Westwood Horizon

Cedar Ridge Raiders Loot Varsity Football’s Homecoming 30-41

2025-09-21T13:29:00Z

Fixated on the end zone just a few paces away, Wade Allen ’26 evades Raider defense. Allen then rushed to score the Warriors’ first touchdown of the night.

Aarya Kale
Monitoring Raider offense’s progress on the field, Logan Miller ’26 stays on top of a Raider player. Miller, along with other Warrior defensive players, successfully blocked Raider attempts to rush the ball.

Aarya Kale
Eyes on his target, Dre Kyles ’28 prepares to launch on the offensive player as the Raiders begin their play. While Warrior defense consistently slowed the Raiders down, the Raiders still managed sporadic touchdowns, eventually driving them to victory.

Aarya Kale
Getting physical with the Raider player, Logan Miller ’26 watches as his teammates surge to block incoming offense. The Warriors returned from last week’s shaky defensive play with goals of heightening physicality on the field.

Aarya Kale
Surrounded by Raider offense, Avery Hilton ’28 pursues the ball carrier. While the Raiders were able to successfully complete long passes, Warrior defense cut this momentum short by preventing any significant runs down the field.

Aarya Kale
Hands on his mark, Dre Kyles ’26 gets physical with the Raider player. The Warriors brought a mix of aggression, coordination, and confidence to the field.

Aarya Kale
Pushing against incoming Raider offense, Dre Kyles ’28 blocks the opponent’s efforts to enable movement down the field. Warrior defense came back strong after last week’s loss against the Mavericks, displaying consistent aggression and power.

Aarya Kale
Ball in hand, Colten Case ’26 runs down the field after kickoff. While the Warriors’ offense and defense teams showcased commendable skill, the special teams struggled to find their footing.

Aarya Kale
Posing with Principal Erin Campbell, Seniors Imy Gao and Ryan Gu celebrate being crowned Homecoming Royalty. The Homecoming court activities took place during halftime after a production piece by SunDancers and the Warrior Pride Dance Team.

Aarya Kale
Shooting into the end zone, Wade Allen ’26 celebrates his second touchdown of the night. Allen played a pivotal role on Warrior offense, earning them the first two touchdowns of the game.

Aarya Kale
Cheering for the team, the student section roars chants. Remaining loud throughout the night, the student section’s energy increased the Warriors’ confidence on the field.

Aarya Kale
Breaking through the grips of two Raiders, Weston Franz ’27 surges past the the tight defensive barrier. Franz played a pivotal role in Warrior progress in the red zone, successfully catching numerous long passes.

Aarya Kale
Waving the Texas flag Jack Kelley ’26 leads the Warriors onto the field minutes before kickoff. As an annual Homecoming tradition, future Warriors spanning from elementary to middle schoolers followed the Warriors out of the tent.

Aarya Kale

In a fast-paced bout of renewed aggression, the Warriors faced their most anticipated rivals of the season, the Cedar Ridge Raiders, for an intense Homecoming game on Friday Sept. 19. What began as a slow start morphed into a high-tension game with the Warriors pouring in power, strategy, and confidence to swiftly rack up points on the board. Although the teams remained neck and neck the majority of the game, the Raiders brought a last-minute surge of forceful offense that led to a disheartening Warrior loss 31-40.

The night’s game held high tensions as the Warriors looked for an opportunity to bounce back from their crushing Mcneil loss. While the Warriors may not have claimed victory in the end, they exhibited newfound coordination, technique, and targeted growth on both offense and defense, putting up a valiant fight against the Raiders.

“We proved today that we have all the talent there, we have all the might and the energy, all the juice,” Jack Kelley ‘26 said. “It’s just the small things we got to work on week in and week out, whether that’s special teams, some small mistakes on defense, some small mistakes on offense, but altogether, we’re there. We got a playoff contending team.”

Starting on offense, the Warriors begin their drive at their own 25 yard line, pushing swiftly past a robust Raider defense to claim a first down despite the commendable opposition. Assessing the season so far, offense has consistently displayed powerful aggression, however, this aggression alone wasn’t enough to win against a technique or strategy-oriented team. A turning point in the Warriors’ efforts, this game saw that aggression transformed into proactive plays that displayed how the Warriors were targeting their areas of growth and executing them on the field. For example, while the Warriors often relied on rushing plays — falling short on successful passes to enable movement down the field — last night, the Warriors showcased back-to-back complete passes, making good distance.

