The No. 4 ranked Westside Warrior volleyball team travelled to Millard North to take on the Mustangs and left with an exciting victory. This was a challenging match but the Warriors proved their mental toughness and finished strong.
Last Tuesday the Warriors faced the Millard North Mustangs at Millard North and proved why they are one of the top teams in Class A. With a strong start and an even stronger finish, the Warriors ended the match leading three sets to one.
The first set was a promising start for the Warriors as they held a consistent three point lead throughout the first half of the set. The Mustangs came back and tied the game at 16 until senior Madeline Lamb started a run for the Warriors after getting an impressive kill. Westside kept that momentum throughout the last part of the set to end with a score of 25-20 over the Mustangs.
The Mustangs battled back quickly with a dominant start to the second set leading the Warriors 5-1 as Westside took a timeout. Westside responded fast and both teams kept their momentum going point for point during the rest of the set. The Mustangs took the second set 23-21.
Throughout the game, both teams had some very exciting runs they went on. Runs are always great for the team going on the run but it can be very frustrating for the opposing team. During these times, it is important to keep your head in the game and not let your frustration get the best of you. Head Coach Andrew Wehrli shares how he keeps his athletes motivated during difficult plays.
“I think the biggest thing is just finding how to score the next point. I feel like when you lose momentum, I think there’s just a lot of times where it’s like you kind of forget that your’re playing a game, you know, and you’ve got to find a way to,” Wehrli said. “So what I always ask them is, you know, how are we going to score the next point? And then we try to execute.”
During the third set, the Warriors took what Coach Wehrli said and put it into play. The Mustangs had a lead early in the set as Westside took their final timeout when they were down 11-5. After an immediate response to the lead, the Warriors ran the score up to 17-15 to cause a Millard North timeout. Westside kept their run going and took the third set 25-18.
Warrior energy flowed through to the fourth set as they kept a consistent lead early in the set. The Warriors were leading 14-10 when the Mustangs took a timeout to regroup themselves. The Mustangs tied it up at 17 but the Warriors acted fast and shut it down with a kill from senior Makenzie Wingett. The Warriors dominated the end of the set with a score of 25-21 securing a Westside victory.
Even though it was not easy, the Warriors defeated the Mustangs which was very exciting after Millard North defeated Westside last season. The game required lots of energy and endurance from the Warriors and they executed their skills very well. Senior hitter Madeline Lamb talks about what she does during games like this to stay focussed when long rallies occur often.
“I feel like as a person as a player, I’m just a very calm person, so I’m really used to it,” Lamb said. “And I feel like I just lean on my teammates.”
The Warriors have had a very exciting start to the season with a current overall record of 8-3 and a district record of 5-1. Every game they continue to improve and they are making it clear that they are prepared to fight to Lincoln.
Looking forward for the season, the Warriors will head to Lincoln on Thursday September 25 to face Lincoln North Star, currently ranked No. 2 in Class A, at 6:30 pm.
