The crowd erupts in the WHS gymnasium as junior Lidia Wright serves an ace to secure the 3-1 win for the Blue Devils against Fair Lawn to advance to the North Group IV sectional semifinals.
The Blue Devils came into the match energized and ready to compete, despite no prior meetings against Fair Lawn.
“We were pretty excited after our first win of the sectional playoffs,” said senior co-captain Lillian Wood. “We knew nothing about this team, so we were excited and a little nervous to see what they had to bring to the game.”
That preparation was shown early as Westfield dominated the first two sets, winning 25-10 and 25-15. Junior Liz Bresnahan led the attack with 11 kills and 10 digs.
“We covered well off tips today, which we don’t always see,” head coach Beverly Torok stated. “We served fairly well into spots, which is what we’ve been working on, and we hit a ton, which was great.”
However, in the third set, Fair Lawn refused to be swept, battling back with a series of aces to take the set 25-21 and cut Westfield’s lead to 2-1.
Bresnahan said, “We were really upset with how we played, and we all knew that we could have done better.”
“In our huddle, we talked about how we made a lot of errors consecutively, like shanking passes and hitting out, so we wanted to come into the fourth set strong and finish it fast,” Wood added.
Focusing on the small details of their game, the Blue Devils regrouped behind their senior leadership and team chemistry.
Torok said, “They’re motivated for themselves. The seniors, eight of them, are motivated for their final season, and we just cheer each other on and try to make things happen.”
Westfield responded in the fourth set, claiming the 25-14 win to clinch the victory.
As the Blue Devils continue their playoff run, Wood emphasized that staying sharp mentally and physically will be essential. “I think we had the energy that we needed to win,” Wood said. “Continuing to work on our serves and working on keeping the energy up no matter what we do or how we play.”
Facing the fourth seed Livingston Lancers in the next round will serve as a strong test for the top-seeded Blue Devils as they look to make a fifth consecutive trip to the North Jersey Group IV sectional final.
The Blue Devils will host Livingston on Saturday at 1 p.m., looking to continue their run in the state tournament.