“Our run game was very good today,” Zeke Brock ‘26 said. “We were able to carry the ball and we were able to play physical on offense. Some things we need to work on [though] are just finishing our games. We start out kind of slow and we just need to be able to start out fast.”

Defense also demonstrated massive growth from their shaky play against the Mavericks last week. They came back with a renewed sense of confidence and power, posing a solid line of defense against incoming Raiders. However, while Warrior defense pushed the Raiders consistently to third downs, the Raiders offense persevered and earned the first touchdown of the evening. With Warrior offense now on the field, they made steady progress, consistently making first or second downs. However as they inched closer to the end zone, Raider defense began testing offensive limits, by forcing the Warriors to third and fourth downs. However, the Warriors thrive under this pressure — a trend that stays consistent throughout the game. Cooper Waits ‘26 remains clear-headed, a quality that enables him to break through Raider defense, and prompt a facemask penalty on the Raiders. This earned the Warriors an additional 15 yard gain, and boosted their confidence as they peered closer to their endzone. However, with both teams still struggling to find solid footing against each other, the rest of the first quarter bleeding into the second saw both teams’ defense posing unavoidable barriers and both offenses getting pressured into incomplete passes.

“[In terms of] strengths, I think we did a good job maintaining a flat line in terms of just keeping our composure,” Kelley said. “[If] something bad happened, we got back up and were ready to play. [If] something good happened, we didn’t get our heads up in the clouds, we were ready to play. [In terms of weaknesses], just small details, and that just comes with practice.”

With the Warrior offense shaky on the first and second downs, they riskily moved down the field in on-and-off bouts of rushing breakthroughs and occasional passes. However, the Raiders eventually capitalized on one of those weak first downs, intercepting the ball and winning a second touchdown. With the score not at 14-0, the growing point disparity triggered vigorous determination in Warrior offense; taking a strategy-first approach, the Warriors began using seamless fake passes and diversions that seemed to work until they lost that advantage to overly-rushed passes. However, the Warriors remain persistent, clearing through the defensive line with consistent third downs. Inching closer to the end zone, Warrior offense brought back their newfound complete passes, with Weston Franz ‘27 repeatedly making good catches. However, the Warriors began to fumble the ball, losing yards on the play. This forces them to go for a field goal on fourth down, getting their first points up on the board and bringing the score to 3-14.

Continuing this bout of newfound strategy, the Warriors return on offense after the Raiders mirror their opponent with a field goal of their own. Exhibiting fluid teamwork to drive the ball effectively down the field, Colten Case ‘26 makes a huge run for Warrior offense, with Drew Norrell ‘26 catching a risky long pass, and Waits scoring an exceptional first down that brings the Warriors to the edge of the end zone. This series of bold movements is continued by a mighty touchdown by Wade Allen ‘26, and a powerful kick by Josh Jack ‘26, eliciting loud cheers from the student section. The Warriors finish off the second quarter with defense also ending strong, only allowing lateral, out-of-bounds Raider movement.

“We just changed our mentality and had a lot of fire under our defense,” Brock said. “That was able to keep us closer in the ball game and make it more of a competitive game. Our goal was to beat [the Raiders] physically and [keep] that sharp physicality on offense and defense, and to beat them with our power.”

Returning from halftime, the Warriors continued their momentum, with defense successfully cutting off incoming Raider offense with a new strategy of repeatedly swarming the ball carrier. With defense relatively consistent in their efforts, it was now up to Warrior offense to tip the scales in their favor. Maps Mehis ‘28 makes an admirable, long-range catch, shooting down the field to close in towards the end zone. Gaining the advantage over their counterparts — Raider offense, Warrior offense took over the play and immediately scooped the ball to weave past defense. Executing a smooth blocking maneuver, this allowed Warrior offense to claim their second touchdown, again by Allen.

“My 60 yard touchdown was [definitely] a highlight for me,” Allen said. “We’re a physical team, and we just [have] to carry that on every game.”

