AGAWAM — Tuesday night wasn’t just a normal matchup for Westfield and Agawam boys volleyball.
When walking into Agawam High School, the name ‘Justin’ was plastered everywhere, and most players and staff members were wearing shirts with the last name ‘Lingenberg’ on the back.
This was for Justin Lingenberg, an Agawam student who lost his battle with cancer on July 29, 2019. Lingenberg was a 2019 graduate, playing for both Agawam and Westfield.
Lingenberg’s family started the Justin Lingenberg Foundation Memorial Fund during his fight with cancer to help with the costs. After he passed away, they continued it in his memory.
Now, every year when Westfield and Agawam matchup, the teams have a night for him to fundraise for the family’s memorial fund.
“It adds so much emotional weight to [the game],” Agawam coach Kevin Pender said. “Having both of our teams played with Justin, coached him, it’s so much extra emotional weight even more than senior night because we’re playing for something bigger than us.”
On Tuesday, Agawam came out with the win over Westfield, sweeping the Bombers in three sets.
While preparing for Westfield on Monday, the team had to share the Agawam gym with other sports teams due to the rain. Then, going into the game, Agawam lost one of its starters, leaving other underclassmen to step up.
Sophomore Jacob Nesen was the one who stepped up to the occasion. Nesen totaled two assists and five digs.
“[Nesen] is not one of our normal starters,” Pender said. “He blocked [on Tuesday] so well and really rose to the occasion and opportunity, and he stepped up big for us.”
Joe Culhane was also a standout for Agawam, totaling 12 kills and six digs through the three sets.
The first set was taken by Agawam, 25-19, taking a big lead in the set early. Westfield tried to claw back, getting the set to 15-12.
Notably, it seemed as though the ball was going to go out of bounds, giving Agawam a point, but Westfield’s Nolan Rodgers had other plans. The senior ran to the back of the court and hit the ball back into play with his back facing the net. The play led to Westfield earning a point.
The second set was a different story, as the Bombers got out to a hot start. Despite a lead in the set, a Tim Karcha kill tied the set 5-5.
After Agawam tied the set, the team took a lead, but Westfield didn’t back down. The Bombers’ blocks helped them keep the set close. Errors hurt Westfield, though, giving Agawam another 25-19 win.
“It’s getting back to what we do best,” Pender said about winning the second set. “We have to be a good serving team, and I think we did that pretty well. We didn’t serve great in the first set. We blocked pretty efficiently and we put some pressure on them to make plays. We were pretty lucky they made some errors that helped open the gap.”
To close out, Agawam grabbed a big lead in the third set and never turned back, winning 25-16.
Agawam improved to 16-1 with the victory and will travel to West Springfield next on Thursday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the Bombers dropped to 11-3 and will look to bounce back against Minnechaug on the same date at 6:15 p.m.
