Westford Academy Girls’ Volleyball won their first game of the season against Groton-Dunstable Regional High School (GDRHS) on Wednesday, Sep. 3 with a final score of 3-0 which starts their season record at a promising 1-0.
With this being both teams’ season openers, every player braved the court with revitalized energy.
Senior Kaelyn D’Eon scored the first point of the game for WA by tipping the ball over the net and dodging the GDRHS blockers. The next two points were scored by sophomore Aanya Surampudi when she served the ball just out of reach of her competitors.
Sophomore Jenny Pepin and senior captain Kaitlyn Pepin worked hard to increase the Ghosts’ points as well, launching the ball over the net to make the score 9-5 with WA leading. However, GDRHS followed suit, gaining a point quickly after.
This exchange was followed by many great saves from both teams and an intense volley. Additional volleys increased the score to 16-12 with WA still in the lead. Multiple spikes from the Ghosts’ side followed these battles, ending the set with a 25-13 victory for WA.
In the second set, the first point was scored by senior Lia Clancy with a serve. While both teams were energized and fought hard to keep the ball in the air, WA held strong with senior captain Norah Schweitzer and sophomore Clara Ganz blocking nearly every attack.
Still, GDRHS did not stop attacking, spiking the ball hard and playing with determination. Junior Kavya Cherukuri tipped the ball over the net, sneaking past the GDRHS defense and gaining a point, making the score 11-2, WA.
Although GDRHS continued to fight hard to make a comeback with strong serves and tipped balls, some unsuccessful serves ended up becoming points for the Ghosts which quickly increased the score to 25-12, with WA winning the set.
“We should be [a little more] focused on serving because, in the second set, we had five misses,” head coach Brandon Eang said. “We want to […] also watch those tip balls. We need to be light on our feet.”
The third set was met with increased intensity from GDRHS. They had a strong volley in this set, which kept them in a 3-2 lead. However, WA soon matched their energy and tied the score at 4-4.
Sophomore Aadya Surampudi hit a strong serve, sending the ball over the net and starting a volley, which ended in WA gaining a point and a 6-5 lead.
With strong blocks from Jenny Pepin and Kaitlyn Pepin, GDRHS struggled to get the ball over the net. The set ended with Schweitzer and Ganz successfully blocking the ball, helping WA secure the win with a score of 25-15 in the third set.
Although WA dominated GDRHS with a 3-0 win, Eang believes that there will be plenty of challenging games in the future.
“I think [this season is] going to be competitive, [but] we’re gonna push to make [it to] the postseason,” Eang said. “We’re always looking to improve year after year. We have a strong core of young players and seniors who show good leadership.”
WA was elated to start the season off on a high note, and feels ready for their future competitors and a good season.
“This is definitely a great start to the season, and hopefully this will help the morale of the team going forward,” junior team manager Zoe Rose said.
WA Girls’ Volleyball’s next game will be away on Friday, Sep. 5 at 4 p.m. against Lowell High School.