The remainder of the game sees a rapid series of both teams putting their best foot forward, surging past one another to gain the lead. While Warrior defense only enabled Raider movement in small increments, the Raiders managed to tumble into their third touchdown of the night. This move was quickly mirrored by Warrior offense, with a long run by Allen and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Raiders bringing the Warriors closer to the targeted end zone. Culminating this effort, Waits swiftly passed the ball to Norrell, who swooped into the end zone to claim yet another Warrior touchdown. With the score now at 23-27, the Warriors continued this momentum with an action-packed interception by Finn Chaney ‘26, who, spurred on by the boisterous cheering from the student section, shot into the end zone to mark another Warrior touchdown, and giving the Warriors their first lead of the night. Both offense and defense were on incredibly solid ground now, meshing power, technique, and confidence. However, the Warriors lost their lead almost immediately to a touchdown by the Raiders due to a shaky Warrior kicking team.

“We ran the ball really well today, in the second half [especially], we turned it on, and later on in the game we did a nice job of getting stops,” Allen said. “We just struggled on special teams. We got to work on how we pass the ball and we need to work on special teams.”

With the Warriors now mourning the loss of their lead, offense becomes pressured into regaining it, losing some of their tactic in return for sheer aggression. However, this only resulted in incomplete passes, and the ball fumbling out of bounds. Meanwhile, the Raiders managed to score yet another unprovoked touchdown, surging past Warrior defense in a quick rush to the end zone. This growing point disparity paired with a ticking clock prevented Warrior offense from making any more significant progress, eventually falling short to the Raiders 30-41.

“I thought we did amazing,” Josh Jack ‘26 said. “We didn’t give up, and I’m just excited for [Homecoming]. I saw a lot of people I know [show out here].”

The varsity football team will face off against the Hutto Hippos in their next home game on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Freshman Volleyball Earns Intense Win Against Stony Point 2-1

2025-09-21T05:48:12Z

With her eyes never leaving the ball, Georgia Leuck ’29 jumps to prepare for her serve. Leuck’s solid serves throughout the game led to back-and-forth rallies.

Yonnie Yang
Showcasing practiced coordination, Sophie Chen ’29 springs upwards to set the ball for her teammate, Liberty Hargave ’29. Prepared, Hargave runs forward in the hopes of achieving a kill.

Yonnie Yang
With a confident smile, Kimmie Menendez ’28 practices striking the ball in anticipation for the game’s start. Menendez exhibited skilled consistency in her strikes and serves throughout the game, bringing a competitive edge to the Warriors’ gameplay.

Yonnie Yang
Exhilarated but nervous, the JV White Volleyball Team high five the raiders before running to warm up for their first set. A display of sportsmanship signaling the beginning of the game, both teams felt pumped and excited following this symbolic exchange.

Yonnie Yang
Smiling, Ava Hernandez ’29 glances back at her friends watching the game amidst a discussion with her team. Despite a demanding and arduous set, the girls were happy to see the support they received from the stands and their peers.

Yonnie Yang
Leaping upwards, Olivia Navarro ’28 and Lucy Aldrete ’28 jump to block the ball from coming over the net. Their valiant efforts assisted in a push back against Cedar Ridge.

Yonnie Yang
Hands together in the Westwood symbol, the JV White Volleyball Team looks to each other for support after discussing strategy with their coach. A difficult loss in their first set shook their morale, but they continued to fight hard throughout their second set.

Yonnie Yang

In a back and forth showdown filled with long rallies and powerful plays, Freshman Volleyball secured their hard-earned win 2-1 against the Stony Point Tigers on Friday, Sept. 19. After their loss against Cedar Ridge, the Warriors took the court fierce and united against the Tigers, scoring points through striking saves and dominant blocks.

“I think we did really good with covering,” Caitlin Steenrod ’29 said. “It’s something we’ve been working on and we’ve definitely improved on it a lot [this game].”

Opening the first set, Daisy Segura ’29 secured the first point for Westwood with a kill. This lead did not hold easily for the Warriors as following the early kill,multiple long, challenging rallies occured. However, even through this adversity, the Warriors remained unphased, helping maintain Westwood’s leading position with strong defense and speedy digs by Aahana Desai ’29. Westwood sustained their lead, although not easily as Stony Point remained determined in every offensive possession, until they were neck and neck with Stony Point at a score of 24-24. Needing to win by two, a strong kill followed by a disappointing miss by the Warriors led to the first set ending with a win for the Tigers and a final score of 26-24.

