It was 18-17, and Summit was applying pressure on Westfield, prompting a timeout for the Blue Devils. Coach Beverly Torok gathered the team in the huddle, calmed them down and then Westfield went on a consistent run to finish the second set 25-19, winning the game 2-0.
Westfield started strong, putting pressure on Summit from the start with several kills from senior Binghamton commit Ava Gaspard early on. Leading 7-3 after solid play, Westfield began to face some challenges with their serving and serve receive. After a lot of back-and-forth action, the score was only 18-17 as Summit started to rally.
Torok had to call the girls in and settle them down. She told them, “Go back to technique, concentrate on passing first, and then get a good transition off the net so we can come in hard and have choices on where to hit.”
After that timeout, Westfield didn’t look back. With a fire lit underneath them, they finished the set on a serving run, closing the match with two aces from senior libero Audrey Hu.
The Blue Devils dueled it out with Summit in the second set, but even though Summit put up a good fight, it wasn’t enough for the Hilltoppers. The competition was driven by intense back-and-forth rallies, including a minute-long rally during which senior Vicki Morey finished the point, giving Westfield a 3-2 lead.
Westfield went on to win the second set 25-18 and finished the match with few challenges. Gaspard had mixed feelings about the team’s performance. Gaspard said, “We did well with our overall hitting, and I think our setting was good,” but she also commented, “We need to improve on our communication.”
Although Westfield would pull out the win within two sets, their lackluster and shaky performance against Summit, which they were projected to dominate, raises possible concern areas for the team to address before the season progresses.
With counties approaching, senior co-captain Emelia Dengler shared her thoughts on how the team is feeling: “We’re all really excited. I know the team thinks that we can go really far, so we’re ready for what’s to come.”
Torok is excited for her team as well, but knows it won’t be an easy road. “We will be challenged; we haven’t played UC a second time yet. Kent Place took a set from us when we played them for the first time. Scotch Plains is up and rising. So it’ll be challenging.”
Westfield will play on Oct. 6 at home against Elizabeth at 4:15 p.m. as they hope to continue their winning record.
