extend the match, with Jack Hubbard continuing to be the primary point scorer and Horatio Maumasi providing efficient support. But Westcliff recovered in the fourth set and delivered its sharpest set when it mattered most. In the fourth, Westcliff hit a blistering .632 with 13 kills and just one error on 19 attempts, claiming the match on a 25-15 set win while OUAZ fell back into trouble at .111 with nine errors.

Gabriel Pizza led the Warriors with 13 kills on 28 swings while hitting .393, and Rodolfo Biegelmeyer added 10 kills on 16 attempts at .500. M’hamed Mifdal was nearly automatic in his chances, producing six kills on eight swings without an error to hit .750, and Tiago Silva chipped in four kills while also being active at the net. The offense ran through Nikos Kalagasidis, who posted 35 assists and helped Westcliff keep multiple attackers in rhythm; the Warriors finished with 42 assists on 43 kills.

OUAZ generated more total kills (53), but the Spirit couldn’t overcome the volume of points conceded on errors. Hubbard finished with 15 kills and hit .312 on 32 attempts, and Maumasi matched Westcliff’s best efficiency with 10 kills at .412. Caeden Salmen reached 11 kills and also provided two aces. Setter Madduxx Goron delivered 38 assists.

The serving and net numbers were comparatively muted—Westcliff recorded one ace to OUAZ’s five, and Westcliff held a modest edge in blocking (10 total blocks to OUAZ’s four)—but the match wasn’t decided by a single specialty skill. It was decided by Westcliff’s ability to score efficiently.

The Warriors close out pool play 1-1 and await the result of Thursday's Pool A match, where the Spirit will take on Park (Mo.) to determine who advances to the semifinals. Should Park win, they will advance to the semifinal; however, if OUAZ wins, the teams will play a tiebreaker on Friday morning to determine who advances. More on tiebreak scenarios, CLICK HERE