“Our coach makes us pretend like we’re goldfish,” Emme Sims ’29 said. “They have bad memories, and she tells us to forget the previous game or set we had and have a new mindset [for the next set].”

With a shifted focus and newfound determination, the Warriors pushed themselves even harder in the second set. Both Segura and Sims made clever passes and forceful spikes to open the second set and to help hold the Warriors lead of 8-7 through the first ten minutes. The Tigers repeatedly hit errors and out of bound serves forcing Stony Point to call the first timeout while the score was at 17-15, with the Warriors in the lead. After the timeout, both teams played with intensity, keeping long rallies but allowing for constant turnovers, making the second set just as nerve-racking as the first. These tense plays caused Westwood to call their first timeout of the night with only one point needed to win the . After a fumble by the Tigers, the Warriors won the second set, putting the set score at 1-1.

“We did a lot of hustling,” Ava Punalekar ‘29 said. “We knew Stony Point serves a lot of unexpected balls for our team so [I] tried going for the ball, calling it, and just [playing] with my best effort.”

The third set started shaky, with the Tigers opening with a quick run of 3-0, and Westwood losing opportunities for points by shanking the ball. However, with determination and passion, the Warriors kept the ball alive during long rallies, and communicated well with each other to move smoothly around the court.After many shifts in possession as both teams played fiery offense, an ace by Sims allowed the Warriors to close the gap and bring the score to 15-16. After a couple more well placed serves and effective blocks, the Warriors lead the score at 23-21, causing the Tigers to call their first timeout of the set. Coming out of the timeout the Warriors score the first point, immediately giving them the one up by building confidence. With only one more point needed to take home the Homecoming victory, a long rally that lasted almost 3 minutes, ended with a kill for the Warriors, giving them the victory of the set and the game. The final score of the third set was 25-21.

The Warriors will prepare to play their next game on Tuesday, Sept. 23 against the Manor Mustangs.

K-Pop Club Brings Global Culture to Homecoming Pep Rally

2025-09-20T16:04:46Z

Energy high, Sanjitha Girish ’27, Anandi Raj ’27, Bella Wen ’28, Diane Kim ’28, and Siya Majumdar ’27 flaunts school spirit at the Homecoming Pep Rally on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Eager to show off dance mashups from popular K-pop songs, the members put on a passionate performance for the crowd.

Cara Chow
Showing off matching KCROOKD jerseys, K-Pop Club dancers Diane Kim ’28, Anandi Raj ’27, and Bella Wen ’28 beam at the audience. The group performed a mashup of ‘jellyous’ by ILLIT, ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ by LE SSERAFIM, and ‘Gnarly’ by KATSEYE at the Homecoming Pep Rally.

Cara Chow
Posing for the audience, K-Pop Club displays their dance skills, bringing high energy and cultural flair to the pep rally. Their performance closed out the event on a high note, leaving the crowd energized and cheering.

Cara Chow

The crowd roared across the field as speakers burst to life with jellyous by ILLIT on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the Homecoming Pep Rally. Lilting voices singing “Boy, you make me jellyous…” in unison drifted into the evening air as the K-Pop Club snapped into formation, each move sharp and synchronized. For a moment, the event felt less like a school performance and more like a Seoul stage as an American high school rite collided with global pop culture.

For the dancers, the spotlight was more than entertainment — it was a statement. Taking the field meant proving K-pop belonged in the school’s tradition. Their choreography was an opportunity to bring the vibrant mix of style, energy, and artistry into the heart of Homecoming, letting audience members depart from misconceptions and witness the pride driving the music.

“[Our performance] led people to appreciate K-pop more, because I feel like some people that aren’t familiar with K-pop have a very biased view,” Siya Majumdar ’27 said. “Our performance really showed the different types of K-pop there is.”

The club’s musical mashup of jellyous by ILLIT, ANTIFRAGILE by LE SSERAFIM, and Gnarly by KATSEYE captured K-pop’s energy and global appeal while still attracting an audience that may be unfamiliar with the genre. K-pop is often dismissed as a fad, yet to the members, it represents passion and pride. Performing the cultural fusion of music and fashion on the field showed classmates K-pop is worth celebrating.

