Already up 4-0 in the first set of the second round of the Union County Tournament, Westfield started dominant. Senior captain Caitlin Cabrales grabbed the ball and headed behind the service line, aiming to tack on to the growing lead. Cabrales served, and Roselle Park failed to even get an arm on it. Roselle Park continued to fumble Cabrales’s serves, extending Westfield’s lead. After eight straight serves, Cabrales was replaced by a teammate but not before she could create a 12-1 lead for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils never looked back from this lead, taking the first set 25-7 and the second set 25-8. Roselle Park never seemed to have a chance, and they proved themselves to be the inferior team.
“Overall, we served really well, we played really clean, and we kept our own errors to a minimum,” said Cabrales, regarding their commanding win.
After a nail biting victory in the annual Pink Out game the night before, Westfield seemed relieved to plow over Roselle Park without much of a struggle. The Blue Devils played loose, and they seemed to enjoy their time on the court.
“We used our momentum and our energy from last night to carry on over to this game, and we just played our game and had a lot of fun,” said senior captain Chloe Wiedman.
Coach Beverly Torok, who recently reached the career milestone of 500 total wins, believes every matchup holds the opportunity to focus on a certain aspect of the game. “We worked on our skills, that’s something we always need to concentrate on,” said Torok.
Another benefit of a game like this is that some players on the roster who do not usually see the court for extended periods of time get to step in and show off their skills, while the starters can rest and cheer on their teammates.
The excitement that came from the stands, the court, and the bench whenever a Westfield jersey rose up to notch another kill or to make another skillful save helps to speak to the camaraderie and cohesiveness of the unit that is the Westfield team.
Dominating victories, such as this one, are a common occurrence for the Blue Devils, carrying over the success from their undefeated season last year. The girls reloaded, not rebuilt, and they are ready for another big run in the UCT and the North 2, Group 4 sectional tournament this year that they hope will end in another ring on their finger and another banner in the rafters of the Westfield High School gymnasium.
