Volleyball rallies to defeat #4 Gretna

The Westside varsity volleyball team had a major win on senior night against fourth-ranked Gretna on Tuesday, October 4th. The Warriors lost the first two sets 27-29 and 18-25 to the Dragons. Then Westside rallied to win the next three sets 25-15, 25-19 and 15-10 to take the match. Westside jumped up to number three in the NSAA wild card standings with a 13-5 record. This was a big victory for the Warriors, who have proven their depth on a very skilled team.

“I feel pretty amazing about the win. Westside assistant coach Krista Filipi said. “Not only did we have injuries, but we were down two sets to none. So, it was a huge comeback. Defensively, they played out of their minds. We again had girls playing in positions they’ve run only one other time because of the injuries. So it was a team effort all the way around.”

Westside earned the win over Gretna, even though the Warriors missed their top blocker Kensington Tekrony, who is nursing a knee injury. Junior Isabella Lamb sprained her ankle at the Allison Weston Invitational in September. Isabella’s younger sister Madeline also sprained a ligament in her thumb.

With some starters missing a decent amount of the season, it’s interesting to see how those spots will be filled. The Warriors have dealt with these injuries throughout the season, but now there’s a timetable for a return to the court for the injured players.

“Kensington started back yesterday.” Filipi said.“She was able to pass. No jumping yet, but we’re hoping that maybe by metros or district she should be back. That should be really helpful. Isabella, the other middle, was told four-to-six weeks, and that’s essentially the rest of the season. So, we’re gonna have to keep working on this new rotation and making it work, cause it sounds like that’s what we’re gonna be doing.”

The rotation shifts have worked so far, especially in some top ten wins over fourth-ranked Gretna and top-ranked Lincoln Southwest. These shifts will be something to watch throughout the rest of the season, especially with starters missing time. 

The Warriors will play in the Lincoln High Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 8. Then the Warriors will travel to Elkhorn South next Tuesday.