“Play defense,” said Westfield head coach Ed Saggio during the Blue Devils’ final timeout of their Union County Tournament quarterfinal win against Linden on Monday afternoon. Westfield was up, 24-22, with the serve and a chance to take the match by winning the second set. The crowd was tense as it awaited the serve from senior Brayden Abo. Abo was unable to convert, but Linden was only postponing the inevitable. Westfield went on to win the match on the very next play as a Linden hit sailed out of bounds.
The first set opened, and the Tiger fanbase began to roar. The Blue Devils reciprocated, trading stomps against the bleachers while the other team took its stance behind the service line. Both teams continued trading points, until Linden began to pull away. The Tigers took a 16-12 lead that would quickly grow to 20-15. With the Blue Devils feeling the game slip away, they urgently called a timeout, halting the growing Tiger momentum. The Blue Devils ended up cutting Linden’s lead to 21-19, evening it up moments later at 23-23.
As the two teams traded punches, the Blue Devil blocking tandem of Ben Greeley and Veer Agarwal emerged, providing the spark to give Westfield a desperately needed edge. Linden, now on its heels, took its first timeout of the set. As the Tigers came out of the timeout the Blue Devils looked fierce, ready to tame the Tigers and take the set. Agarwal took his spot behind the service line and sent a serve the Tigers had trouble handling, just getting it over the net. The Blue Devils took advantage of the flustered Tigers, sending a kill to seal the set, 31-29.
“We were able to get all cylinders rolling,” said Abo post-match. “And we got the win.”
The beginning of the second set was defined by a stalemate, the teams matching points and intensity, until the score reached 9-9. From there, Westfield opened up and settled into its style of play: excellent defense leading to stellar kills. Those kills commonly came from Agarwal, who overmatched Linden with his athletic ability, ascending to balls that only he could reach. He propelled his team to a 5-point lead with his serve, and Westfield never looked back, retaining that lead the rest of the way.
“It was the third time we’ve played them. They are obviously a very athletic team,” said Saggio about Linden.
With the win, Westfield will advance to the UCT semifinals against a familiar foe, Summit. The Hilltoppers defeated the Blue Devils last week.
“We played them close last week. We had too many mistakes that cost us,” said Saggio. Saggio also explained the game plan for the Hilltoppers: “We have to serve a little better.” He added that he is planning to switch around the lineup to give his team the best chance to win. Tuesday the Blue Devils will travel to Arthur L. Johnson High School to take on Summit in the UCT semifinals at 5:30 p.m.
