Wildcats defeat Barons, improve to 5-1

Joshua Singer, Print Editor-in-Chief • April 15, 2024

Senior Peter Hristov serves on for set point against B-CC. The Wildcats ended up winning the set 27-25. “We just kept our energy calm and collected. We didn’t get too rowdy. We wanted to stay as calm as possible and make sure their attacks weren’t bringing us down,” senior captain Victor Goerlitz said.

The Wildcats secured a 3-1 victory over the B-CC Barons (2-3) and improved to 5-1 on the season on Friday, April 12. All four sets were close with the largest margin of victory being 25-17 in favor of B-CC in the second set.

The first set was back and forth with each team going on multiple short runs before tying the score at 20. The Barons proceeded to miss four straight shots allowing the Wildcats to take a 24-20 lead before the Barons were able to win a point. The Barons then missed their serve as the Wildcats took the first set. In the second set, the Barons were dominant as they took the lead early and held it throughout the set.

“A lot of coaches say that you have to have a short memory and it’s all about that. No matter what happens … you just keep going,” junior captain Noah Rosner said.

Senior captain Victor Goerlitz took over getting kill after kill and serving two aces before winning the set for the Wildcats 29-27.

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“Honestly, I think consistency was the key to winning tonight. I think I [was just] a consistent hitter tonight. I was keeping the ball in. I was lifting up the spirits of my teammates and keeping the energy up, and I think that’s what really let us win tonight,” Goerlitz said.

Junior Noah Schiffgens prepares to serve against the B-CC Barons on Friday, April 12. The Wildcats defeated the Barons in four sets. (Joshua Singer)

The fourth set went back and forth as well with Goerlitz and Rosner keeping the Wildcats in the game both offensively and defensively. Similar to the third set, the fourth ended in a win-by-two situation with junior Ravi Zutshi finishing the Barons on a final spike to win the set 27-25.

“I got injured during the game so I was really tired, but I feel like since I really didn’t feel like I was playing well, I needed to put all my energy into that one hit,” Zutshi said.

The win capped off a 3-0 week for WJ beating Sherwood (1-4) and Quince Orchard (0-6) on Monday and Wednesday respectively. This week the Cats face a tough slate as they play Rockville (5-1) on Monday, April 15, Churchill (5-0) on Wednesday, April 17 and Whitman (4-1) on Friday, April 19.

“Each game we are getting better as a team. We keep improving. We keep trusting each other more, and as the weeks go by, I think we are going to be able to put these teams down [more easily],” Goerlitz said.

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About the Contributor

Joshua Singer, Print Editor-in-Chief

Senior Joshua Singer is elated to be returning as Print Editor-in-Chief in his fourth year on The Pitch. Josh began his career with The Pitch during the second semester of his freshman year as a staff writer before becoming Print Sports Editor his sophomore year and Print Editor-in-Chief his junior year. Josh generally writes for the sports and news sections and has covered topics ranging from WJ's gender distribution in AP classes to school safety issues to profiles on athletes and coaches. As a junior, Josh co-created The Pitch Radio Network, which broadcasts WJ sports live at wjpitch.mixlr.com. This past summer, Josh attended the Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute where he enhanced his journalistic skills with the goals of making his senior year his best yet and furthering his career aspirations in journalism. During his free time, Josh enjoys running, playing guitar and announcing sports.