Westfield’s Drew Majka, rear, spikes the ball as Minnechaug’s Christopher Spock, foreground left, and Mitchell Keegan, foreground right, set for the double block during last night’s game in Westfield. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – Wow!
That is all high school boys’ volleyball fans could utter after Westfield staged an improbable comeback against visiting Minnechaug Friday night.
Westfield not only recovered from a 2-sets-to-1 deficit but rallied from the jaws of defeat – the Bombers were one match point away from losing in the fourth set (down 24-23) – reeling off three straight points and capturing the final two sets for a 26-24, 13-25, 18-25, 26-24, 15-10 victory.
“Last year, when we lost a set against a great team, we never came back,” said Ian Wolski, who led Westfield with 15 kills. “This year we never give up. We kept up our excitement throughout the match. Once we got past the fourth set, we knew we were not losing in the fifth.”
Both teams held the lead throughout the fourth set, a set which featured nine ties.
Minnechaug’s Zackery Poremba (17 kills) delivered some wicked strikes to keep his team poised, but Westfield’s middle men – especially John Bucko and Justin Hebert – made some key blocks. The Bombers’ big men up front appeared to intimidate the opposition late, forcing the Falcons to touch the net and make key mistakes late.
Westfield scored the last two points of the fourth set to advance to the deciding frame.
In the fifth set, Minnechaug held a three-point lead twice at 4-1 and 6-3 before Westfield rallied, tying the game 6-6 with an ace from Ivan Zuev (25 digs). The teams were quickly tied again at 7-all before the Bombers went on a 3-0 run to take a 10-7 lead.
Minnechaug fought back, pulling to within one twice 10-9 and 11-10 before Wolski took over spiking the ball on the final three plays.
“When it came down to it, we settled down and made the plays,” Westfield coach Tyler Wingate said. “I couldn’t be happier with the effort.”
Wingate said Patrick Wroth was a sparkplug off the bench, providing crucial minutes, huge bursts of energy, and a key block.
