The Blue Devils got off to a hot start leading in four out of five matches being played. Coming off a rough 5-0 loss to Kent Place, Westfield came out looking to snatch another win. “We worked on a lot of different techniques and signs by formation during practice,” said head coach Samantha Nichols. “They definitely brought it today.”
Westfield was trying out some new pairings during yesterday’s match with second doubles being played by first-time duo senior Alexa Bloch and junior Ava Holzman. Bloch said, “We tried more strategies than normal and those helped a lot, and we had really good chemistry.” In order to keep momentum rolling, Bloch noted that “volleying, communicating, and staying positive” were the main components to their match’s success.
After winning both sets 6-0, Nichols said, “I thought [Block and Holzman] would work well together seeing their games from previous matches.”
Westfield won both second and third singles in two sets from sophomore Lauren Roszak (6-1, 6-0) and senior Anna Luchsinger (6-2, 6-1). Powerful swings and placement were big factors for Luchsinger as her opponent, Sara Romero, offered “consistent” and “hard” hits.
With five matches in the books, the team’s energy and cohesiveness has begun to set in. “It was a bit of a confusing start to the season as far as tryouts, but now I feel like we are coming together and uniting,” said Luchsinger.
Despite losing first singles to Governor Livingston’s Julia Kravchenko, Nichols still believed in her players and said, “With all the hard work they put in leading up to now, they’re going to be successful.”
Westfield won second and third singles as well as first and second doubles on the way to a 4-1 win. “It’s a lot of hard work and team effort. We take our practices very seriously and our matches very seriously,” Nichols said. “We have a short season but the girls really work hard in the two months we have.”
The Blue Devils will be back in action on Tuesday against Summit at 4 pm at Memorial Park.
