The score was 27-26 in the fourth set. The Blue Devils had come out on top with the first two, but St Peter’s Prep had answered, coming into the third set strong and overtaking the Blue Devils. Senior co-captain Ethan Cha found the ball and made a kill, winning the set and game for Westfield.
From the start of the NJSIAA Group 3 Quarterfinal, it looked like the Blue Devils had the win secured. The first two sets were dominated by Westfield, winning 25-20 and 25-18 respectively. However, once the game reached the third set, the Marauders responded, staying narrowly ahead of Westfield as the game continued and winning the set 25-22, forcing the game to a fourth set.
Senior Matthew Bonn admitted that the Blue Devils had underestimated their opponent and had come in with a bad mindset. “Our mindset was pretty poor. We thought this would be an easy game, and we underestimated them. We didn’t adjust quickly enough on the court” Bonn said.
Although the Blue Devils came out strong and ultimately secured the match, the team did struggle to find consistency throughout the game. Their strong passing helped create offensive opportunities, but there were uneven stretches which prevented the Blue Devils from maintaining control of the game.
“Near the end, we really picked up communication and serving. In the first few sets, we missed a ton of serves, but in the last set, we made almost all of our serves” said Senior tri-captain Benjamin Bukiet-Beker.
Despite the team advancing and improving as the game went on, the players acknowledged that their performance was not up to par. Westfield had numerous communication issues which led to missed hits and easy points for the Marauders, points that could have saved the Blue Devils from playing a fourth set.
Bukiet-Beker said, “I thought we played pretty bad, so we’re gonna try to fix some things, and get motivated to play better at our level that we usually play at.”
Head coach Edward Saggio echoed these sentiments, “We played great at times, and we played very, very poorly. We had no rhythm, but when we played well, we looked very good” he said.
With the semifinal matchup looming, the Blue Devils know that there are tougher challenges ahead. Saggio emphasized that Bergen Catholic is a team that has the capability to beat them but if the Blue Devils show up they can be dangerous.
The Blue Devils are back in action Tuesday, playing away against Bergen Catholic at 4 p.m., where they hope to walk away victorious and secure themselves a spot in the Group 3 State Final.
