Eight teams. Three group games. A Final Championship match. All packed into one day. This is the Webb Tournament, and Westridge Varsity Volleyball has just won it for the second time in two years. 

Every year, the Webb Schools in Claremont, California invites a series of teams from similar Divisions to sign up and compete in a varsity girls volleyball tournament. Upon entering the tournament, the Tigers were sitting at a 0.500 winning percentage — meaning at that point in the season, they had won exactly half of their league games. For the tournament, they set a goal to win more games to surpass their “half win, half loss” status. 

Although the Tigers competed in the Webb Tournament last year, the tournament increased its difficulty this year, meaning that the Tigers would have to adapt to the new competitive landscape. Last year the Tigers went against Divisions 6-8, significantly below their Division 3 status. But this time, the team went against schools in Division 4-6, so they were better matched against their competitors.

Not only did the Tigers have to adapt to this challenge, the tournament was also a test on the team’s mental fortitude. Sophomore Amelia H. had to wake up at 5 am in order to fit in the nearly one hour-long drive to arrive at 6:30 am to the tournament. “I think that’s definitely one of the challenges,” said Amelia “But that adrenaline of wanting to play definitely woke me up.”

The team would play three group games against various teams in the tournament, and the number of wins from these three games would determine whether they could advance to the final. The team played their first game at 7 am, winning two out of three sets with scores of 25-2 and 25-5 against Cristo Rey Orange County High School. The Tigers cruised through both matches, dominating the second match against Perris High School winning two sets with a score of 25-15 and 25-7 and beating the hosts, Webb Schools, 25-23 and 25-9. 

The Tigers never lost a set in the entire tournament, often winning sets by over 10 to 20 points. One of the most prominent moments of the tournament was when Lucia F.-R. ‘26 scored a jaw-dropping 14 aces in their first game against Cristo Rey Orange County High School. “We played really good volleyball,” said Coach Jenna Wong, Head Coach of varsity volleyball. “It’s nice to see the fruits of our labor.” With three wins under their belt, the Tigers qualified to the final.  

The team’s endurance approached its limits in the championship game against Viewpoint High School. “We started that game off pretty close,” said Coach Jenna. “Both teams were making a lot of errors because we were both really tired.” 

Amelia, as a younger player on the team, said that it took a lot of encouragement from older, experienced players to help the team stay in the zone. She said, “[The Upperclassmen] were bringing so much energy…the whole time. Everyone felt that energy, everyone felt that positivity, and so we took care of our game because of the words they were speaking.”

Senior Isabel D.-L., one of the captains of the varsity volleyball team, made sure to support her teammates, especially in the final minutes of the tournament. “As someone who people see as the leader, I focus on bringing people together and making sure we all have the same goal. For that to happen, we all have to be on the same page with goals for that game and talking about what we [notice] on the court,” she said. 

During the first set of the final matchup, the Tigers had a close game, with each team right on each other’s toes. During the same set, Bennett T. ’28 helped the team regain their momentum by making two successful jump serves. As a result, they ended their first set with a nail-biting score of 26-24, which motivated them to clear the next set with a score of 25-16. Having won two out of the three sets, the Tigers got their hands on the coveted trophy for the second year in a row. “It feels really great, especially because we won last year, back to back,” said Isabel. “As a senior, it’s nostalgic, because it’s my last year. I’m really happy that we got to have that win and work for it.”

Coach Jenna was proud of the team for maintaining their mental toughness, and hopes that the Tigers can continue this winning streak in the future Webb tournaments. “It felt good to go back and win again, because we easily could have just let that tiredness get to us. I’m really proud as a coach of the fact that our captains and our team did not let that happen,” she said.

Listed below are the full scores (out of three sets) from the tournament: 

Westridge v. Cristo Rey: 25-2, 25-5

Westridge v. Perris: 25-15, 25-7

Westridge v. Webb: 25-23, 25-9

Westridge v. Viewpoint: 26-24, 25-16