Westlake girls beaten by Panthers in volleyball

For the first time in his three years as Westlake head girls’ volleyball coach, Doug Magorien lost a Marmonte League match when Newbury Park defeated his Warriors three games to one when the two teams met at Westlake last week.

The Panthers defeated Westlake 25-16, 25-19, 16-25, 25-22. Brynn Cameron led Newbury Park with 18 kills and three blocks, while Brittany Collet had 35 assists. For Westlake, Rachel Smith and Alex Johnson both had 10 kills.

"It feels great," said Newbury Park head coach Jon Roberts. "It’s why you do all this stuff, for basically no pa, and work your butt off and do all the weight training, and all the sprinting and all that stuff—for a moment like this, to beat the defending champion, arguably one of the top teams in CIF."

Libby Hurdelbrink, who came off the bench and helped the Panthers regain control in the fourth game, sparked Newbury Park.

"She made a big difference," Roberts said of Hurdelbrink. "She played great. She was cold when I put her in and she didn’t skip a beat. She controlled the ball real well and she was one of the keys to the match."

Both coaches, Roberts and Magorien, agreed that Newbury Park’s serving made a difference in the match.

"For one reason or another they (Westlake) just didn’t play well the first two games," said Roberts. "I think it had to do—a little bit—with our serving. We served pretty well."

Said Magorien, "We didn’t play well and I think a lot of that had to do with their serving. They did a good job knocking us out of our rhythm. That’s usually what we do to teams—and they did it to us—and we got a dose of our own medicine."

Both coaches also agreed that the Warriors fought back tenaciously in games three and four.

"They were dead in the fourth game and they still found a way to come back," said Roberts. Newbury Park led 22-14 in game four, but Westlake battled back.

Magorien said, "One thing I was happy about is the fact that we didn’t give up in game three and roll over. We kept battling. And then even in game four when we got far behind we kept battling. One point here or there in the fourth game and it’s 23-23. But that’s volleyball and would’ve, should’ve, could’ve."

Cameron said she woke up the morning of the match with a premonition that the Panthers would win. "I woke up this morning and said, ‘Okay, we play Westlake, we’ve never beaten them, it’s my senior year, it’s the last time we’ll be playing at Westlake. We have to do it,’" said Cameron.

Cameron said she expected Westlake to fight back after the first two games. "I knew they were going to come back in the third game and play their hearts out," said Cameron. "I was a little nervous, a little frustrated, but by the fourth game all of us wanted to win so bad that I don’t think anything could have really stopped us."

Newbury Park starters Christian Fick and Christina Bobik were happy with the result.

"It’s been a while since we beat them, so we’ve been waiting for this," said Fick. "I think we’re as high as we can be, since they’re supposed to be the best team in the league. This is like the ultimate win for us."

Said Bobik, "It feels great. Our whole team is so excited. We’re totally pumped. It’s a team-win, definitely."

The two head coaches put the Newbury Park win in perspective.

"I’m a little disappointed, but I think Newbury played well, so you can’t negate the fact that they had a good game and we were off in some areas, and they made us pay the price," said Magorien. "But it’s early in the year. Right now they’re in the driver’s seat.

Said Roberts, "Things are going well for us, but you know the Marmonte League. It’s a tough league. It could all change tomorrow, but right now things are going pretty well."

Newbury Park improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in league with the win over Westlake. The Warriors fell to 5-1, 3-1.