The Wolverines were all over the floor of the Fredonia High School gym on Wednesday night, relying on dig after dig to pull away from Fredonia to take three of the four sets in a non-league victory, 25-18; 25-14; 21-25; and 25-14.

“Westfield did a very good job of covering the floor. There were not very many spots open,” said Fredonia head coach Amanda Krakowiak. “… They played a very good, solid defense.”

Westfield (1-0) jumped ahead early, with a 9-1 run in the opening set to force a timeout by Fredonia (0-1) with the score 11-3 in favor of the visitors.

The Wolverines’ lead in the opening set was cut to as little as two points at 18-16, but Westfield responded with seven of the final nine points for a 25-18 victory of the season’s first set.

Fredonia’s Maddie Saunders (1) and Katherine Fortna (3) rise to contest at the net during Wednesday’s non-league volleyball match with the Westfield Wolverines at Fredonia High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

“The first game, everyone is knocking off a lot of rust,” said Wolverines head coach Greg Birner. “It was a good back and forth for both teams.”

The second set began very evenly matched, as the first 12 points were split evenly at six apiece. But from then on, the Wolverines caught fire.

Westfield ran away with the second set until Fredonia put up a fight with just one point left to go for the Wolverines. Westfield led by as much as 24-10, with 18 of 22 points since the 6-6 split. Fredonia strung together four straight points before Westfield’s final tally of the set.

Although Fredonia trailed 2-0 through the season’s first two sets, the momentum of the very end of the second set carried over into the third set. Once again, the first 12 points were split evenly at six apiece. Westfield pulled ahead by two points, 9-7, on an ace from Sydney Hotchkiss, but Fredonia responded right back with four straight points for its own two point lead.

Facing defeat, Fredonia battled the entire third set, with neither side pulling ahead by more than four points at any time in the set. Down 21-18, Fredonia knew it needed to rally to force a fourth set, and the Hillbillies did just that. Seven straight points went in Fredonia’s favor, as the Wolverines were held at 21 the rest of the set as the Hillbillies notched their first victorious set of the season.

Westfield’s Tanleigh Bestine (6) prepares to set the ball during Wednesday’s match against Fredonia. Bestine had 19 assists in the Westfield victory. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

“I was very proud of the girls for fighting back and not giving up,” said Krakowiak. “When it came down to that tight moment at the end, we got to the serving line and we were down — Westfield had 21 and I said to the girls ‘don’t let them get any more points’ and they didn’t.”

That response gave Krakowiak hope that this year’s team will continue to grow even beyond what it showed last year as a young team adjusting to varsity competition.

“I was really proud of them, because that was something in past years we’ve struggled with — pushing through those tight times. … That was a huge sign of growth that I saw from the girls as we’re going into this new season. I was very excited for that,” Krakowiak said.

But just as Fredonia answered as it felt the contest slipping away, Westfield did so even more emphatically in the fourth set of the match. Westfield jumped ahead with the first five points of the fourth set, then extended its lead to 12-4, prompting a Fredonia timeout. While the contest was quite even the rest of the set, every time Fredonia tried to make up ground to get back in the match, Westfield’s defense held strong and kept its clear advantage. The Wolverines never trailed in the final set, and the visitors celebrated as a Fredonia serve went long for the final point of the contest.

“I’m pleased, but there’s plenty to work on for the season to get better,” Birner said after the victory. “Better passing, better hitting, lots to work on – but that’s what these first games are all about.”

Westfield was led by Keara Kincaid with 17 digs, 12 kills, and 7 aces. Tanleigh Bestine racked up a team-high 19 assists, along with 7 digs, 3 kills, and 2 aces.

“They have been working for five years together,” Birner said, noting the two seniors have been teammates since Westfield brought varsity volleyball back to the district.

“That’s the combination, we call it feeding the beast,” Birner said. “… They came on when we brought the program back to Westfield. They were eighth graders, and they stood out in the gym right away that they were going to be starting back then.”

Wolverines Sectional champion softball standouts Eva Gnadzinski and Sydney Hotchkiss also combined for a total of 14 digs.

“When they can get 14 digs, that really helps the team out,” Birner said.

Charly Mathews added 6 kills and 2 blocks in her Westfield varsity volleyball debut, replacing multi-sport star Haleigh Dellow in the lineup.

Fredonia’s statistical standouts in the season opener were Elizabeth Morris with 8 kills, 6 digs, and 2 aces; Maddie Saunders with 10 assists, 4 kills, and an ace; and Lydia LaBarr with 7 digs and 5 kills.

Both teams continue CCAA volleyball action next week. The two teams are scheduled to meet again on Oct. 13 in Westfield.