Biola University secured its first Golden State Athletic Conference volleyball championship since 1997 with a 3-1 win over The Master's College on November 15, 2014. The win puts Biola at 28-4 (15-1 GSAC) tie with No. 3 Concordia for the conference championship.

Junior outside hitter Joclyn Kirton and senior middle blocker Amy Weststeyn led the way with a team-high 13 kills and eight blocks. The pair combined for a block to end the match and wrap up the championship.

The Eagles worked their way to quick wins in the first two sets, hitting over .368 in each set. However, during the final two frames, Biola's attack efficiency dropped substantially. The Master’s College Mustangs overpowered Biola during the third set, riding a six-point streak to a 20-14 lead and eventually a 25-19 set win.

The Eagles damaged their own chances in that set by committing seven attacking errors and scoring just eight kills. The setters and hitters were not on the same page, resulting in a .029 attack percentage in the third set, which was Biola's lowest of the night.


Biola fell behind early in the fourth set, 9-5 but the Eagles' net play ramped up late in the set as Biola got six of its 13 blocks in the final set. The team worked hard and brought the score to a 24-20 lead and then, after three set points, got the block from Weststeyn and Kirton to end the night.

The 13 blocks is the second-highest team total Biola has accumulated this year. It was powered by Weststeyn's two solo blocks and six block assists. Britta Blaser also had two solo blocks and Kirton and Crissy Cunningham had a solo block and three block assists each.

Weststeyn and Kirton carried the Eagles' attack, combining for 23 kills and hitting over .333. The pair ends as two of the three Biola players with 320-plus kills this season.

The Master's ended the night with seven blocks and hit just .124 as a team. Allison Child led the way with 12 kills, hitting .375.

The No. 4 Eagles' next step is the NAIA Volleyball National Championship in early-December. The Mustangs fall to 19-12 (9-7 GSAC) and may have ended their season tonight. The team will wait to see if they earn an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

Written by Neil Morgan, sports information director. For more information, contact Jenna Bartlo, media relations specialist, at 562.777.4061 or jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.