The Blue Devils lost in two quick sets to Randolph. Head coach Edward Saggio summarized the loss in a simple statement: “Our blocking is our Achilles’ Heel.” Despite eight kills from senior tri-captains Ethan Cha and Benjamin Bukiet-Beker, Westfield’s blocking was no match for the Rams’ powerful kills.
Both sets were back-and-forth, and Westfield had the lead toward the end of the first set. The score was 24-23 Westfield, but Randolph did not let up, and after a long, exciting rally with multiple tips, Randolph got the point. They then served an ace, and the set was won. Similarly, the end of the second set was close, and the score was tied five times. But the Blue Devils’ Achilles’ Heel, blocking, ultimately cost them the set and match in the end.
Cha explained, “Our serve received today was really good. We had some really good passing, even on some tough serves.” But he echoed Saggio, “The biggest problem today was definitely our defense. Our blocking was all over the place.” Senior Jack Graham, Marymount University volleyball commit, agreed on the reason for Westfield’s loss, saying, “Definitely the blocking, there were a lot of holes in the block.”
Saggio said, “We work on [blocking] every day,” but said it is not getting better as the season progresses. The team is seemingly doing well based on their 14-5 record, but as country and state tournaments get closer, Cha tried to analyze the disconnect on defense. “I think it’s just court awareness. Knowing whether the set is coming from really far away, being able to get out in time and recognizing that there’s only one place the center can go to. We just weren’t really reading that, and we were reacting way too late.”
One thing is for sure: The team must improve their defense. Saggio also added for their offense, “We have to serve tougher, too. We have to take teams out of the system a little bit better.” Westfield only had three aces, two from Cha and one from sophomore Gunner Gaspard, while Randolph had four.
The team is back in action on May 6, at Hillside at 5:30. They are aiming to gain back some of their momentum from earlier in the season when they had a seven-game winning streak. With only three games left in the regular season, the team is looking to bounce back and finish the regular season on a high note.
