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VOLLEYBALL 2020
Westies fall to East Haven
Efforts of Lopez not enough in 3-0 loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 22, 2020) - The West Haven volleyball team lost its fifth consecutive match, dropping a 3-0 decision at East Haven Thursday evening. With the 12-25, 21-25, 15-25 loss, West Haven fell to 1-7 on the year.
“We are really struggling as a team,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “No matter how hard we are working in practice, communication and trust are still a major issue. If we can't dig deep and do what we need to do in our last 4 games, we will keep having the same results.”
Savannah Lopez led the Westies with nine digs and six assists. Anh Nguyen had six digs, Lexi Prion had five digs, Asia Ford had four kills, and Dulcemaria Castillo added three digs.
Skid Over
5-match streak ends with win over Whitney Tech
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 26, 2020) - The West Haven volleyball team snapped its five-match losing streak with a 3-0 victory over Whitney Tech Monday evening in Hamden. The Westies won by scores of 25-16, 25-18, and 25-7.
“Everyone really stepped and played well tonight,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “Communication was significantly better, so a lot of other things fell into place. Neve (Krajcir) had a great game. Mckayla (Fowler), Tanasia (Fidalgo) and Asia (Ford) played very well tonight and are really stepping up and playing smart varsity level volleyball. I hope we can keep things moving in a positive direction.”
Neve Krajcir led West Haven with eight aces, eight kills, and five digs. Savannah Lopez ran the offense with 19 assists, and added five aces, Tanasia Fidalgo had seven kills and three aces, Asia Ford added four aces and four kills, while Mckayla Fowler had three aces, three kills, and three digs.
Guilford blanks Westies
Team effort falls short in 3-0 loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 30, 2020) - Looking to build after snapping a five-match losing streak, the West Haven volleyball team rain into a tough Guilford squad Thursday evening. While the final score showed Guilford winning 3-0, there were plenty of positives to be seen all around.
“Although we lost, we played better and I saw more communication and energy then I've seen in a couple of weeks, West Haven coach Kate Coldren said following her team’s 25-12, 25-14, 25-16 defeat. “It was really good to see and I'm hopeful that we will keep this level of play going and finish this season strong.”
Asia Ford (23) with a serve against Guilford, October 30, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Savannah Lopez led the way for West Haven with seven assists, five digs, and two kills. Lexi Prion and Anh Nguyen each had five digs, Neve Krajcir added four digs and four kills, Asia Ford had four aces and three kills, Anaelecea Turcio had four digs, and Mckayla Fowler chipped in four kills and two digs.
“Defensively, we were solid, but we struggled to transfer that into points,” Coldren said. “Lexi (Prion) and Anaelecea (Turcio) played very well and worked hard on serve receive and defense. I'm beyond proud of the entire team's effort tonight.”
Tough Hand
Efforts of Lopez, Krajcir not enough in 3-0 loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(November 2, 2020) - The West Haven volleyball team dropped its second straight match and fell to 2-9 with a 3-0 loss at Hand of Madison Monday evening. The Westies fell by scores of 26-24, 25-15, and 25-15.
“Tonight was tough,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “We struggled to hit at times. We struggled to pass at times, and we just couldn't put it all together.”
Savannah Lopez ran the offense with 13 assists and also had six digs on defense. Neve Krajcir was solid all around as she finished with eight digs, six aces, and five kills. Asia Ford added four kills and three digs, Mckayla Fowler and Anh Nguyen each had four digs, Dulcemaria Castillo had three digs, and Tanasia Fidalgo chipped in three kills in the loss.“Neve (Krajcir) and Savannah (Lopez) both played very well tonight,” Coldren said. “Neve served tough and was able to find the holes in Hand's defense. Savannah's setting and defense was on point. I know this season has been tough for them, but they are continuing to work hard and lead this team all the way to the end.”
End of the Road
Regular season ends with 3-0 loss to Lauralton Hall
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(November 5, 2020) - The West Haven girls volleyball team closed the regular season with a 3-0 loss to Lauralton Hall at West Haven High Thursday evening. With the 25-13, 25-15, 25-17 defeat, West Haven ends the season with a 2-10 record, including three straight losses to close the campaign.
West Haven celebrates a point against Lauralton Hall, November 5, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“We really need to play more consistent volleyball,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “It doesn't matter who we are playing. We have to be focused and confident from beginning to end. We are way too quick to get down on ourselves when mistakes are made. We have to move past them, but also fix them. We are young and it's a learning process that they have to commit to in order to be a positive and effective teammate.”