“It’s important [to have a K-Pop Club] to highlight all sorts of genres,” Diane Kim ‘28 said. “K-Pop Club is looked down upon when it’s really a fun club.”

The performance symbolized continued evolution of Westwood traditions. Once defined by football cheers and marching bands, pep rallies now regularly feature K-Pop Club, whose energetic routines have become a school staple. By finding their niche, K-Pop Club represents how global culture and American traditions coexist and enrich each other.

“I wanted [the crowd] to be more familiar with [the] K-pop style,” Majumdar said. “Appreciating this form of music and seeing how we can hype up the audience [was what it meant to perform at Homecoming to me].”

For many audience members, it was their first time seeing K-pop live. The performance proved that music and movement can bridge cultures, reminding the school that Homecoming consists of both tradition and growth.

“I have a lot of friends in Cheer, Warrior Pride, and SunDancers, but they don’t really know anything about [K-pop],” Kim said, “It’s so cool to see them become hype and hype us up.”

Courtside Conversations: Noah Revelett ’26

2025-09-20T04:18:53Z

Music by Ritchie Everett

Courtside Conversations: Amberly Hernandez ’26

2025-09-20T04:19:12Z

Music by Ritchie Everett

Courtside Conversations: Joaquin Garcia ’26

2025-09-20T04:17:54Z

Music by Ritchie Everett

Varsity Volleyball Crushes Cedar Ridge Raiders 3-0

2025-09-20T14:21:52Z

Kicking their feet in unison, the varsity volleyball team hypes each other up immediately before the game. The group huddle is a tradition before every game, establishing camaraderie.

Vedanti Patil
Jogging, Grace McCluskey ’26 high-fives varsity volleyball Coach Madison Smith before the game. As a senior, McCluskey made rounds to high-five important people around the court after throwing her rubber ball into the audience.

Vedanti Patil
Fixated, Piper Evans ’27 prepares to serve a ball during the first set.

Vedanti Patil
Concentrated, Lila Wellington ’27 sets the ball as outside hitter Emma Waghorne ’27 runs to spike it during the first set.

Vedanti Patil
Upset, Emily Xue ’27 and Caroline Miller ’28 contend the referee’s call in the second set. During an ambiguous foul, the Cedar Ridge Raiders were awarded a point, eliciting disagreement from the Warriors.

Vedanti Patil
Hands outstretched, Emily Xue ’27 sets a ball to outside hitter Emma Waghorne ’27 during the first set.

Vedanti Patil
Poised for action, outside hitter Caroline Miller ’28 prepares to throw her customized rubber ball to the feeder middle school volleyball teams before the game. As this game was Future Warrior Night, middle school volleyball teams from feeder schools attended the game, where they participated in a setting competition early on.

Vedanti Patil

Clearing the court, the varsity volleyball team swept the Cedar Ridge Raiders with a winning score of 3-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The Warriors, coming off of a loss, used this game as a comeback after tweaking their plays and solidifying their routine. Using sharp serves, strong kills, and tight communication, the Warriors managed to squeeze out the win.

“I think overall, being able to win three sets and being able to fight back even when we were down were big highlights,” Coach Madison Smith said.

Starting the game strong, Emma Waghorne’ 27 opened the first set with an ace giving the Warriors the early lead. However, the Raiders were quick to follow this with a short run of three before quickly being met with strong Warrior defense to tie the game at four. With another kill and a few more blocks, the Raiders were forced to take the first time out of the night. Coming out of the timeout, both teams held high momentum with many quick rallies and back to back possessions. After a few Raider points in a row, the Warriors called a timeout to discuss their game plan. Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors scored the first point, proving their timeout to be a successful play. With skillful dives from Dakota Hodge ‘26 and a shifty back row, the Warriors managed to pull out the win after a tight back to back set. The final score of the first set was 25-23.

“I think our defense, serve receive, and back row are all very strong,” Coach Smith said. “I feel that our defense overall did a great job at setting our front row up for success.”

