In the second set, in front of an ecstatic Westfield crowd, senior Addie Filipps settled under a high return, bumped it to sophomore Madelyn Koellhofer who set the ball for junior Erin Wheelan to fire in between Elizabeth defenders for the kill. The kill extended the Blue Devils lead to 10 in their 2-0 win over the Elizabeth Minutemen.
The victory brings Westfield’s season opening win streak to 14 games, with 5 of those being at home.
“It feels good to be undefeated,” said senior Heidi Foster, adding that the fear of losing makes every game feel “more important than the last.”
After a slow start to the first set with the two teams tied at three, the Blue Devils exploded for an 8-0 run. After a timeout, the Minutemen scored to end the streak, but Westfield bounced back on an 8-2 run and continued to pressure Elizabeth to take the first set 25-9.
Foster led the way with 10 assists in the game as well as 4 digs while senior Abby Wilson tacked on 8 assists. Senior Sophia Simeone had 9 kills and her 4 digs brought her season total to over 100. Junior Nikita Bhat finished with seven digs, bringing her season total to a team-leading 115.
Both Wilson and head coach Beverly Torok noted how that the team communicated well, a crucial part of their success.
The Blue Devils came out strong to start the second set, with a 7-0 run fueling a 15-7 lead. The Minutemen were forced to call their second timeout of the set and fourth of the match. The Blue Devils didn’t slow down and after three straight serves won by Filipps and a pair of kills by Wheelan, Westfield took the set 25-11. The Blue Devils have won all four sets against Elizabeth this season after taking down the Minutemen on Sept. 10.
“We were aware that they hit mostly cross court and readjusted for that,” Torok said.
The Blue Devils 14-0 start surpasses their 13-1 start from the 2022-23 season when they finished the year as state champions with a 24-1 record.
“[That group] was very hungry and competitive, this group is getting there,” Torok said. “We’re gelling very nicely.”
“I think that because we’re undefeated, every team’s gonna push really hard to try and beat us,” Foster said.
Westfield looks to extend their winning streak when they return to action on the road against Union Catholic on Friday for the Vikings blackout where the Blue Devils have won the last five head-to-head matchups over their conference rivals.
“It’s going to be a big rival game like it always is,” said Wilson. “We just have to bring a lot of energy, keep calm and play how we always do.”
Torok said, “We have to play our game. We have to shut down their outsiders, who are their business, big scores.”
Following the game against the Vikings, the Blue Devils take on rivals Summit and Cranford next week.
