The gym radiated with energy immediately following the first serve, as Westfield girls volleyball set off to dominate Elizabeth in just three sets. Three sets packed full of Blue Devil dominance that came from a long-spanning, season-built team chemistry.
Right off the bat, the Blue Devils broke away, leading with numerous kills from seniors Ava Gaspard and Vicki Morey. Tone-setting plays that immediately showed how Westfield would control the sets throughout the match.
They quickly finished Elizabeth in the first set, winning 25-19. However, that didn’t stop them from bringing that same energy to the rest of the game.
Head coach Beverly Torok explained the success found on the court, “We have played them twice. We know they pick up a ton of balls defensively and we were pretty on top of Elizabeth’s outside, their main hitter. We were able to shut her down today.”
Westfield’s defensive stronghold at the net was the most apparent trait worthy of awe today, with players like junior Lillian Wood, Gaspard, and the rest of the formidable crew blocking countless attempted kills by Elizabeth, setting forth a major role in what would be Westfield’s statement-making victory today. Senior co-captain Audrey Stack also noticed this on the court and said, “I thought our block coverage was really good today, and so I think if we continue to work on that, we should be able to perform even better in later sets.”
Although the team had a lot to be proud of today, it has become the standard for a proven program that is no stranger to the postseason run. This is evident in Torok’s comment that although opponents may change, the Blue Devils will “prepare for the next opponent the same.” Westfield has improved immensely in their court communication, and that has allowed them to click more as a team.
The sectional tournament has been different for the Blue Devils this year, as they now play best-of-five sets rather than best-of-three. Stack addressed how the team adjusts to this game-changing structure by saying, “[Union] is the only county that usually only plays 3 sets, so this is very different for us. In practice, we have been playing really high-speed and high-endurance drills and games, but it hasn’t been a huge challenge for us. Being mindful of that going into the game is important.”
The Blue Devils will play again on Nov. 11 against Union City at 4:30 p.m. at home, looking to take home the sectional title and continue dominating their bracket.
