Bulldogs Down Saxons in Four Games

Westfield’s Kelsey Maloney and Sammy Spees Lead Young Bulldogs to Victory Over Langley in Showdown of Northern Region’s Elite

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

Westfield, the two-time defending Northern Region volleyball champions, had to replace five starters off last year’s title-winning team. Not an easy task, by any means, but one that the Bulldogs suddenly seem to have a very good grasp on.

And if Monday night’s 25-18, 25-23, 13-25, 25-23 victory over Langley was indication — other teams around the region had better take notice, too.

“That was really exciting because Langley and Centreville are probably
our two biggest games this year,” said Westfield senior middle blocker Kelsey Maloney,
whose team will visit the Wildcats on Thursday. “So for everyone to
come out and play their hardest and do their jobs, it means a lot.
We’re still a young, inexperienced team. But we wanted this one.”

The Bulldogs, led by Maloney (17 kills, 12 digs) and junior outside hitter Sammy Spees
(match-high 20 kills, 11 digs), outplayed the visiting Saxons in nearly
every area. They served with more consistency, provided much more
resistance in serve-receive, made less mental errors and finished plays
with authority.

But it was Langley’s lack of energy — even in a third game in which they dominated on the scoreboard — that troubled coach Susan Shifflett most.

“We didn’t get in a rhythm all night long,” said Shifflett, whose team
is ranked an area-best No. 5 by The Washington Post. “I felt like we
didn’t have any energy on the court. We were just dead, and I don’t
know how you don’t have energy when you’re coming into this stadim and
you know you’re playing Westfield. And that’s what we talked about in
our huddle after the match was over.

“Even in that third game
that we won and beat them [handily] we still didn’t have any energy. So
we’ve got to figure that out, that’s for sure.”

With the win Westfield improved to 9-3 overall this season and snapped
Langley’s seven-match win streak. The Saxons, the area’s top-ranked
team at No. 5 by the Washington Post, fell to 7-3 overall.

Westfield junior middle Kelly Murray (14) and junior setter Kat Lanigan (9) go up for a block against Langley.

“We’re still a pretty new team, so we’re still getting to know each other,” Spees said. “But we’re gaining confidence, and that’s huge. We can beat teams if we put our minds and hearts to it.”

Langley jumped to an early, four-point lead in the first game, but
that’s when Spees took over. The hard-hitting, right-hander scored on
three consecutive possessions from the left side, first going
cross-court and then down the line before catching the Saxons
off-balance with a well-placed tip over the hands of two blockers to
give Westfield its first lead of the game, 9-8.

The Bulldogs did not trail again the remainder of the first game.

“She
chooses her shots very well … when to hit the line and when to
cross,” Shifflett said of Spees. “She reads blocks well, and she has a
very fast arm swing. We’ve seen harder hitters … but Sammy played us
a little smarter tonight. We’ve got to figure out how to block her.”

After falling again in the second game Langley rallied in the third, using seven straight service points by senior Rebecca Lee
to jump to a big 16-4 lead. But Westfield regained control in the
fourth, holding off a furious run by the Saxons that tied the score at
21 to take the lead for good on a hard middle hit by junior Kelly Murray.

In addition to Maloney and Spees, Westfield junior setter Kat Lanigan totaled 41 assists and 10 digs for the Bulldogs, while junior Julie Stevener added 10 digs and sophomore Emma Stewart totaled six kills.

“We have so many players that can really play multiple positions,”
said the 6-feet-3-inch Maloney, who has been invited to walk-on at
national powerhouse Wisconsin next season but has not yet committed.
“So that’s a nice advantage for us.”

Langley was paced by Lee (seven aces), senior setter Megan Shifflett (33 assists), junior outside hitter Logan Sebastian (team-high 13 kills) and senior middle blocker Lisa Scott (12 kills).

“You’d like to think, ‘Well, Logan’s back in for the first time after a
week so maybe out chemistry was out-of-whack,’ ” Susan Shifflett said.
“But Westfield just beat us. I told the girls they’ve got to start
coming to practice — and leaving practice — better than they were
when they walked through the door. I think they’ve been kind of
coasting here.

Westfield junior outside hitter Sammy Spees (12) led the Bulldogs with a match-high 20 kills and 11 digs.

“I told them, if this turns out at the end of the season that we win districts and we win regions then we’ll look back and call this a really good loss. But right now, it [stinks].”

*Photos courtesy of Sue Spencer of Perfect Shot Photos. Perfect Shot is accepting limited shooting assignments for the Fall to make sure all who want pictures are covered. For more information, please go to http://web.mac.com/perfectshot.

** To see complete highlights from Monday’s match, as well as a video interview with Westfield Coach Jim Bour, click on the “Volleyball” sports central
link at the top of the home page.