On Friday, Sept. 7, the Lady Warriors dominated the Cedar Ridge Raiders and quickly finished the game 2-0.

The first set started close as both teams seemed to trade points back and forth. But after taking the lead 9-8, the Warriors went on a run to pull away and lead 17-12. McKayla Ross ‘22 spiked it to make the score 20-15 as each side struggled to gain momentum. Unfortunately, the Raiders found a rhythm and lowered the Warriors’ lead to 21-20 with a couple aces and blocks. Yet the Warriors refused to give in and they went on a streak of their own that began with a block from Delaney Willing ‘21 and ended the set with two blocks from Madeleine Shrull ‘21 and a spike by Peyton Ferree ‘22. The final score was 25-21.

“The first set started kind of slow and we weren’t working together as a team,” Willing said. “We picked it up and came together at the end though.”

In the second set, the Warriors got off to a strong start. They took the lead 7-2 with points from a spike by Ferree, an ace by Jessica Lane ‘21, and a block by Shrull. The Raiders fought back with several spikes to make the score 10-9, but the Warriors would not let them draw even. They went on a scoring streak that included an ace from Shrull, a spike by Ross, and a spike by Willing to take the lead 16-10. The Warriors kept their lead above five points and even widened the margin to eight with two aces by Sara Sagues ‘21 and a spike by Ferree to make the score 20-12. Though the Raiders attempted to make a comeback and brought the Warrior’s lead down to four with some strong spikes, the Warriors refused to let it get too close. Ferree returned the serve and spiked to take control of the game 23-18. After the Raiders touched the net and then hit the ball out of bounds, the Warriors officially had the victory, ending the second set with a score of 25-19.

“The second set went a lot better. We had a lot more energy coming out and we were really ready to win and just end it so we came out really strong,” Ferree said.

Coach Amber Hall thought the team was so strong because of their tough defense and the fact that they didn’t give up any easy points.

“The game went really well. We’ve been working a lot on defense and communication and they really did a good job of executing those,” Coach Hall said. “I’m really proud of our defense. We were really scrappy. I made it a point to focus on not letting any tips drop and I don’t think they got one on us.”

Erin Fagan ‘22 thinks that the team has a lot of potential for the season ahead.

“The best part was our scoring streak in the second set in which we got a lot of hits and really good kills,” Fagan said. “If we keep getting those winning streaks, we can get a winning record.”

The Lady Warriors’ next game is against Hendrickson High School on Friday, Sept.14 at Westwood.