The crowd went silent as sophomore Ava Gaspard went for the kill. An unstoppable shot to the ten foot line left Ridge in disarray. It was clear that Westfield was locked in for the victory.
The Blue Devils went on to win their fourth match of the season, dominating Ridge 2-0.
Starting the match off with six straight serves, senior setter Olivia Calandra gave the Blue Devils a comfortable 6-0 lead in the beginning of the first set. Ridge’s lack in communication led to many errors and dropped balls between seams; their coach called a time out after falling behind 8-1 to regroup.
There were lengthy rallies and solid digs from both teams, and points went to Ridge in the middle of the set, but the Blue Devils came out on top, winning the first set 25-13.
Although Ridge had some trouble staying organized, the Blue Devils kept their composure. Senior captain Caitlin Cabrales said, “We had a really balanced offense, and I think everyone did a good job of keeping their errors minimal and really just keeping our foot on the gas.”
In the second set, senior middle Karolina Bonn helped lead the Blue Devils to victory with three points in a row from tips, followed by a block. Back-to-back kills from junior middle Sabrina Muller, Cabrales, and senior opposite Carys Evans brought the set to 19-6. Following a quick service run by Ridge, junior defense specialist Libby Verga brought the score to 24-12 with her serves before hitting one into the net.
The Blue Devils won their final point when Ridge sent the ball into the net, not quite making it over. The girls ended up winning the set 25-13 again, defeating Ridge in only two sets.
After the Blue Devils most recent tight win against Kent Place, they made several adjustments to their game plan. “I think the past two, three practices since Kent Place we really focused on making sure we started off strong,” said senior Captain Chloe Wiedman. “We were in sync.”
The girls do not get a break before they take on the school rivals, Scotch Plains, today at home at 4:00 p.m. “We are going to try and hit seams. Scotch Plains is a little bit bigger than this team. We will be challenged a little bit more,” said coach Beverly Torok.
This matchup will be a true test of how much grit these Blue Devils have.