Bouncing right back into groove, the Warriors scored the first two points that opened the second set. Quickly advancing their score, the Warriors held the lead until the Raiders took a timeout to regroup and bring the score up to 11-15. Frazzled, the Warriors called a timeout hoping to adjust their game play. Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors shanked multiple balls and were unable to keep up with the Raiders’ continuous hits. Pulling Westwood out of their funk, Lila Wellington ‘27 tipped the ball over to break the Warriors scoring drought. After a few Westwood possessions, the game tied at 23. Cedar Ridge, unable to take the pressure, shanked two balls in a row, allowing Westwood to take the win. The final score of the second set was 25-23.

“[Communication] is a lot of knowing what you’re supposed to be doing,” Wellington said. “We don’t really have a lot of time to speak, but we just know where we are, where we have to be, and if we’re not there, then that’s a communication error and we’ll definitely talk about that after.”

Carrying over the same energy conveyed in the previous two sets, the Warriors began the third set with a strong streak of 9-0. Cedar Ridge, late to a timeout, allowed Westwood to slip through and hold their momentum. Coming out of the timeout, the Raiders were able to pull through, scoring two points to add to their side of the board. The Warriors, however, continued with their strong communication and sets, advancing the score 12-2. Determined to come back, the Raiders scored multiple quick points to throw the Warriors rhythm off. Now only up by four, the Warriors’ offense stepped up for their team, continuing to set up shifty net plays to hold their lead. Cedar Ridge, anxious at Westwood’s grit, called another timeout at 24-19. This timeout proved to be pointless, as Westwood scored the set point right out of the break. The final score of the third set was 25-19.

“[The win] was great,” Wellington said. “It was the motivation that we needed, especially going into the next game on Friday. Stony Point is one of our big games that we always play. We had a rough year with them last year, and we’re coming back for a better season. It’s going to be a rough week, but this is definitely the motivation that we needed for that.”

The Warriors will take the home court again on Friday, Sept. 19, to face the Stony Point Tigers in a fierce battle.

JV White Volleyball Falls Just Under Cedar Ridge 2-0

2025-09-19T22:36:52Z

With her eyes never leaving the ball, Georgia Leuck ’29 jumps to prepare for her serve. Leuck’s solid serves throughout the game led to back-and-forth rallies.

Yonnie Yang
Showcasing practiced coordination, Sophie Chen ’29 springs upwards to set the ball for her teammate, Liberty Hargave ’29. Prepared, Hargave runs forward in the hopes of achieving a kill.

Yonnie Yang
With a confident smile, Kimmie Menendez ’28 practices striking the ball in anticipation for the game’s start. Menendez exhibited skilled consistency in her strikes and serves throughout the game, bringing a competitive edge to the Warriors’ gameplay.

Yonnie Yang
Exhilarated but nervous, the JV White Volleyball Team high five the raiders before running to warm up for their first set. A display of sportsmanship signaling the beginning of the game, both teams felt pumped and excited following this symbolic exchange.

Yonnie Yang
Smiling, Ava Hernandez ’29 glances back at her friends watching the game amidst a discussion with her team. Despite a demanding and arduous set, the girls were happy to see the support they received from the stands and their peers.

Yonnie Yang
Leaping upwards, Olivia Navarro ’28 and Lucy Aldrete ’28 jump to block the ball from coming over the net. Their valiant efforts assisted in a push back against Cedar Ridge.

Yonnie Yang
Hands together in the Westwood symbol, the JV White Volleyball Team looks to each other for support after discussing strategy with their coach. A difficult loss in their first set shook their morale, but they continued to fight hard throughout their second set.

Yonnie Yang

Fighting through a high-pressure game, the JV White Volleyball team played against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Despite a strong start, the Warriors fell short in both sets. The final score of the game was 2-0.

“Before the game, I felt pretty pumped, hyped and confident,” Kimmie Menendez ’28 said. “After, I thought [I wanted to] be more consistent and hype up my teammates.”

After a few hits out from both sides of the net, Cedar Ridge began pulling forward and took the lead at the start of the game. The Warriors, alerted by the Raiders lead, still kept focus and exhibited calm, organized communication.This allowed them to build back their confidence and in turn, advance their score. An effective kill from Liberty Hargave ‘29 strengthened their motivation, bringing the score to 3-5. After a series of close rallies kicked off by a serve from Hargave, a powerful kill from Sophie Chen ‘29 brought the teams to a tie, 6-6. As the Warriors began a streak of consistent kills and advantageous serves, they reached 10-6 before timeout was called by Cedar Ridge. However, the Warriors began to show weakness with serve receive, leading to a takeover by Cedar Ridge. Losing momentum, the team’s communication began to falter due to growing doubts within the players. Even with a valiant slide by Menendez, the Warriors’ first set finished at a loss of 12-25.

