WESTFIELD – Whether or not this is the year that the Westfield High School girls volleyball team finally makes the move into the ranks of the upper echelon teams in Western Mass., only time will tell.
Win or lose, one thing is for sure, Westfield will continue to be led by one of the region’s most successful coaches, Tyler Wingate.
Westfield’s outside hitter Olivia Hadla lines up the ball to hit a down-the-line kill against Chicopee Comp in a high school girls volleyball game Wednesday on the road. (Photo by Bill Deren)
Wingate, who was last seen by many leading the boys team to its second consecutive state championship and fourth straight Western Mass. title in the spring, returned the girls’ program to relevance last season. The Lady Bombers, despite going 7-12, qualified for the postseason with four straight Western Division wins before posting a sweeping victory of Chicopee in the West Division 2 opening round. They fell to Longmeadow in the quarterfinals.
Westfield continues to build momentum in 2018. The Bombers are off to a blazing start, starting 3-1.
Westfield’s latest victory came Wednesday night, a 25-22, 25-20, 25-23 sweep of Chicopee Comprehensive. Bombers’ Emily Gelinas racked up 20 assists, Tetyana Shvyryd delivered six kills and one ace, Olivia Hadla contributed seven kills and one ace, Steph Sgueglia finished with 10 digs and three aces, Maia Kelso fired up four kills and two aces, and Madison Robitaille had five kills and one ace.
It was Westfield’s second straight Western Division win to start the season. The Bombers will attempt to extend its good fortune Tuesday at Minnechaug in Wilbraham at 6 p.m.
Rams silence Smith
Southwick def. Smith Voke 25-15, 25-16, 25-9
Allie Methe landed three kills, five aces, five digs and one assist, Vicky Burkovskiy and Megan Hoxha smashed five kills apiece and Kaitlyn Haseltine delivered one kill, three aces, and five assists for Southwick in a 3-0 rout of Smith Voke.
GIRLS SOCCER
Tigers tie ‘Cats
Westfield Technical Academy 2, Sci-Tech 2
Angelica Chepurin scored two goals and the Westfield Technical Academy Tigers tied the Sci-Tech Cybercats at Berte Field in Springfield.
Jess Bush and Aubrey Bryant had one assist apiece for Westfield Tech. Tigers goalie Brooke Thompson made two saves.
Westfield Tech outshot Sci-Tech 12-4.
“My girls did an amazing job keeping the ball at Sci-Tech’s end of the field,” Westfield Tech coach Lyle Washington said.
