With Westlake in the middle of a 4-0 run, senior outside hitter Lily Davis served the ball for the Chaps. After a lengthy point, junior outside hitter Chloe Kelly hit a massive kill, clinching the point and giving them a 24-17 lead in the second set.
Soon after, the Chaps closed out the set 25-20, contributing to a 3-0 sweep of LT.
“I think the pressure was on us,” Davis said. “We came out really well and aggressive, and I think we finished it off really well.”
Westlake (23-15, 4-1 District 26-6A) took down Lake Travis (19-18, 3-3 District 26-6A) in three sets at Al Bennett Court, Tuesday, a night that saw the Chaps complete a program sweep of the Cavs. LT had no breathing room for the entire game, with the Westlake front line overpowering them.
“Our blocking was phenomenal,” head coach Miguel Saenz said. “We had really good timing and a lot of solid touches on the block.”
After the teacher appreciation night festivities, the Chaps got right to work, taking an emphatic lead after the first point. After trading long points, varsity volleyball finally opened up a 9-6 lead, which was quickly erased by the Cavs. The tight set continued, as they were in a stalemate at 16-16. The front line came up big, sparking a 4-0 run that iced the set at 21-16. Westlake finished it off, 25-21.
“We scouted them pretty well,” Saenz said. “We knew what offensive plays they were going to try and run. I thought our front row was fantastic.”
The Cavaliers took their first lead in a set of the match at the beginning of the second frame after a few Chaps mistakes at 6-4. Westlake quickly caught up though, forcing a tie at 6-6 that continued until a 5-0 run that gave them a 15-11 lead.
Lake Travis caught back up with a run of their own to pull back within a point after a missed block by the Chaps. But the Cavs couldn’t sustain it and fell back behind at 20-16. Davis began to take over, serving three-straight points, all of which the Chaps won. A 25-20 win gave the Chaps an opportunity for a sweep.
“I think as a team we need to stay consistent,” Davis said. “We could serve better. We missed a few that game. But I think we are just getting ready for [Dripping Springs].”
The third set was a tightly contested frame, and the Chaps couldn’t gain distance on LT at the beginning. The two teams traded points until the score was 7-7. Kelly hit a huge kill to give them a lead, and they opened up a 16-10 advantage, forcing some LT substitutions. The Cavs rattled off three-straight points, but they couldn’t completely erase the deficit.
“The game appeared close,” Saenz said. “But I think it was really just because of our own mistakes. If we fix our serving and hitting errors, then we can control the match, which is what we did.”
Westlake continued an aggressive onslaught from the front line, taking a 22-15 lead that wound up being insurmountable for the Cavs. After LT took a few match-saving points with the Chaps sitting at 24, a missed serve from Lake Travis sealed the third set and completed another Chaparral sweep.
“That was our whole theme before the game,” Davis said. “We just wanted to crush it and be aggressive.”
The Chaps are sitting at 4-1 and second in the district, behind only Dripping Springs. They take on Akins at home on Oct. 4 in their sixth district game, looking to move into first place.
“We’re still implementing new plays on offense,” Saenz said. “We were able to utilize some new plays today, and I was glad to see them execute. I’d definitely like to see that starting unit get a little bit more cohesive as the season goes on.”