West Haven sets the offense against Lauralton Hall, November 5, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Asia Ford led the way for West Haven as she had seven digs defensively. Sophomore Jenna Johnson had five assists and two kills offensively, and four digs on the defensive side, while Dulcemaria Castillo added four digs. The Westies played without four starters who were in quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Season Ender
Branford tops WH in SCC Opening round
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(November 9, 2020) - The season has come to a close for the West Haven volleyball team. Hosting fifth-seeded Branford, the fourth-seeded Westies fell to the Hornets 17-25, 17-25, 25-21, 12-25 at West Haven High last Monday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 2-11 on the year.
“This season has been a wild ride,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “Although we didn't end up exactly where we hoped, I have to give all the girls a lot of credit for showing up every single day and jumping through the hoops that were required to make sure we had a season. There were a lot of times where it really wasn't easy, but they did what they had to do.”
West Haven fell to Branford in the SCC tournament, November 9, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
The Westies again had to play without several key players who were forced to quarantine. With the veterans out of play, Coldren had a chance to see her younger group in action.
“These last two games have been difficult to say the least, with so many players being forced to quarantine,” Coldren said. “We made changes and adjustments and everyone just rolled with it. I can't thank my assistant coaches enough for the time they put into making this season work, especially Kara (Erickson). She did an amazing job in her first season. I also need to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the seniors, Neve (Krajcir), Savannah (Lopez), Lexi (Prion), and Anh (Nguyen). They have worked so hard and accomplished a lot over the past four years. Their presence was missed these last couple of games and it will most certainly be missed next year.”Taylor Alfano led the defense for West Haven with 12 digs, while Asia Ford, Dulcemaria Castillo and Branyelis Brito each had five digs, Jenna Johnson had four digs, and Tanasia Fidalgo added four blocks and four kills. Johnson also had five assists in the loss.
Hamden tops Westies in Opener
West Haven falls 3-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 2, 2020) - The West Haven volleyball team opened the 2020 season with a contest against Hamden. While the game would usually be a big one because of the rivalry, this contest signified the start of high school play once again after the pause due to COVID-19 restrictions.
With play starting, the Westies did not get off to the start they would have liked in a 14-25, 25-19, 22-25, 12-25 loss to the Green Dragons.
"It was a tough loss for our season opener," West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. "We have a lot of new players on varsity this season, so we're still getting used to each other and trusting each other on the court. I believe that our nerves got the best of us and we were very sloppy at times. When we settled down a bit and got our skills in order, we looked very good. There needs to be constant communication and support throughout the match. We have to work through mistakes and all the growing pains of this crazy season and we will do very well."
Savannah Lopez led West Haven with 10 assists and seven digs, while Neve Krajcir had 12 digs and five kills. Lexi Prion added nine digs, and Tanasia Fidalgo had three kills and three blocks.
"Savannah (Lopez), Neve (Krajcir) and Lexi (Prion) all played well," Coldren said. "Lexi and Neve did a great job on defense and Savannah has become a consistent all-around player and a fantastic setter."
East beats West
Westies fall to East Haven 3-2
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 3, 2020) - The West Haven girls volleyball team fell to 0-2 with a 3-2 loss against East Haven Saturday afternoon. In the first regular season contest at the new West Haven gym, the Westies fell 23-25, 27-25, 25-23, 22-25, and 4-15.
Neve Krajcir (6) prepares to set the offense against East Haven, October 3, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
"I saw tremendous improvement today," West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. "We were very evenly matched with East Haven and it was a great match. We were definitely more settled and we were able to get our offense going. We then struggled with serve receive in the fifth game."
Savannah Lopez led West Haven with 11 assists, eight digs, six aces, and four kills. Dulcemaria Castillo had nine digs, Neve Krajcir had seven digs, four kills, and three aces, while Lexi Prion had four aces and four digs. Asia Ford had six kills and Anaelecea Turcio had six digs.
"Savannah (Lopez) had another good game today and made really great choices on offense," Coldren said. "Asia (Ford) played very well in the front row and is going to be a force at the net this season."
First of the Season
Westies top Whitney Tech 3-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 5, 2020) - The West Haven volleyball team is in the win column. After falling just short in the first two matches of the season, the Westies rebounded to pick up their first victory with a 23-25, 25-8, 25-17, 25-13 victory over Whitney Tech Monday evening at West Haven High.
Tanasia Fidalgo (4) was strong at the net for West Haven against Whitney Tech, October 5, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“It was a nice win tonight,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “We got off to a rocky start, but we pushed through and got back on track. It was a solid team effort and we did a great job on both sides of the ball.”
Savannah Lopez ran the West Haven offense with 27 assists, while adding six aces, five kills, and three digs. Neve Krajcir also had a strong contest with 12 digs and seven kills. Asia Ford added eight kills, Tanasia Fidalgo had seven kills, Lexi Prion had seven digs, Mckayla Fowler chipped in five kills, and Anaelecea Turcio added four aces and two digs in a complete team effort.“Asia (Ford), Neve (Krajcir) and Tanasia (Fidalgo) were solid at the net, and Lexi (Prion) and Neve were very consistent in the back row,” Coldren said. “We had a few too many unforced errors, but we're moving in the right direction and improving every day.”
