For most, poor weather conditions is the go-to excuse for a disappointing team performance. But for the Blue Devils, no excuse was necessary. Through rain and shine, the Blue Devils have persevered, even when the two weather conditions have occurred simultaneously. On a humid and hot day like Monday with a mid-game delay due to rain showers, Westfield swept Governor Livingston with ease, 5-0.
Missing key player Ben Duan, the Blue Devils had to adjust their lineup. For singles, senior Deven Patel was ranked first, senior Evan Sewald was ranked second and freshman Chris Winters was ranked third. In a dominating performance, Patel won his match up, 2-0, winning his first set 6-0 and his second set 6-0. Both Sewald and Winters won their matchups 2-0 as well, winning one set 6-0 and the other set 6-1.
The score accurately depicts the Blue Devils performance for the day. “I think our team played amazing despite the fact that we were missing two of our best players,” said Patel. “We still beat them 5-0.”
The strong duo of senior captains Cole Hornbeck and Colin Cimei played first doubles. Nothing short of perfect, the two captains won both of their sets, 6-0. The younger doubles team of sophomores Leo Goldman and Arden Rappoport also reigned victorious winning the matchup, 2-0, with each of the two sets, 6-2.
Coming off from a high against J.P. Stevens on Saturday, Westfield remained consistent and did not let their guards down. They continued to play competitively, as “today’s performance was pretty much status quo for the season,” said head coach Matt Varhley.
Despite the Blue Devils success, there is always room for improvement. Even when the competition is not up to par with the Devils, it is important that Westfield stays composed and does not give up unnecessary scores. Hornbeck said, “A good takeaway from this match is to always be serious. We lost a lot of points just fooling around.”
The boys will play one more game before the Union County Tournament on Thursday. Their goal is to maintain “a consistent level of energy and enthusiasm on the court,” said Varhley. Off the court, the boys have enthusiasm, as Rappoport said, “We’re like the best team in the state. We’re gonna win counties.”
The team looks to prepare for the Union County Tournament on Thursday where they look to take home the trophy.
