-
Focused, Grace Toledo ’28 prepares to set the ball, as part of the warm up. Toledo played a crucial role in backrow during the Warrior’s game against the Raiders. “[In the third set] we fixed our serves, and filled in the gaps,” Toledo said.
-
Ready to deliver, Quinn Ewert ’28 strikes the ball hard, executing the serve perfectly to challenge Raider defence. Ewert played an important role both up front and in the back row, landing a number of kills, digs, and spikes. “During the third set, I really enjoyed [the] serve receive ,” Ewert said. “My passes were going to target, which made me more confident front row, [therefore] I scored more powerful swings.”
-
Ready and excited the Warrior girls line up at the net as they high five the Raiders prior to the game starting. The girls were fired up throughout the game and showcased their best abilities on the court. “I think we worked well as a team and we all had a lot of fun,” Grace Toledo ’28 said.
-
The Warrior’s girls huddle up discussing strategy and ways to break the Raider defence. The girls made a number of hard spikes and serves, leaving the Raider defence unable to stop them. “We got to watch them warm up, and saw where they hit,” Isabelle Call ’28 said. “We knew exactly how to read them and where their weak points were.”
-
Ready to strike, Henley Hammonds ’28 serves the ball setting the tone of the first set. Many of Hammond’s serves helped to secure the first set victory of 25-8. ‘I got to have a couple hits front row, which was good,” Hammonds said. “We worked like a team, more like one unit.”
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.
