After a disappointing 26-24 loss by Westfield in the first set, the Blue Devils were aware of the adjustments that needed to occur. The resilience and dominant performance that soon followed, propelled the Blue Devils to lead in the second and third set, securing the UCT semi-final victory, and advancing to the finals.
The first set was intense with both fan bases loud from the start. Cranford got off to an early 6-2 start, followed by an 8-1 Westfield run. Westfield continued to pile on points, extending their lead to 20-16 late in the first set. Cranford responded with six straight points, leading them to a narrow victory in the first set.
One of the primary factors that contributed to Westfield’s weak start was the team’s minimal energy. “We really focused on our energy because we had it at the start of the first set, but when we realized they were catching up, we lost it,” said senior co-captain Audrey Stack. “We had to make sure we came out with energy the rest of the game.”
In the second set, there were many adjustments that were fixed in addition to their energy.
Head coach Beverly Torok said, “We missed a lot of serves in the first set, and our passing wasn’t good enough to get us to utilize our hitters. It was a little hot and cold. The next set, we settled down with our passing, we served dynamite and we made a lot of good plays that they had trouble covering.”
After these adjustments were made, Westfield was able to find success, as they dominated in both the second and third set. One major contribution to this victory was by senior Ava Gaspard having 22 kills.
“The start of the second set was where we noticed a major shift in the momentum. We knew we needed to make a change after dropping the first set, so our dominance in the beginning of the second set reflected our perseverance,” said senior Vicki Morey.
In agreement to Morey, Torok believed that the rallies and streaks the team went on enforced the team’s drive. “We had a run in the second set of serving, we had a number of serves in a row by Vicki, and that gave us a gap, letting us relax and it let us really play,” said Torok.
After this notable semifinal win, the Blue Devils have confidence as they approach the finals. Torok said, “We are very capable of taking this county final when we play our game. We just have to make sure we play our game from the beginning.”
The Blue Devils will face rival Union Catholic in the UCT final on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Kean University.
