LUDLOW — Leading by three late in the third set and the momentum shifting toward the other side, Belchertown girls volleyball coach Scott Poulin called a timeout to settle his side down.
It did just that.
The Orioles went on a run and ended the game when senior Cara McKenzie blocked an attempt from Ludlow’s front three. The Lions juggled the ball but were unable to retrieve it out of bounds.
The point gave the Orioles a victory in the third set and a 25-15, 25-16, 25-18 sweep of Ludlow in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Tournament quarterfinal round.
With the victory, the fifth-seeded Orioles (18-4) advanced to the semifinals, where they will face No. 1 Amherst (21-0) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Williston Northampton.
“Motivated is an understatement. They really, really wanted to beat (Ludlow) because we really wanted to play Amherst,” Poulin said. “We lost to them pretty bad in the regular season and we just did not play a good game against them, but ever since then they have picked it up on every level.”
Belchertown won the first set on a series of kills by McKenzie, who used her 6-foot-3 frame to her advantage. She finished with 17 kills, including six in the first set.
“My teammates really helped me,” McKenzie said. “I could not do what I do without them. They’re all amazing. The defense is amazing, my setters are amazing.”
Going into their second match with Amherst, Poulin said the Orioles have a completely different lineup because an injury.
McKenzie is playing all over the floor rather than exclusively as a hitter at the net.
“The big thing going against Amherst this time is that Cara is further up this time,” Poulin said. “Last time we had her in one spot, and now she’s hitting all three spots, and so if they have a weak blocker, we’re just going to shift her over.”
Amherst beat the Orioles 3-0 on Oct 1.
“The girls want to beat them, they want the Western Mass. championship,” Poulin said. “We knew we were going to have to go through Amherst at some point to win it.”