Blue bled pink on Monday; the crowd roared as junior Ava Gaspard’s kill hit hard over the net and onto the opposing side. The third set nerves were nowhere to be seen as the Blue Devils’ score finished 25-17. Earlier in the season, Westfield lost to Union Catholic, 0-2, who were ranked second in the state. The Blue Devils’ revenge and passion contributed to their ultimate victory.
Not only was this a revenge game, but it was also the Pink Out game. Westfield raised about $20,000 towards the foundation Pathways-The Connection. To commemorate breast cancer survivors, at the end of the game, survivors were recognized and ran through players arms that created a tunnel. Survivors were handed flowers and took pictures under an arc of pink balloons.
Head coach Beverly Torok is a breast cancer survivor, which enhanced the importance of this game for the players. Gaspard said, “We really played for each other. Focusing on the main goal of winning, especially for Torok.”
Gaspard played a key role in Westfield’s win. Not only were her offensive kills unstoppable, but her serves were on point, leading the team with seven aces. Alongside Gaspard, senior tri-captain Catie Carayannopoulos helped lead the team to victory. Yet it took a full team effort to scrape out the win. Carayannopoulos said, “Overall, I think [the team] did amazing…Our communication in the back row has been something we have been focused on, and I think today it just showed how much work we have put into it. Audrey Stack, Audrey Hu, Ava Gaspard [and] Vicki Morey all did absolutely incredible, so I think that was a big part of our success today.”
The Pink Out win had both players and coaches thrilled. Torok said, “It’s a high because the last time we played them we did not play well. We really stepped up to the challenge. They are number two in the state right now, they only have one other loss. They didn’t expect that, but we earned it. We definitely played up to our ability, which was great to see.”
Not only did Westfield earn this win, but the crowd really helped boost the energy. Carayannopoulos said, “Obviously the crowd was really big, so I think that really helped bring up our energy. Just hearing all of the cheers from all of our ‘fans’ kept the momentum rolling even when we had some errors.”
Similarly to Torok, players like Carayannopoulos agreed that with “pink out, comes magic.” The energy that brought the Pink Out spirit helped light a fire in the Blue Devils’ performance.
Initially winning the first set, hopes were high, but after losing the second set, Westfield knew they had to pick up the momentum. Torok said, “We were working in unison today. All facets of our game: we served well, transitioned better, played great defense and we made some good choices swinging.”
Revenge, passion and eagerness to win this match are factors that contributed to the Blue Devils win. “It’s nice. I love winning Pink Out because we are at home and in front of a big crowd, but it is more about the community and what we have done to help this organization [in raising] some great funds to help a lot of women. And other school groups too, like the SGA, football team, cheerleaders, band, that’s really meaningful,” said Torok.
With the win against Union Catholic, Westfield improves to 12-8 on the season. The Blue Devils will be back in action at home on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. for their first Union County Tournament game with the winner of Roselle versus Plainfield.
