Dominating the court in the season’s last game, freshman volleyball battled the Manor Mustangs in a two set sweep on Friday, Oct. 24. With refined plays and tight communication, the Warriors held a considerable lead in both sets and swiftly took home the victory.

“I was definitely kind of sad [before the game],” Sloane Martin ‘29 said. “But I was also just excited to play with the whole team at our last game.”

Beginning from Westwood’s opening serve, Manor scrambled over themselves to return the ball. The Mustangs’ continuous failures to keep their attacks in bounds allowed the Lady Warriors to take an early headstart, forcing Manor to take a timeout after a 6-0 run by the Warriors.From there on, the momentum continued to weigh in favor of the Warriors. Quick defense from Layla Guerra ‘29 and successful tips from Daisy Segura ‘29 kept stacking numerous points to extend the Warrior’s lead. Manor was forced to take a second timeout, but the break didn’t shatter Westwood’s sharp concentration. Every rally pushed the Lady Warriors closer to the victory, and a powerful kill from Segura closed the first set 25-17. 

“We weren’t really energetic [in the first set],” Khloe Hogan ‘29 said. “ I think it was a really good way to humble us for the next season and prepare us for what we need to work on.”

Pumped up to keep the lead, Westwood worked to calculate plays and remain in high communication. The Lady Warriors stole the first point, followed by a fierce kill from Ava Punalekar ‘29 that sent Manor into a doozy. As it was the last game of the season, Westwood was especially determined to claim the win, this determination resulted in aggressive attacks and forceful digs by Warrior offense. Backed into another corner, the Mustangs called the third timeout of the game at 9-5. Jumping back into the set post timeout, consistent aces from Guerra pulled the team’s energy even higher than before, leaving Manor no room to recover. Multiple Manor blunders led to out of bounds balls, feeding Westwood points. The Lady Warriors’ fiery plays dominated the court, and they took the second set 25-9 and sealed the victory 2-0. 

“My favorite moment [from the season] was all the games because everyone had a special moment, win or loss,” Julia Kushnirsky ‘29 said. “[Coming into high school] I was really nervous because I didn’t know anyone from Canyon Vista, but then we started off the season and that helped me make new friends and realize Westwood isn’t that scary.”