Bringing their A-game to the court, freshman volleyball battled against the Hutto Hippos on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The teams fought intensely for the victory in a three set match, with the Hippos ultimately taking home the win 2-1.

Westwood stumbled launching into the first set, with  failure to receive the ball off of a Hutto serve, giving Hutto the first point. Consecutive powerful spikes from Khloe Hogan ‘29 let the Lady Warriors begin taking back points, keeping the score close. Even with the comeback, five Westwood shanks in a row forced them to take the first timeout at 8-13. After a reset during the break, the team got back into the game. An ace from Julia Kushnirsky ‘29 lifted the team’s energy and motivated them to stay aggressive. Hutto’s continued defensive blunders and missed attacks turned the momentum in the Warriors’ favor, letting them take the first set 25-23.

“[To mentally prepare before the game] I say before I serve that I’ve done this in practice before,” Emme Sims ‘29 said, “so I can do it in a game.”

The second set began with a long rally that ended with Westwood stealing the first point. Consistent strong digs and receives from Sims kept the ball in play, letting the team launch into attacks. Even with the initial lead, the Lady Warriors allowed Hutto defense to form a strong front. Hutto’s’ belligerent kills shifted the momentum their way, sending Westwood spiraling. Tripping over themselves, the Warriors lost point after point. They were forced to take a timeout at 11-23, and ultimately lost the set 25-11.

“We need to work on serve receives [the most],” Aahan Desai ‘29 said. “Everybody gets so nervous when the ball is coming over, so we need to work on getting our feet to the ball.”

With tensions higher than before, both teams were focused on taking the victory. The third set opened with a Hutto blunder and out of bounds attack, letting Westwood steal the first two points. Miscommunication and missed balls from both sides kept the scores close throughout  the set, with the first timeout taken by Hutto at 6-7. Desai’s rapid fast dives sent the Hippos scrambling to return the ball, but Westwood’s failure to hold consistently shifted the momentum in Hutto’s favor. The game only heated up further, with an out of bounds hit from the Hippos tying the game 24-24, needing to win by two, the team was pumped up to steal the win. However, two defensive blunders gave Hutto the set 26-24 and the game 2-1.

“We were really excited [during the last set], but also kind of nervous because it was very close,” Hogan said. “We were all stressed because it’s our second to last home game.”

The Lady Warriors play their next home game against Manor Friday, Oct. 24.