In the middle of the second set, the Blue Devils found themselves up by 12-0, not only in the first round of the Union County Tournament, but also on their senior day. The team jumped out to early leads in both sets with connected passing and dominant hitting, making a statement at the start of the tournament and securing a 2-0 win for the seniors.
“You always want to win your senior day,” said head coach Beverly Torok. “It’s a sign of the seniors moving on, and we’re celebrating their careers.”
The team has been on a 17-5 run, earning the No. 1 seed in the Union County Tournament and receiving a bye in the preliminary round. Senior Vicki Morey was a key contributor to the team’s win with six kills throughout the game. “I give a lot of credit to my setters,” said Morey. “You can’t get a kill without a good set.”
Adding to the successful senior day, each member of the team got their moments to play in the game, despite it being the first round of the Union County Tournament. “We all had a lot of fun today,” said senior co-captain Audrey Stack. “Even though we weren’t playing our usual positions near the end, we were still able to perform well.”
Senior Ava Gaspard and juniors Lillian Wood and Annelise Bonn had a combined 11 kills throughout the game. The team also combined for a strong defense, beating Roselle Catholic by over 13 points in both sets.
The Blue Devils will move on to the quarterfinal of the Union County Tournament, where they will play Scotch Plains-Fanwood, hoping to continue their strong season. “Scotch Plains is very athletic,” said Torok. “We will look at our tape from when we played them. We have to be prepared for faster, quicker hits and secure our serves better.”
In regard to the next round of counties, Stack added, “We’re going to focus on starting strong because it matters when we play more difficult teams.”
The team was excited to pull off such a dominant win on their senior day. Senior Kelsey Dix said, “We knew we wanted to get the win and earn a big score gap, but also play our best and play our game.”
Senior Emelia Dengler had a great game, tallying 11 assists and 17 service points. Dix and Morey also combined for 11 service points, making a statement for the senior class.
The Blue Devils will play Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the Union County Tournament Quarterfinal Round on Friday at 4 p.m. at WHS.
