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.

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.

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.

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.

In an intense match, Freshman Volleyball fought against the Cedar Ridge Raiders on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Even with aggressive kills and valiant saves, the Warriors ultimately met defeat after a two set match.

“Without your team being encouraged, it’s gonna be hard to get the next point,” Julia Kushnirsky ‘29 said. “Celebrating is what brings us up and keeps up the good energy so we can continue to do good.”

Launching into the first set, the Raiders took the lead off the first point with an out of bounds serve. However, the Warriors fought back with a point earned by Sloane Martin ‘29, tying the score early at one. Consistent steady serves from Daisy Segura ‘29 and quick save from Gissel Gavina ‘29 secured Westwood’s dominance. Despite the strong head start in points, the Lady Warriors’ defensive blunders and out of bounds hits allowed Cedar Ridge to quickly catch up, with the lead constantly switching between the teams. Motivated by the encouraging chants from the bench, Westwood was fired up to take back points. Strong spikes from Ellie Silkey ‘29 gave Westwood the spirit needed to gain the momentum back needed to push ahead. Despite the Warriors’ fiery energy, their mistakes quickly caught up to them and allowed Cedar Ridge the perfect opening to sneak in and steal the first set 25-19.

“I have a method [to reset after errors] where I [tug on my shirt] when I’m in my head,” Grace Kinnison ‘29 said. “It resets my brain, so I get out of whatever loop I’m in.”

After a team huddle, Westwood was pumped up, hoping to make a comeback against  Cedar Ridge. However, the Raiders exonerated the same, and were fired up stealing three points before the Warriors could score. Cedar Ridge’s missed serve allowed Westwood to break the streak and get back in the game. A fierce spike from Kushnirsky combined with a powerful ace from Layla Guerra ‘29 sent the Raiders into a miscommunication mess, allowing Westwood to take the lead. Keeping energy high throughout the rest of the set, the Warriors kept up, neck and neck, with the Raiders.. The Lady Warriors were relentless in their attacks, however in a devastating final point, Cedar Ridge won the second set 25-23 and the game 2-0.

“It’s a big accomplishment when you fully trust your team,” Kushnirsky said, “and know that they’re there for you to get the balls.”

The Warriors will take the court again in their next home game against the Stony Point Tigers on Friday, Sept. 19.

In three extremely close sets, varsity volleyball gracefully fell to their long-standing rivals, the Round Rock Dragons, in a 3-0 sweep during Hero Night on Friday, Sept. 12 in the field house gym. Numerous timeouts called by both teams set the tone for the game as each set remained close throughout its entirety. 

The first set started off rough, with the Warriors shanking the ball, giving the Dragons the first point of the evening. Going into this game, the Warriors knew they were the underdogs against the undefeated Dragons — so when the Warriors scored their first and second points with an out ball and a powerful block by right-side hitter and middle blocker Piper Evans ‘27, the players and crowd exploded with energy. Tied at two, the Warriors and Dragons played neck-and-neck. Keeping the point differential low, the score was often tied or within a few points difference between the two teams. Multiple shanked balls by both teams advanced the score on both sides. Breaking the trend of shanks, a nonconsecutive kill and sideset from Wellington brought the Warriors up 9-5 as they attempted to catch up to Round Rock. As the Warriors continued to fall behind, they called a timeout in an attempt to gain back confidence to end out the set. Right out of the timeout, the Warriors scored from an outball, closing the gap 13-9. Two back-to-back lengthy rallies led to points for the Dragons and Warriors respectively, reliant on Evans’ quick hits and libero Dakota Hodge ‘26’s crowd-hyping saves; with every spike across the net, both sides of the stadium were out of the seats as the volley was anyone’s ball. After a long rally resulting in an additional Dragon point,  the Warriors called a timeout at 20-14. Right out of the timeout, the Warriors returned with a powerful kill from middle hitter Grace McCluskey ‘26. With saves from Hodge and a kill from outside hitter Caroline Miller ‘28 — who would go on to be the kill leader of the game — tensions were high as the Warriors lagged behind 24-18. The final score was the result of a long rally. Although Hodge impressed with a shocking dig, the Dragons inevitably won the rally and first set 25-18.

