Westfield’s C.J. McMahon (5) attempts to hit the ball past Holyoke’s Phillips Estrada-Ortiz (8) and the Purple Knights in the Western Massachusetts Division 1 boys’ volleyball tournament quarterfinals. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WESTFIELD – It may be the postseason, but the Westfield High School boys’ volleyball team’s quarterfinal round appeared to be more of a scrimmage.
No. 3 Westfield warmed up for its semifinal bout with a quick 3-0 win over sixth-seeded Holyoke Tuesday night in the Whip City. The Bombers advanced to just its fifth semifinal (2003, ’06, ’08, ’12, ’13) with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-12 victory.
Westfield (15-3), playing some of its best team-oriented volleyball in quite possibly the last decade, came out focused. The Bombers opened with a 7-0 lead in the first game, and breezed to a 10-point margin-of-victory.
In the second game, Holyoke (14-5) managed to stay around a bit but was still no match for Westfield. The Purple Knights actually took the lead early in the third game, leading by as many as three points, 6-3, before the Bombers tied it at 9-all.
Westfield’s Ian Wolski (23 kills, 8 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks) delivered a heart-stopping kill to reclaim the lead, 10-9, for his team. Wolski would add another for a 19-12 lead, another for a 21-12 advantage, and yet another for the game-winner.
“We really pulled through,” Wolski said. “A lot of people stepped up.”
The contributors were aplenty from Westfield.
Manny Golob delivered five kills and four blocks, Andy Jacques collected 40 assists and six digs, and Jared Piubeni had eight kills and three blocks.
“Today was a good start,” Wesfield coach Tyler Wingate said. “We were pretty efficient today. We kept our errors down for the most part. Holyoke is a good defensive team. They gave us some problems. We just had to keep our composure and not do too much.”
The road only gets tougher for Westfield, who will face an even tougher defensive opponent, Ludlow (a 3-1 winner over East Longmeadow), in the next round. The two will square off Thursday in Ludlow, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
“They are a defensive-oriented team with a ton of firepower,” Wingate said of the second-seeded Lions (16-3). “We have to do the little things well, not try to do too much, and keep our errors to a minimum.”
It will be the second straight semifinal appearance for Westfield, the first time that has happened in the program’s history.
“We’re looking to get that breakthrough,” Wingate said.