“I thought [I could work on] my energy,” Sophie Chen ’29 said. “Overall, it’s my [mentality]. When we’re down, or when I’ve done a bunch of bad things, and then I’m just in my head and my energy brings everyone else down, I want to work on, when I’m in that situation, how to get out of it.”

Shaken by their loss, the Warriors struggled to get back on track as they started their next set. An impactful serve from Lucy Aldrete ’28, allowed them to bounce back and tie the score at 4-4. Rebuilding morale with a series of solid kills, the team cheered for each other as they climbed back up the scoreboard with a growing lead. Nevertheless, a break in communication created holes amongst the Warriors, and they began to fall back despite multiple attempts at blocks. Once behind, the Westwood team’s struggle only grew, distracted by [move of ball hitting top of net]. This momentary weakness did not go unnoticed by the Raiders, using similar tricks to barrel forward in points. Discouraged, the Warriors were unable to regain their lead, ending at 15-25.

“I [need to] make sure I’m getting hype after points, always cheering on my teammates, and being kind to myself,” Lucy Aldrete ’28 said. “But I was proud of my team, [especially] Sophie, I think she got so many good swings and had great hustle.”

The JV White Volleyball team will take their home court again Friday Sept. 19 against Stoney Point.

Varsity Tennis Dominates Against the Vipers

2025-09-20T15:27:39Z

Serving in sync, Charan Kodakandla ’29 and Jiya Gulpers ’28 wield their rackets with speed. Before the game, members of the team had discussed the importance of aggressive serves against the defensively apt players of Vandergrift.

Charlie Hui
Preparing to slice the ball, Daniel Zhang ’26 stretches across the baseline. One of the most seasoned and highest rated competitors on the team, Zhang has been a pivotal part in the team’s state championship last year.

Charlie Hui
Setting herself up for a backhand, Jiya Guleria ’28 readies to hit a cross court shot. The athlete had a successful run in the previous season and has a record of beating higher ranked competitors.

Charlie Hui

Continuing their early season success on Tuesday, Sept. 16, the varsity tennis team took the victory against the Vandegrift Vipers, a team ranked by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association to be 11th overall in Texas. Playing precise tennis from start to finish, the Warriors outmaneuvered and outhit the Vipers in one of their biggest and most challenging games of the season.

These early games serve as a proving ground for a new roster, where the coaches are able to give their first pieces of advice to a new generation of players and begin to build strong team morale. This year’s varsity team introduces new, talented freshmen to the roster, giving them the opportunity to play with more seasoned upperclassmen and gain valuable experience in the process.

“Westwood is doing pretty well. [We continue to be] undefeated, [ranked] number one in the state,” Ethan Wang ‘29 said “We are a well rounded team, and as I see the games play out, I think we are up in every game.”

Some games did pose the Warriors a challenge, with Vandergrift taking early leads in multiple different matches by playing consistent groundstrokes and minimizing unforced errors. However, keeping their composure even when down allowed the Warriors to take the stride. With perseverance and adaptation, Westwood emerged victorious.

“We had a bad start but we [managed] to push through and finish the game very strong,” Gavin Wang ‘27 said. “We were serving very good, we played very aggressive and I think that’s why we won.”

Aside from multiple big wins for the Warriors, the game against the Vipers also served as a training ground for the team to work on their soft skills and grow as a community in the process.

“[I found that] communication was the most important part. I played with my brother and [communication made us] play well,” Kavish Parikh ‘29 said. “[The game] is fun and we are able to mess around and try new shots on court. The other freshman and us were close before, but we’re even closer now.”

The Warrior won against Vandergrift in an impressive 15-4 fashion. Slaying the Vipers, the Warriors will take on the Westlake Chaps in their next home game on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Courtside Conversations: Ryan Gu ’26

2025-09-19T04:04:10Z

Music by Ritchie Everett