In a surprising turn of events, the varsity volleyball team lost their annual Homecoming game to the Stony Point Tigers on Friday, Sept. 19. The Warriors knew it would be a difficult game, and their determination fueled their fight; however, despite their spirits, clumsy fumbles and shanked balls led them to give away the win to the Tigers who took it home winning 3-1.

During the first set, both the Tigers and Warriors traded points back and forth until the end of the set. Throughout this set, Piper Evans ‘27 scored three points for the Warriors off of sharp kills, increasing the team morale. This game being their Homecoming game, the Warriors brought high intensity play to the court, however, the Tigers were eager to follow suit. Due to both teams’ grit and spirit, the first set was consistently neck-and-neck, with tensions high on both sides of the gym. Due to the ferocity and fight from the Warriors, the set was extended, but the Tigers managed to squeeze out the win 27-25.

“In the beginning of the sets, we’re really on it, and then we get tired,” Emily Xue ‘27 said. “We start to lose, and then by that point, we can’t come back.”

During the second set, the Warriors began to overtake the Tigers, seemingly changing the course of the game. With powerful hits from Grace McCluskey ‘26 and motivating team chants, the Warriors were redeeming themselves from the previous set. As the Warriors continued to lead 22-17, the team was invigorated — last year, though they won the first set against Stony Point, they lost the next three. This year, hope was in the air for the Warriors. After a shank from the Tigers, the Warriors continued to hold their lead 24-19. Despite their apprehension in the first set, the Warriors were improving. As the set neared its end, Westwood amped up their communication as players yelled directions across the court, intimidating the Tigers and solidifying the team spirit as their nerves started to die down. To end it off, a shank from the Tigers brought the Warriors up 25-21, winning the second set.

“We definitely struggled with keeping a good attitude and looking forward to the next point,” Evans said. “We really got in our own heads during the set. We had a lot of chances to take over the power. I think it was just all mental.”

Starting off the third set strong, the Warriors got the first point due to a weak hit from the Tigers. As the set continued, the teams seemed to remain neck-and-neck, matching each other for kills, tumbles, and powerful libero plays. A long volley showcased the strength of the Warriors as they picked up nearly impossible spikes, with the blockers working overtime to read the hits and get their team points. With the Warriors holding the early lead, a corner spike from the Tigers brought them to their first lead of the set at 7-6 — and that’s where the shift happened.  While the third set started off a close one, the Tigers began building up a lead as Westwood fumbled numerous easy balls — a stark difference from their playing in the previous sets. As the Tigers established a lead 9-6, the Warriors called a timeout, discussing how to diminish the fumbles. Out of the timeout, however, the Warriors didn’t pick up the pace like they typically did when exiting timeouts. Matching Westwood, however, the Tigers also began fumbling easy balls, and as another timeout was called at 15-10, the Warriors were struggling more than usual. As the timeout ended, Stony Point’s invigoration was evident, confidence rolling off the team in waves as the pressure set in for the Warriors. Immediately out of the timeout, however, a strategic tip from Evans got them the first point. From that point on, however, the Tigers never let another tip get past them — in fact, for the rest of the game, they picked up every single tip from the Warriors. When Lila Wellington ‘27 prepared to set, team spirits were low as they fell into their pattern of shanking and fumbling balls they typically would have been able to pick up. After Coach Madison Smith swapped in Avnee Upadhye ‘27, team spirits rose, in part due to Upadhye’s energetic spirit and playing style. A strong hit from Evans helped the Warriors as they lagged behind 23-18, but even Evans’ morale boost wasn’t enough to reconquer the set. A strong hit from Stony Point brought them up 25-18, winning the third set.

“I think we went into this game thinking that we had to win, or that we should win,” Xue said. “I’m not sure if we were looking down on them, or if we underestimated how they would be, but I think we were unprepared for just how good their hitters would be, and we failed to make adjustments.”

Following the similar trend from the previous set, the fourth set started as a close game with an early tie at 2-2. However, as Evans tipped another ball, the Tigers called it out and they picked it up almost immediately. No longer were tips a viable strategic play — the Tigers had caught on to the Warriors’ techniques, and Westwood was feeling the team energy drop. The Warriors began fumbling and dropping balls while succumbing to a kill from the Tigers. As the Tigers led by a heavy margin, a timeout was called at 9-3 by the Warriors to work through the problems. The Tigers left the timeout with more than 30 seconds left on the clock, their confidence further discouraging the Warriors. Right out of the timeout, McCluskey picked up the pace, scoring an impressive kill to bring some energy back to the Warrior’s side of the net. However, Westwood continued to get outballs and miss easy passes even out of the timeout, forcing their coaches to call yet another timeout as the Tigers were sweeping the Warriors 13-5. During this timeout, Coach Paul Thailing delivered a motivational hype speech — and it proved effective, as Sriya Chakravarthy ‘27 scored a kill right out of the timeout. The Warriors needed an incredible comeback if they wanted a chance at winning the game, and they seemed to be on that path. Spirits invigorated, a shank from the Tigers and a strong block from Emma Waghorne ‘27 slowly bridged the gap as the Tigers led 16-9. Though they were lagging, Westwood’s bleachers were screaming their hearts out, feeding off the team’s renewed energy. An ace from Dakota Hodge ‘26 got the Warriors another point as the Tigers sensed the Warriors’ comeback. When Coach Smith swapped in Upadhye, the game seemed to change — she scored a point immediately, lessening the gap 17-11. Following, Claire Toupin ‘27 scored another ace as the Warriors continued to improve their pace and minimize the point differential. Feeling intimidated, Stony Point called a timeout as they led 18-13. Following the timeout, two kills from McCluskey brought the team closer to the Tigers, drawing the gap to only five. The team began to fumble less balls as Xue was subbed in, acting as a star setter for the other players to rely on. Though the Warriors were catching up, a kill from the Tigers brought them up 24-19. While a win for Westwood seemed unlikely, it was possible. The final point of the game relied on a long volley, complete with strategic and strong plays by both teams. Though the Warriors put up a good fight, the Tigers won the long rally, bringing them up as they won the set 25-20 and the game 3-1.

“[Coach] Thailing is a great coach for getting everyone hyped and energized,” Evans said. “I think it made everyone realize that we need to step it up and play better as a team. For round two, we know what to do for each team now. We know how they play and their offense and defense. We can definitely use this for our advantage and come back stronger and practice on that.”

Searching for redemption after this Homecoming loss, the varsity volleyball team will take on the Hutto Hippos at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23.