Anytime SPF plays Westfield, it will be a battle, no matter the sport. This was once again shown as the SPF Raiders Girls Volleyball team fell to the Westfield Blue Devils, 2-1 (25-23, 11-25, 21-25) at SPFHS on Thursday afternoon of October 5.
Any spectator walking into the main gym at SPFHS before the match would not have been able to tell that the Raiders were about to face one of the best Girls volleyball teams in the state. Music blasting, joking with each other, and smiles on their faces, this Raider team was unfazed.
The energy was carried throughout the start of the match as the Raiders came out with a fire lit beneath them. Setter Hana Berisha established her main targets for the night as middles DJ Ngumah and Danielle Kramer asserted dominance in the center of the court.
“[Danielle] Kramer and DJ [Ngumah] do a great job of dominating the middle. It’s where we funnel our offense so they show up and play every day,” Head Coach Adrienne Stack said.
If the Raiders were going to win, it was evident that they would need the setter-middle connection to be strong. Ngumah and Kramer continued to dominate as SPF led 15-10. While the Raiders started to pull away, mistakes here and there brought Westfield back in the set.
Just as it seemed like the Raiders might start to fall far behind, Kramer came back with a huge hit to gain the momentum and two back to back hits from Brianna Alvarez propelled the Raiders to a 25-23 set win.
Two things were evident after the first set: this Raiders team was as resilient as it gets and that it was going to be one entertaining match.
“We had great energy, great camaraderie, great communication and great connections to each other,” Stack said.
The second set began and SPF could not find their groove. Glimpses of hope were shown from Ngumah and sophomore Maddie Byrne but it was too little too late. Westfield took the second set 25-11.
The flare of this Raider team felt like it went away after the first set. This was not for long as they looked like themselves again in the final set. Byrne had two kills back to back to put the Raiders up 3-1 and they kept going from there. Senior Zuzanna Szwec had a two serve streak and the Raiders led 9-8.
While the gym was not filled to the maximum, with every point won by the Raiders, the fans erupted in cheers and yells, making it seem like it was being played at Madison Square Garden. Byrne continued to feast on perfect sets and the Raiders were ten points away from victory.
From smooth sailing, to turbulence, the Blue Devils started to inch closer and finally took the lead, 21-18. It looked like it was going to continue to go downhill from here but Kramer had a monstrous hit to keep them in the game.
“[Hana and I] have the best connection. She knows exactly where to put the ball for me,” senior middle Danielle Kramer said. “I can hit the ball down and we go together and complement each other.”
The strong effort was not enough though, as Westfield prevailed in the final set 25-21, to win the match.
The Raiders fall to 6-8 and will travel to Kent Place on Monday. The Blue Devils are now 9-1 and will face North Hunterdon away on Saturday.
“What they have done to grow over the season, it’s not just about wins and losses. It’s about how they grow and change and they’re definitely doing that,” Stack said.
