On Tuesday, September 26th, the Lady Warrior volleyball team faced a tough Berlin Brothersvalley ICC foe. Berlin entered the game undefeated, with a record of 11-0. The top-ranked Warrior volleyball team knew that they were going to get their best challenge of the regular season.

In the first set, it was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. West Branch had many struggles serving, though, which ultimately led to the Lady Mountaineers pulling away with the first game 25-20. 

The second set started looking disastrous for the Lady Warriors, falling behind Berlin early. West Branch gave Berlin a run for their money but ultimately came back but still dropped the set 25-23. 

In the huddle between the second and third sets, Coach Terry Trude had some decisions to make regarding lineups and substitutions. He ultimately decided to keep it the same since the team had started to get into a better rhythm at the end of the second game. 

The decision was the right one, as West Branch was off to a hot start in the third set. Although still struggling with serving, the blocking from Katrina Cowder and Makaiya Mack improved and led to a third-set victory, forcing a fourth set. 

In the fourth set, the Lady Warriors returned to their usual ways, crushing the Mounties 25-14. This forced a fifth and final set. The final set was a battle, but West Branch pulled away, handing Berlin their first loss of the season. 

Many of the players were happy about the win but, most importantly, thankful for the lessons that the game taught. Senior libero Shianna Hoover spoke about her perseverance during the game. She stated, “When I got on the bench after a rough outing, Coach Peterson told me that making mistakes is part of the game. She told me to have confidence in myself, and it helped me to better myself by the end of the night. After dropping the first two sets, our team was still confident about winning because we had the same situation last year against Homer-Center.”

The team then traveled to Curwensville on Thursday, September 28th. The Lady Warriors swept the Tide to finish their week, improving their record to 18-1-1. 

This week, West Branch will face Williamsburg and Juniata Valley on Tuesday and Thursday. Both games will be away at 7 p.m.