Settling it on the court, Westwood JV Orange Volleyball played the Cedar Ridge Raiders on Tuesday Sept. 16. The Warriors played an exceptional first set, fought hard in the second, and brought the energy in the third set. The girls dominated the court, concluding the game 2-1.

“We were very prepared for the game,” Isabelle Call ‘28 said. “And last week too, we talked about how communication could have been better, so we knew what to do this time.” 

The Warriors set the standard high, advancing 4-0 within the first few minutes. Quinn Ewert ‘28 played crucial both in front row and back row, landing a number of spikes and kills. Additionally, in the back row Grace Toledo ‘28 contributed to the fast pace of the game by making numerous important digs to avoid Cedar Ridge points. The Warriors emphasized communication and being organized, executing each play with composure and strategy. The team was able to find gaps within the Cedar Ridge defense helping them advance 10-3 within the first 10 minutes of the game. Important serves by Call, Aurora Simmons ‘28 and Henley Hammonds ‘28 helped to add more points to the scoreboard. Nearing the end of the first set the Warriors were feeling it. Determined to take home the victory, the Lady Warriors flew past Cedar Ridge, ending the set 25-8.

“The first set we came out ready to fight,” Call said. “Our serves were on fire, and no one was messing up. We saw how they were hitting during warm ups [because of that] we knew exactly how to read them and where their weak spots were.” 

Fired up, the Cedar Ridge Raiders began the second set with a 5-0 run; many of the points were a result of Westwood blunders. However, Westwood got back up and gave the Raiders something worth fighting for, shortening the point differential to one.The Lady Warrior’s front row played an important role in the second set, as tip offs and spikes helped garner points and keep each play alive. Unfortunately, the Raiders saw past Westwood strategy and were able to find holes within the Westwood backrow, therefore, conceding many consecutive points. Frustration was clear and Westwood girls were fighting hard, although the composure was a little less as that of the first set, the Warriors continued to execute beautiful balls across the court. The Warriors made their way up to 16 but were outnumbered by the Raider’s 25 points. The finale score of the second set was 16-25, taking the Lady Warriors to set three.

“[The second set] was very stressful, and I think we had a few down moments,” Toledo said. “[However] we also had some really good blocks, and we were still placing pretty well.”

Coming off of set two, the Warriors were determined to take home set three.Throughout the third set the Warriors focused on closing in on the pockets, especially the left pocket to prevent the Raiders from sneaking in sharp hits. Toledo and Call worked wonderfully, setting up spikes and stopping balls. The Warriors and Raiders were fighting for every point. The front row continued to run the show serving hard spikes and great tips. Great rallies, great saves, and a roaring crowd  gave both sides determination to take the win. Despite falling short in the beginning Westwood came back tying the game at eight. Westwood continued to protect the gaps and serve accurately, giving them the lead 14-11. From then on, Westwood was cruising, expanding the lead 17-11. The Warriors continued to dominate the game, inching closer and closer to winning set 3, 22-14.  A shanked ball by Cedar Ridge, secured Westwood the victory of set three, finishing the game 25-17.“[In the second set] we [the front row] didn’t do our jobs very well,” Hammonds said. “But we picked it back up in the third set, and got our energy back. We started working together as a team again, and started hitting them in the court and down.

The Warriors set out to bring back the energy, work, and fire once again this upcoming week. The Lady Warriors will show down for their Homecoming game on Friday Sept.19, against Stoney Point.

JV Orange Volleyball hit the court this week to play their fourth home game of the season against Round Rock High School on Friday Sept.12. The team worked hard, fought for every serve, and worked tactically to score against the Round Rock Dragons. Unfortunately,  despite the efforts the girls were unable to deliver and suffered a 2-0 loss against the Dragons. 

“Playing Round Rock is an important game,” Isabelle Call ‘28 said. “I think we were a little intimidated at first, [but] once we started playing we were working well together.”

Starting the first set strong with a firm serve and ace by Henley Hammonds ‘28 to give Westwood the early advantage. Unfortunately such a lead wouldn’t last for long as Round Rock would go on to match the Warrior’s points, later tying the game at 3. Following the tie, Westwood blunders, miscommunication, and a few hard to read kills by Round Rock allowed the Dragons to advance their lead to 7. The Warriors would take a timeout following the Dragons run, but unfortunately it wouldn’t prove beneficial as Round Rock continued to contribute to the score board, advancing 6-15. All wasn’t lost yet and the Westwood girls found strength and began turning the tides making their way to 15-20. Westwood earned much of their points through consistent and hard serves led by Aurora Simmons ‘28. While the strong serves and smart plays by the Warriors helped close the point gap, it wasn’t enough as Round Rock’s offence found gaps within the rotations and used them to their advantage, concluding the set 17-25.

“We prepared by watching Round Rock’s hitting tendencies during the warm up,” Call said. “[Therefore] we found their weak passers and planned to target them with our serves.”

After a quick break in sets, the Warriors took the court prepared to put up a fight this second set. The Warriors however were not the only ones ready to fight, the Dragons opened the set with 3 quick kills leaving the Warriors at an early disadvantage. Quickly, the Lady Warriors began to shorten the lead with great defense and spikes bringing them to 2-4. The game continued with great rallies and strong communication. Round Rock continued to hold their lead, but the point gap was much shorter, as that of the first set. Up at defence Lila Nicosia ‘28 and Quinn Ewert ‘28 worked hard at blocking hits and keeping the play alive. Additionally, kills by Call and digs by Grace Toledo ‘28, helped to keep the Lady Warriors energized in play. Fighting harder than ever for a third set the Westwood girls made it to 15-24, but were unable to fight against Round Rock for the match point and finished the game 0-2. The final score of the second set was 15-25.

“We need to work on our communication before the next game,” Toledo said. “This weekend (Sept. 13) we have a tournament, so we’ll try to work on our hitter-setter connection, as well as finding plays that score points.”

The Lady Warriors are set to prepare for their next games in the Georgetown Tournament, following that competition they will hit the court against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday Sept. 16.