On November 11, 2017, the WA Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team successfully beat Needham, with a score of 3-1. The sets were close and in the fourth and final set, Westford Academy beat Needham 26-24.

The beginning of the first set wasn’t the best start of the game. Within a few minutes, Needham scored 5 points. Westford Academy caught up to them tying 11-11. The rest of the set remained neck and neck with Westford finally pulling out in front 25-22. Junior Elise Sepe and senior Erika Waterhouse scored the final point, winning the first set.

In the second set, Westford scored the first point, and the future of the game looked bright. Unfortunately, Needham pulled ahead of Westford, eventually winning 25-23.

In the third set, the two teams were almost immediately neck and neck 5-5. A three-minute volley led to a point for Westford bringing their score from 7-5 to 8-5. Finally, after a back and forth set, Sepe scored the final point for Westford, winning the set for the Ghosts once again.

In the fourth and final set played, Sepe made a great save, scoring a point for Westford 7-6. After a time-out, one of the players from Needham got a red card, but surprisingly, was not taken out of the game. Speculation from the crowd said that she questioned the ref’s decision, but later investigation revealed that she yelled at the ref.

An hour and five minutes into the game, the teams were tied up 21-21. The points slowly increased until they were tied 23-23. Needham scored a point, pushing the game in their favor. Westford, however, managed to tie up the score 24-24. Westford scored, and the crowd went wild.

However, in order to win, a team had to win by two points. Soon enough, WA scored the two points and won the game, securing a spot in the semi-finals, where they are speculated to face the number one team.

Senior Marina Ottaviano was ecstatic over the win.

“I am so excited […] after the first two sets, I knew we had it,” Ottaviano said.

Volleyball coach Eang agreed that the team played well, saying that although play was a bit spotty, the team came together strong.