Guilford blanks Westies
WH falls to 1-3 with 3-0 loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 8, 2020) - The West Haven girls volleyball team fell to 1-3 on the season with a 25-12, 25-8, 25-16 loss at Guilford Thursday afternoon.
Anaelecea Turcio (1) makes a play earlier in the season for West Haven. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“Honestly, the score doesn't reflect the improvements that this team has made,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “We worked extremely hard on defense and served aggressively. We had trouble getting our offense into a rhythm. We played more relaxed and confident than we have all season and we are starting to trust each other and get used to playing together.”
Savannah Lopez led the Westies with 10 digs and eight assists. Lexi Prion played well defensively with six digs, Dulcemaria Castillo had three aces and three digs, while Neve Krajcir had four digs and two kills, and Asia Ford added four kills.“Savannah (Lopez) and Lexi (Prion) played great on defense and when we could get the ball to Asia (Ford) in the middle, it was a kill every time,” Coldren said.
Upper Hand
Tigers top WH 3-2 in thriller
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 12, 2020) - The West Haven volleyball team fell to 1-4 with a hard-fought 3-2 loss against Hand-Madison at West Haven High. The second straight loss for the Westies came by scores of 25-17, 14-25, 16-25, 25-22, 12-15.
Dulcemaria Castillo (31) against Hand, October 12, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“As tough as tonight's loss was, we have a lot to be proud of,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “I'm seeing huge improvements in everything this team is doing. I've seen tremendous improvements in skills, confidence, and positive attitudes. Tonight, it just came down to mental errors. We were ahead in the fifth game and we let up and started to panic when we made mistakes.”
Senior Savannah Lopez led the team with 18 assists, six aces, and four kills on offense, while adding five digs on defense. Neve Krajcir played well with nine kills, four aces, and three digs, Tanasia Fidalgo had five kills and three blocks. Mckayla Fowler added five kills and four aces, and Dulcemaria Castillo, Lexi Prion and Anaelecea Turcio each added three digs. Asia Ford finished with three aces and three kills.
“Savannah (Lopez) and Neve (Krajcir) carried the team tonight,” Coldren said. “Both had all-around great games. Mckayla (Fowler) also had a great game. She served tough and had some really smart plays in the front row. We need to stay on this path of improvement and get ready for Lauralton on Thursday.”
Lauralton Hall tops Westies
WH falls to 1-5 with loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 15, 2020) - The West Haven girls volleyball team fell to 1-5 with its third straight loss, a 3-1 decision at Lauralton Hall Thursday evening. The Westies fell by scores of 21-25, 19-25, 25-23, 18-25.
“We played very inconsistent volleyball tonight,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “We couldn't get into any kind of rhythm at all. We fell behind two games and even though we fought back to win the third game, we just couldn't hold it all together.”
Savannah Lopez ran the offense with 26 assists, with three aces and two kills. Neve Krajcir finished with 14 digs, nine kills, and four aces, Mckayla Fowler had eight kills and four aces, Tanasia Fidalgo added seven kills, Asia Ford had five kills, and Lexi Prion had four digs in the loss.
“Mckayla (Fowler) had a good game tonight,” Coldren said. “She is steadily improving in the front row and made some really smart plays. Neve (Krajcir) also had a good game on both offense and defense. The second half of our season starts next week, and we need to regroup and keep working hard so we can improve our record.”
Hamden sweeps Westies
Krajcir, Lopez lead the way despite loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 19, 2020) - The West Haven girls volleyball team dropped its fourth straight match and fell to 1-6 on the year with a 3-0 loss against Hamden Monday evening. The Westies fell 22-25, 18-25, 17-25 at West Haven High.
West Haven fell to Hamden, October 19, 2020. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“It just wasn't our best volleyball tonight,” West Haven coach Kate Coldren said. “We didn't seem ready for the game at all. We were a step behind every ball on defense and serve receive, and never made any adjustments. We are very capable, and we just haven't clicked as a team yet.”
While the Westies battled, it was not enough in each game. Neve Krajcir played well for the Westies defensively with 16 digs, while adding three aces and three kills offensively. Savannah Lopez had seven assists and five digs, Asia Ford had four aces and four kills, Mckayla Fowler added four kills, and Lexi Prion had three digs in the loss.“Asia (Ford) and Mckayla (Fowler) are really starting to step up on offense and are playing very smart volleyball right now,” Coldren said. “I am still hopeful that we can turn things around and end the season on a positive note, but we are going to have to make the commitment and work hard to make it happen.”
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