Taking the court for their second home game of the season, the JV Orange Volleyball team faced off against Vista Ridge in an intense match up on Tuesday, Sept, 2. Despite their good efforts and fiery energy the Warriors fell short, losing 2-0 against the Rangers.

“[Going into the game] we knew Vista Ridge had some strong outside hitters,” Izzy Call ‘28 said. “Our defense was prepared and ready to get up balls.” 

Starting the game off strong, the Warriors took their time setting up strategic plays early in the set to gain the opening lead. Although the Warriors battled hard, the Rangers slowly made their way up to a 3-3 tie game. Using sharp serves, the Rangers broke down Westwood’s defence early, resulting in the Rangers first lead of the night at 4-3. However, Quinn Ewert ‘28 and Lila Nicosia ‘28 stepped up for their team by using sharp hits and calculated blocks. Players Nicosia, Kate Hammons ‘29, and Henley Hammons 28′ served crucially on defense by playing aggressive in the back court and reading the Rangers hits to attack the block. Westwood continued to expand their lead 9-6. Although working hard, the Rangers snuck a few balls past the Westwood defence, leading them to a run to tie the game at 9-9. After a timeout, the Rangers brought their fire. Despite Westwood’s best efforts to contain Vista Ridge’s run, the Rangers slipped ahead of the Warriors. After a very tight set, the Rangers took home the win for the first set. The final score was 25-23.

“We played well in the first set, it was really stressful,” Nicosia ‘28 said. “It was a fast and intense game and I tried my best to help score points for the team.”

Going into the second set, Rangers started strong amassing 8 points past the Warrior’s 4. Grace Toledo ‘28 tried to fire up her team and attempt to pull them back into the game as the score began to slip from the Warriors. The Rangers however worked around that momentum to widen the point gap to six. As the Rangers continued to advance their lead, the Lady Warriors brought multiple new players off the bench in an attempt to spark a run for Westwood. Focussed and ready the Warriors began connecting on communication and on their defensive end. The Warriors quick turn around pulled them out of the deficit and tied the game at 14. The stands exploded on both sides. However, this tie did not last long as the pressure got to the Warriors and the Rangers quickly surpassed them. The Lady Warriors fought hard through every last point but ultimately fell short to the Rangers. The final score of the second match was 24-19.

“Making sure everyone’s hyped up and focused [when playing] is  really [important] to me,” Toledo said.“I want everyone to have fun, you really play your best when you’re having fun.”

The Warriors will take on Weiss High School in an exciting match Friday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. on Weiss’s home court. 

“I thought we did really well, but I do think we can definitely do better,” Lexia Hand ‘29 said. “Going into our next game I think we can work on our defence.”