“We told ourselves it was going to be a fun game going into a good defensive game,” setter Lila Wellington ‘27 said. “We know how we play, and I think it was going to be a good game either way. I don’t think we expected any outcome. We can always show up and play our game, see how it ends. We know that we can do it, and I think it’s just about executing that. That’s where the IQ and all of the knowledge goes aside, and it’s really just skill. We know that we have it, and we totally could’ve won that game. We know how to do it, we just didn’t execute.”

The second set marked a shift in the Warriors’ mindset, evident through their more refined strategy as they matched the Dragons’ playing style. Although the Dragons took the first point after a long rally, defensive specialist Claire Toupin ‘27 got two aces in a row, snatching the lead and bringing Westwood up 3-2. Following this, McCluskey scored two points — including a clever set to the back court after noticing the Dragons pushing heavy into their front court. After McCluskey’s two quick points, the Warriors managed to secure the largest lead over the Dragons thus far at 5-2. Tied at 12 after a few long rallies, the Dragons noticed a flaw in the Warriors’ strategy — they were struggling to cover the court in its entirety. Taking advantage of this, the Dragons propelled themselves forward in a 4-point lead of 18-14, forcing the Warriors to call a timeout. Changing tactics, McCluskey got a kill straight out of a timeout, immediately followed by another kill from outside and right-side hitter Sriya Chakravarthy ‘27. These back-to-back kills nearly closed the gap for the Warriors, now only trailing by one.  Following a dead ball from Round Rock, a timeout was called at 18-18 as the Dragons recognized the Warriors’ comeback. This didn’t shake the Warriors however, as  straight out of the timeout, Chakravarthy got her second kill of the game, taking the lead 19-18. McCluskey followed suit with two kills in a row, bringing the Warriors up 21-19. As the Warriors grasped the lead 22-19, the Dragons called a timeout as the stakes rose. Following this timeout, the Dragons scored two solid back-to-back points, once again tying the game 22-22.  This tie led to yet another timeout called — with such a close score near the end of the set, it was anyone’s game. Out of the timeout, setter Emily Xue ‘27 set to Chakravarthy who delivered a spike to the Dragons that they shanked, tying the score once again at 23-23. It seemed there was hope for the Warriors, but despite their perseverance and spirit, the Dragons won the second set with a kill, bringing them up 25-23.

“[Emily and I] are best friends,” Chakravarthy said. “We’ve played since [we were] 13 together. We usually book courts outside of school to just work on our connection. Knowing each other’s habits [and] knowing each other so well helps to work really well together.”

Going into the third set, the Warriors knew they had to emerge victorious from the set if they wanted a chance at winning the game. This ultimatum fueled their fire, with kills from McCluskey and Chakravarthy — who was quickly establishing herself as a key player — bringing the Warriors up 5-4, securing the lead once again. After the Dragons shanked a ball, Evans executed a block, tightening the score gap 14-13 as Westwood lagged only slightly behind. Team spirits high, a successful spike from Hodge finally bridged the gap, getting the Warriors up 14-14. Halfway through the set, both teams were neck and neck as they vied for the win — tensions were high, and the crowd knew it too. An ace from Toupin brought Westwood the lead 15-14, and as they scored again, a timeout was called at 16-14 as the Dragons began to feel intimidated. Despite the Dragons’ almost impenetrable strategy, the Warriors weren’t letting go of their lead. Following the timeout, a few more shanks and strategic plays from the Warriors widened their lead 19-15. The Dragons, annoyed at the Warriors grit, began to catch up, tightening the lead 21-20. After the Dragons hit an out ball, a timeout was called by Round Rock as the Warriors led 23-20. Coming out of the timeout, the Dragons scored the first point, and as they scored their second point, a timeout was called at 23-22; similar to the previous set, both teams were maximizing their timeouts to perfect their strategy in this close game. Out of the timeout, Miller’s serve hit the net, giving Round Rock another point to tie the game 23-23. After the Dragons got a kill, bringing them up 24-23, a timeout was called by the Warriors once again. With a score this close, it was uncertain who would emerge victorious. However, following the trend of their last two sets, the Dragons won the third set 25-23 and shut out the Warriors 3-0.

