In their second home game of the season, varsity volleyball faced an unfortunate defeat 1-4 by the Hutto Hippos on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The Warriors put up a good fight, but in the end, Hutto was victorious.

The matches did not start well, as the Warriors lost the first point of set 1 to the Hippos. However soon, Grace McCluskey ‘26 tipped the ball back over the net putting Westwood on the board. The Warriors were struggling until they called a timeout at 1-7. To follow, the Warriors worked around the court to bring the score up 5-10, within striking distance of the Hippos. But soon after, the Warriors made a comeback as a strong hit from Harper Zoll ‘25 turned the energy around. This energy shift brought Westwood to 12-19 as they fell further behind. Long rallies and many back-to-back plays brought the crowd and player spirit up, kindling booming cheers from the stands. The Warriors seemed to find their stride in the game as Ava Moncada ‘25 made a key hit, bringing the game to 20-23. Moncada spiking the ball after ball during long rallies helped to bridge the point gap between Westwood and Hutto and after a timeout, the Hippos returned with a few netballs and fumbles, tying the game up at 23-23. Unfortunately though, in the end, Hutto won with a fast kill, ending the set at 23-25.

“[Approaching the next set,] we just have to have the mindset that every point counts and every play matters,” Moncada said. “Even in practice, you just have to stay locked in, which is something we say a lot. Anytime we’re down, we just say, ‘stay locked in.’”

After the first set, the Warriors continued the groove they found in the last set. Although the Hippos got the first point, two strong saves by the libero, Sahasra Mandalapu ‘25, allowed Westwood to take the lead 4-1 early in the set. In a quick turnaround, after a few rallies, the Hippos got ahead 7-6. But quickly answering a clutch kill established the set as a tie game. A few good rallies from both sides and an ace by Mandalapu brought Westwood into the lead 9-7. Another powerful kill by McCauley brought the Warriors close to the Hippos 16-17. A timeout called by Westwood when the set was 17-19 proved to be another game-changer. Following the timeout, another save by Mandalapu set the energy high once again, with middle blocker and right-side hitter Piper Evans ‘27 bringing the Warriors 18-19. Soon the game came down to a 24-24 tie, meaning that to win one team would have to get up by 2. Re-tying the game with a strong hit from Moncada brought the Warriors to 25-24 and tensions were high. In the end, it was – once again – Evans who scored the winning point with a hit, bringing Westwood to 26-24. The Warriors won the second set.

“I just ignore [the distractions of the game],” Evans said. “It helps me, honestly. The pressure makes me better.”

Coming off of a great set, the Warriors took the court one more time, preparing for another intense set. Westwood started strong, putting both the first couple points on the board. Keeping the energy high, Moncada got a kill to bring the Warriors up 3-0. Westwood continued to stack kills, however, this did not stop Hutto from getting their heads in the game as they took the lead. After an intense 10 minutes, Hutto pulled the score up 8-19. Hoping to organize and recuperate, the Warriors called a timeout. They came out of the huddle energized, with a few more good plays up their sleeve but did not manage to come up with a win for the third set, ending the third set 13-25.

“[In a heated moment,] blocking is all about knowing who you’re up against and reading the set,” Zoll said. “[The] biggest thing is communication with my middles.” 

The Warriors huddled up and after a few minutes of strategizing and a good pep talk, they took the court for the final set. Westwood spiked the ball and gained the first point of the set. And after a few heated minutes, both teams tied at 5-5. With a slew of back-and-forth plays, Hutto stayed a point ahead until Moncada got a kill to tie the game once again at 15-15. A few moments later, Westwood called a timeout to prepare for the last 10 points of this intense set. Taking the court for the final time, Hutto had the first serve and hit the ball out, hyping up the Westwood crowd and players and allowing the Warriors to take the lead. Although Westwood had a couple more good plays, Hutto found their groove and managed to pull out the win on a good kill in the middle of the Warrior’s court, winning the set 21-24 and the match 3-1.

“Today, we just didn’t know how to put the ball away,” Defensive Specialist Dakota Hodge ‘26 said. “Credits to the other team though, they had a really big block, so it was hard to maneuver around that. We just needed to find better spots [and] better placement, but it was a good game overall.”

Westwood will take on Vista Ridge on the Rangers’ home court this Friday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m.