As senior co-captain Annelise Bonn rose into the air and drove the ball down into the middle of the Highlanders court, the second set was secured for the Blue Devils, fueling their win and leading them to the number one seed in the UCC Watchung Conference.
On Oct. 14, the Blue Devils faced off against the Governor Livingston Highlanders in one of their last regular season games of the year. For the entirety of the match, the Blue Devils were a powerhouse, showcasing the skillfulness of their roster and the reason why they have been the frontrunners of their conference all season long.
Coming into the game undefeated and already beating the Highlanders 2-0 this season, the Blue Devils started their game with intensity, winning multiple rallies and forcing many Governor Livingston mistakes. Even with the game being tied at 3-3 early, Westfield was able to pull away, eventually creating a 16-7 lead for themselves.
Senior co-captain Lillian Wood said, “I think we started off strong and played aggressive offense and were able to pick up a lot of balls no matter what they sent back over the net.”
With multiple kills from Bonn, senior Sophia Simeone and junior Erin Whelan, the Blue Devils were quickly able to put the first set away 25-12.
Despite the first set giving Westfield confidence ahead of the rest of the game, the Highlanders were able to get on the board first in the second set, claiming an early 2-0 lead. The next few points were back-and-forth, eventually bringing the score to 6-6.
However, the Blue Devils were able to regain their momentum, creating a gap for themselves while taking a 12-8 lead following another kill from Whelan and multiple shots from junior Liz Bresnahan deflected off the arms of Governor Livingston players.
While Westfield was able to dominate many more rallies, the Highlanders were able to get several points off of Blue Devil errors and brought the score very close to 23-20.
Following a Westfield timeout, the Blue Devils stepped back onto the court energized with the opportunity to end the game in just two sets. While they were able to gain another point, the Highlanders would not back down easily.
After the referee overturned a call that would have won Westfield the game, the score became 24-23, with both teams alert and eager to win the next rally.
As the ball was set and Bonn leaped into the air to slam it down, cheers echoed throughout the gym as the Blue Devils won the second set 25-23.
Following the exceptional performance put forth by the team, one of the biggest highlights of the match was the team’s ability to put together plays and create the most difficult returns for the Highlanders. Head coach Beverly Torok said, “I thought that we were very versatile in our hitting. We used middles, outsides and opposites, so we were really able to use a variety of our weapons.”
This win expands the team’s undefeated streak to 20-0 on the season while also gaining them the first seed for their county tournament.
Senior Heidi Foster said, “I think being undefeated gives us a good title against other teams but it also motivates us to keep that title and I think it will help us have the right confidence and mindset going into counties.”
The Blue Devils will next face Old Bridge in a rematch of last year’s Group 4 State Championship.
“We are excited to play Old Bridge. We lost to them last year in the state championship and when we won the state championship years ago it was them who we beat so we have a good rivalry with them,” Torok said.
The Blue Devils will travel at 4:00 p.m. on Friday as they take on the Knights in their last regular season game of the year.
