-
Concentrating, Kate Petty ’26 raises her hand to serve the ball. Petty remained consistent with powerful hits throughout the game. “After I got my first kill, I said to my teammates, ‘that was a breath of fresh air’,” Petty said.
'
-
Smiling, Lila Wellington ’27 and Harper Zoll ’25 celebrate after a powerful hit. The players continuously showed encouragement throughout all four sets. “Even if I don’t celebrate myself, all of them are celebrating for me and it’s always so fun to see that,” Wellington said.
'
-
Celebrating, Dakota Hodge ’26 hypes up her teammates as the players congratulate each other after a good score. After every point scored, the players on court briefly praised each other to keep up the energy. “I don’t really feel nervous because I’ve been playing this sport for a really long time,” Hodge said. “It’s the one thing you can control on your side of the game. It’s what you have full control of, so I just have to remember get it in, put it in, put it in the spot, and make it somewhat aggressive.”
'
-
Jumping, middle blockers Grace McCluskey ’26 and Piper Evans ’27 prepare to block an incoming ball during the second set. McCluskey and Evans played key roles in blocking throughout the game. “[A good block] boosts the team’s energy and makes the team more hype,” Evans said.
'
-
Hitting the ball, Kate Petty ’26 focuses on passing a ball while Dakota Hodge ’26 prepares during the first set. Hodge and Petty collaborated to stop the Rangers’ attacks. “[A dig] is a really good kill because then the flow of our side of the net looks so clean and smooth,” Hodge said. “It makes everyone feel connected and makes everything go super well.”
'
-
Hitting the ball, Mia Massey ’25 serves the ball to the Vista Ridge Rangers during the third set. The Warriors went on to win the set. “I know serves are in my control, so I feel good knowing that I did what is in my control,” Massey said.
'
-
Excited, Dakota Hodge ’26 and Sahasra Mandalapu ’25 celebrate another point for Westwood. Hodge and Mandalapu were both star players, recovering the ball in unlikely situations. “I think what really gets people fired up, [and] especially me, is when I get a really good dig and then our hitters are able to execute it,” Hodge said.
'
-
Raising their hands, Varsity Volleyball pumps each other up before the game. This game fundraised money for the nonprofit “Dig Pink” to raise money for breast cancer. “I have a history of breast cancer in my family and I have a lot of survivors in my family,” Kate Petty ’26 said. “Family is really important to me.”
'
Facing off against the Vista Ridge Rangers on Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Varsity Volleyball team lost in a close battle during their Pinkout game for breast cancer awareness. The Warriors fought hard through all four sets but eventually fell short, losing 3-1.
Westwood started the first set strong with an ace by Lila Wellington ‘27 and a quick block from Grace McCluskey ‘26 brought the Warriors up 2-2. The audience’s energy rose as Ava Moncada ‘25 scored two more points in a row later in the set, bringing the Warriors to 11-8 with the Rangers in the lead. However, the Warriors soon began to fumble the ball and miscommunicate with each other, resulting in the Rangers amassing a healthy 18-12 lead, forcing a Warriors’ timeout to end their momentum. The Warriors returned to the court strong as Moncada scored yet another point to bring the Warriors up to 13 points. Despite their new strategy, the Rangers continued scoring points off the Warriors’ fouls, forcing another timeout from the Warriors who called another timeout at 13-21. The set reached a final push, as both teams matched each other’s energy and points. While the Warriors accumulated a few more points after the timeout, ultimately, the Rangers won the first set 25-17.
“The back row is important for defense because we are responsible for getting that first touch so that our hitters can do something,” Mia Massey ‘25 said. “And also, talking with our front row on where they can hit and where they can score.”
The Warriors eventually found their stride in the second set, scoring the first point with another ace by Wellington which kept the energy high on the court. Key players including Sahasra Mandalapu ‘25 and Piper Evans ‘27 contributed to Westwood quickly growing points early in the set, forcing the Rangers to call a timeout at 8-3, with Westwood in the lead, to discuss strategy. Although Westwood took the first couple of points after the timeout including a block from Moncada, the Rangers quickly caught up due to miscommunications and fowls on the Warriors. The Rangers soon began accumulating points, putting them just a point behind the Warriors at 10-9. The set was once again a close game as the Rangers scored two more points which brought them to 13-11. While Moncada continued to score Westwood more points, the Warriors continued to foul. With these issues adding up, the Warriors called another timeout at 18-21 to discuss strategy once again. However, the Warriors fumbled the ball right out of the timeout, bringing the Rangers 22-18. Now, as the Rangers got closer to victory in a 24-18, the cheerleaders began to rouse the stands as the whole stadium was holding their breath in anticipation. However, a ball fumble from the Warriors lost them the second set 25-18.
“We just look at what was working and what we needed to clean up on our side,” Moncada said. “Once we controlled our mistakes, they were making the errors.”
The Warriors came into the third set with the stakes set high, so they used this to their advantage to quickly pick up points and block the Ranger’s chance for an easy win. The set quickly picked up as the Warriors and the Rangers stayed neck-and-neck at 3-3. Through the set, Dakota Hodge ‘26 dove low to pick up multiple digs to keep the plays alive. This helped the Warriors take the lead throughout the first half of the set. Piper Evans ‘25
came alive this set, hitting many great kills and serving a few aces as she led the team to a 19-16 lead over the Rangers. This smart playmaking and newfound strength electrified the whole gym. The energy remained until the last point in the set with a long rally that ended with the ball hitting the ceiling that decided the whole game. Soon, after a few minutes of controversial arguing between both teams and the referees, the referees decided that the ball was out and Westwood got the point to win the set.
“The fact that the last point was an argument call got everybody really hyped up,” Hodge said. “We had to argue with the refs about it and the other team did not like it, but I think it got both teams fired up to play again.”
Coming off of a win, the Warriors kept their energy up and got the first point for the fourth set in a row against the Rangers. After a few short minutes and a couple of out balls from both teams, the game remained close at 9-7 with the Rangers in the lead. After a few clutches from Moncada, the Warriors got up a few points. Now determined to put up a fight, the Warriors were forced to call their first timeout of the set with the Rangers up 13-9. Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors stayed determined to keep the score very close for the remainder of the game as Moncada and Zoll had many good hits and helped lift the Warriors’ energy to fulfill their goal. However, they fell just a few points short, eventually losing the final set 25-22.
“A lot of energy from the bench and a lot of good pep talk and communication [kept our spirits up],” Emma Waghorne ‘27 said.
The Warriors take on the McNeil Mavericks on the road at McNeil High School on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. to take back their winning record.
![Nam Anh Truong '26 launches into her backstroke race with determination, her body arching gracefully as she enters the water during the historic meet. "The energy was really exciting," Truong said. "I was really proud of us because, [even though] we have won in previous years, the competition was harder this year so our victory was surprising in a nice way."](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Nam-Anh-Truong-26-Ian-Leong-1-3-1200x804.jpg)
![While the Rangers are distracted, William Chuck '28 hands the ball over to his teammate for a run to gain yards. "[This game I really wanted to just] win the game and have fun,".](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_4695-1200x800.jpg)
