Top-seeded Westfield defeated ninth-seeded Ridge on Tuesday afternoon, 25-20, 25-17, in the North 2, Group 4 sectional quarterfinals. Ridge, despite the score, was a tough opponent. “We knew that they were better than they were seeded,” said head coach Beverly Torok, adding that Ridge plays in a tough league. It was senior day for the Blue Devils, and as signs and cheers filled the gymnasium, it was an electric atmosphere that truly gave the Blue Devils an advantage.
The game started back-and-forth, but a kill from senior co-captain and Dickinson commit Jessica Currie gave the Blue Devils an early wave of momentum that they would ride throughout the game. Blocks from sophomore Catie Carayannopoulos and junior Olivia Calandra electrified the gym even more as the girls jumped out to an 11-7 lead. Ridge was forced to call a timeout and reset when Currie sent another kill over the net.
The Blue Devils didn’t take their foot off the gas pedal, as their serves proved tricky for Ridge to handle. “Our serving was great today. That’s what we really focused on,” said Currie. She added, “Our communication and energy were also really good.” Defense also played a huge role for the Blue Devils as they were able to capitalize, turning good defensive sequences into points. As the score hit 21-14, senior Ally Muller stepped up with a block and a kill to seal the set.
Coming out of the break, the Blue Devils attacked on all cylinders, jumping out to an early 7-1 lead. Ridge fought its way back into it, though, pulling the score back to 11-8. Torok gave credit to the Ridge team, saying, “They picked up a lot of balls. They couldn’t quite get their receiving offense going, so to our credit we served tough.” The servers were on their game all day, and when junior Chloe Wiedman handed the Red Devils an ace, Westfield regained control.
With their season on the line, the Red Devils called a timeout with the score at 24-15. But the timeout was ineffective as the Blue Devils won the set, marching their way to the state semifinals. “We are trying to keep our offense rolling. We are passing and blocking well, so it’s just a matter of keeping it together,” said Torok.
The Blue Devils will host Bayonne on Friday in the N2G4 sectional semifinals.
