In a heated four set match, Varsity Volleyball faced the Hutto Hippos on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Fighting point for point with their rivals, the Warriors pulled through with a 3-1 victory, taking the final set 25-21. 

“A lot of energy [contributed most to the win],” team captain Grace McCluskey ‘26 said. “We did go to four, but we just had to remember that we beat them last time and that we had to work harder.”

Westwood opened strong, keeping momentum alive with consistent aggressive attacks. Focused on moving forward after past mistakes. Team captain Dakota Hodge ‘26 led with strong hits that helped the Warriors pull ahead early, while Lila Wellington ‘27 strong serves forced Hutto out of balance multiple times. Staying focused on moving forward after past mistakes kept the Warriors rhythm steady. 

“We just have the mindset of next point, and forget about the lost one, keep moving no matter what,” McCluskey said.

The Warriors carried their confidence into the second set, staying prepared to fix their past mistakes. Energy at the net and in the back row kept Hutto on their toes, as Emma Waghorne ‘27 sharp hits and Piper Evans ‘27 key plays at the line helped Westwood edge out tight rallies. At one point both teams were locked 19-19 before a burst of momentum from the Warriors brought the set to a close with a score of 25-23. 

“We felt very prepared and knew what to do going into it,” Lila Wellington ‘27 said. “We played our game and were successful.”

The third set brought heat to the game. Hutto took advantage of the Warriors’ errors to pull ahead, despite strong defensive efforts from Westwood. The score stayed close 22-20 before Hutto took the final two points to win the set. Westwood regrouped quickly, reminding themselves of their earlier success.  

“We weren’t expecting to go four [sets], so we really just had to remember that we had two sets before them that we won and to really minimize our errors,” McCluskey ‘26 said.

The final set was the most competitive of the night, with both teams trading points and the score never separating by more than two. Juniors Emma Waghorne and Sriya Chakravarthy’s consistent serving and defensive recoveries gave the Warriors key momentum in the last stretch. 

“The last set in particular was great volleyball to experience,” Wellington ‘27 said. “I think we executed very well and took care of what we needed to.”

Westwood’s energy carried them across the finish line, as key serves from McCluskey, sharp hits from Hodge, and steady communication in the final set pushed the Warriors ahead to secure their 3-1 victory.

“We are grateful for another win in the record and always want to keep pushing ourselves to surpass our goal for playoffs.” Wellington said. “The key was definitely our energy. That’s something we really cherish about this team, especially with a lot of new talent and new strategies.” 

The Warriors move forward with another district win added to their record, looking to carry their energy into upcoming matches. The Lady Warriors will take the court again to compete against the Vista Ridge Rangers on Friday Oct 3.