They stood for the national anthem at 7:36 p.m., two storied Union County volleyball programs steeling themselves as the words washed over them. Less than an hour later, Union Catholic players were donning sweatpants for the journey home as Westfield players celebrated around the Union County Tournament trophy.
Two rapid sets. Deafening roars that reverberated around Kean University’s cavernous gym (by high-school standards). Deft touches and hammered hits. And at the end of it all, a county title that added to the legend of a blistering 17-1 season in which the Blue Devils have ripped through a helpless Union County.
Westfield won the first set 25-15, seizing a nine-point lead deep in the set and cruising from there on. The second set followed a similar trajectory: Union Catholic hung around for a while, but Westfield eventually pulled away to win, 25-17, capturing its second county title in three years.
“We know the team that we are,” junior Abby Pevzner said. “We know the players that we are, and we just wanted to give it our all, and clearly that worked.”
The Vikings kept trying to rally, forging ahead with determined faces and bracing high-fives. But as the points flashed by, the screams of exultation from the Westfield side only grew. At the end of each point, the UC players reconvened in their huddle, their somber faces hinting at the loss hovering over the horizon.
“UC and us have had such a rivalry over the years,” head coach Beverly Torok said. “I’m glad it was them because we challenge each other.”
But on this night, it didn’t seem to matter which opponent stood on the other side of the net. The Westfield machine chugged on. Defend. Attack. Repeat, until the point is won. The Blue Devils pounced on the slightest UC miscues.
“To [Union Catholic’s] credit, they’re a good hitting team,” Torok said. But “we had runs where things were really working for us. We played really good defense,” she added.
The sizable section of black-clad UC students had little opportunity to grow boisterous. They stood silent sentry over what was, to them, a sober affair.
The Vikings didn’t play poorly, for the most part. Westfield just overwhelmed them.
Torok credited Westfield’s success to its balanced attack. “We spread it around so much,” she said. “Sometimes it’s Caitlin Cabrales. Sometimes it’s Abby Pevzner. Sometimes it’s Catie Carayannopoulos and Ally in the front and Olivia and Jess. So we have six hitters we go to, and that’s kind of a nice thing.”
Westfield won the first point of the night after UC blundered returning the opening serve. The Blue Devils never relinquished the lead in the first set.
In the second set, after Westfield built an early three-point buffer, UC fought back to knot the score up at 10-10. Westfield could not abide that. The Blue Devils channeled miraculous defense to save and then win points. Screams of victory from the UC stands cut off abruptly as Westfield players slid across the court to deny potential kills.
Jubilation set in as Westfield capped its commanding performance.
“What makes this team unique is our connection,” Pevzner said. “We’re all super close. We do bonding. We’re all just like best friends on the floor.”
That much was clear. The Westfield players smiled, smiled, and smiled some more as they celebrated each point. Just as there has been all season, there was plenty to smile about.