“We knew that Round Rock was going to be probably our hardest competition in District at all, and I’m extremely proud of how our team just played against them,” Hodge said. “I do think that they are beatable — the scores definitely show that they are. We had the lead multiple times, so I am glad that we had the lead at some point. I’m really glad that we kept our composure and didn’t just shut down.”

Returning for redemption, varsity volleyball will take to the home court against the Cedar Ridge Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, for Future Warrior Night.

Despite improved communication and proactive defense, Freshman Volleyball succumbed to the Round Rock Dragons in a 0-2 sweep on Friday, Sept. 12. Although the Warriors played with  aggressive approaches and steady teamwork, they could not hold onto the lead as the Dragons continued to build momentum and widen the point gap through both sets.

“I was a little nervous [going into today’s match] because it was a home game,” Emme Sims ‘29 said. “[I always feel nervous during home games] because everyone’s watching.”

Opening the first set, strong serves from Sloane Martin ‘29 put Westwood on the board by gaining 2 quick points. Shanked balls and miscommunication from Round Rock kept the Warriors’ energy fiery as they pulled ahead. Taking the lead, the Lady Warriors’ defense was on their A-game. Well-executed dives from Sims and spikes from Khloe Hogle ‘29 kept the ball alive, and lengthened already-intense rallies. A solid kill from Grace Kinnison ‘29 made Westwood’s spirit soar as they kept stealing points from the Dragons. Even with the Warriors’ solid defense and attacks, Round Rock was able to counter with quick saves and dives and took the lead. Continued miscommunication and missed spikes cost the Lady Warriors the momentum needed to win, and Round Rock took the first set 14-25.

“Even when one of us is down, it brings down the whole team,” Hogle said. “It’s better to lift up the whole team by having a good attitude and mood [during tough moments].”

Set two started fiercely, with a shanked ball by Round Rock to score the Warriors the first point of the set. Even with a strong head start for the Warriors, the Dragons began to catch up and close the gap. The game remained aggressive, with explosive kills and seamless passes from both teams. Although Westwood began to fall behind in points, the Lady Warriors stayed positive and lively. Keeping a close tail on the Dragons, the Warriors called a timeout to set strategy for the rest of the game. Out of the timeout the Warriors took the court, prepared to finish out the set. However, to much of their surprise, their momentum was cut short by the Dragons’ quick turnaround and run. Missteps caused the Lady Warriors to lose the final points and game, leaving the second set to the Dragons 15-25.

“We did a drill yesterday focusing on diving after the ball and hustling,” Sims said, “that helped our team today. [Moving forward] we’ll think more about tracking and following the ball, since those serves were pretty deep.”

Keeping their heads high after a tough loss, the Warriors look to bounce back against the Cedar Ridge Raiders on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

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.

In an intense battle on Friday, Sept. 12, the JV White Volleyball Team competed against the Round Rock Dragons. Despite consistent teamwork and an impressive display of skill, the Warriors ultimately suffered defeat, losing 2-1. 

“The worst part of the game was when we began getting stuck,” Liberty Hargave ‘29 said. “But getting really, really hype between sets was a lot of fun.” 

Opening the first set, the Dragons gained the first point through a hot kill, however the Warriors fought to earn back lost points with successful blocks, and took their first lead of the night, 2-1. Following the Warriors lead, Round Rock began a series of aggressive attacks, and back to back kills that set back the Warriors. Fighting hard on offense the Warriors fell in a bind as the Dragons defense continued to read Westwood’s plays and respond quickly on defense. As the set drew to a close, Westwood began to find that momentum they achieved in the beginning of the set, but the Dragons were too far ahead and took the win, ending with a score of 9-25. 

“I felt like I had to work on my serve receive,” Sophie Chen ‘29 said. “I kept targeting and missing, [but] I felt really proud of our team, because I think we played a lot better together.” 

The second set began with a bang, with Westwood quickly gaining the opening points of the set. Round Rock quickly followed but not for long as Audrey Winders ‘28 kept the Dragons on edge with an outstanding block, bringing Westwood ahead on the scoreboard. Quickly followed by an ace from Hargave, the Warriors surged forward, feeding off of the team’s momentum. Effective kills from Round Rock kept the game close throughout the set, but Westwood found the grit to soar ahead. By using different rotations and previously practiced plays, the set ended in a Westwood victory.The final score of the second set was 25-23. 

“Round Rock is a really tough school to compete against,” Team Manager Joah Choe ‘29 said. “I had hope for our team because they had such good coordination. They fought so hard and should be happy.” 

Going into the final set, both teams were eager to take home the last set that would result in a victory.  Westwood once again opened with the first point, giving them good footing to build on during set 3. However, consecutive net balls following this first point set them back. The Dragons, determined to take home the win, relied on their best outside hitters to provide them with many back to back kills, advancing the score and leading by more than 10. Georgia Leuke ‘29 executed a solid block against the Dragons, breaking Round Rock’s streak at 6-20. Down by 14, this block was just what the Warriors needed to build back their energy. Doing just that, the Warriors fought their way up the scoreboard and narrowed the point deficit to under 10. Still, as they struggled to prevent holes in the formation, Round Rock overtook them and concluded the set with a score of 20-25. 

“I was super excited and nervous for this game,” Winders said. “I’m so proud and was really [encouraged] when we won set 2. I think this was one of our best games, and next time we play them, we’ll do even better.” 

The Warriors’ next game will take place at Cedar Ridge against the Raiders, on Sept. 19.

JV Orange Volleyball brought the heat to their home court as they faced the McNeil Mavericks, on Tuesday Sept, 9. The Warriors had previously played the Mavericks on Saturday Sept. 6 at a local tournament. Killer serves, followed by clutch digs, and hustle plays, allowed the Lady Warriors to take home a quick win of 2-0.

“We knew how they played, we knew where they usually tipped, and we knew how they served,” Isabelle Call ‘28 said. “So we were definitely well prepared for how the team was going to play. Before this, we had practice until six last night, [where] we worked on getting our serves over and aces.” 

Right from the get go, the Lady Warriors dominated the court conceding four points within the first few minutes of the game. The Warriors served sharp balls, time and time again, breaking past the Maverick’s defense. Henley Hammonds ‘28 was crucial in scoring as she collected many aces through the set. However, a sneaky serve by Maverick defence brought them up 4-1 and gave them possession of the ball. However, that didn’t stop the Warriors, as they proceeded to score five points following the Mavericks one. Afterwards, a mix of precise serves and Maverick blunders widened the lead to 9-1. Continuing with the trend, the Lady Warriors set up numerous nifty plays at the net and began cruising once again further expanding the point gap to 10. The Warriors allowed for McNeil to sneak in a few points, but remained poised on offense, advancing the score to 22-8. After a brief timeout Westwood finished off the Mavericks in the first set at 25-10. 

“I think in the first set, we were a lot more consistent in placing the ball and not just trying to score.” Quinn Ewert ‘28 said.

The Mavericks came out of halftime hot and ready to give the Warriors a fair fight. Starting strong, the Mavericks scored 3 quick points against the Warriors to open the set. However, the Warriors came back with crucial serves to make up for the brief let up of momentum. Unfortunately, small mistakes, and lack of communication opened the door for the Mavericks to gain back their lead. Up by two, and keeping Westwood on their toes, the Mavericks strengthened their defence, but Westwood was still able to adjust and continued to concede against the Mavericks’ running lead. Closing in on the gap, the Westwood offence pulled together to bring the score to a tie at 22. Utilizing strong serves, the Lady Warriors brought the score to 24-23. Crucial moments for both teams approaching, Westwood just one point from taking home the victory, and the Mavericks a few points from a last shot at set 3. McNeil gave Westwood a tough kill tying the game at 24. Needing to win by two, a strong spike by Call got Westwood a point closer to the win and put the crowd on their feet. Following Call’s kill, a shanked ball from the Mavericks side of the net solidified the Warriors win. The final score of the second set was 26-24. The Lady Warriors dealt with the pressure, fought hard, and out hustled the Mavericks, concluding the game at 2-0. 

“[In the second set] I think we had to focus a little more on defense and also offense, because we missed a lot of serves,” Court Captain Grace Toledo ‘28 said. “We also could have picked up some more balls and communicated a little more.” 

The Warriors now set out to prepare for their next game this Friday, Sept. 12 against the Round Rock Dragons.