EASTHAMTPON — Energy levels dipped low for the Easthampton volleyball team during the third set against Franklin Tech on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Eagles were trying to put away the No. 7 seed in the Western Massachusetts Class B quarterfinals, but the Eagles from Turners Falls wouldn’t go away.
Like she has her whole career, Easthampton senior libero Skylar Raskevitz played spark plug. She dove for loose balls like a cat spooked by a cucumber and inspired the host Eagles to finish a 3-0 sweep and advance to the Western Massachusetts semifinals for the first time in more than a decade. They’ll host No. 3 Southwick in the semifinals Thursday after the Rams took down No. 6 Taconic.
“I finally said we need to stop talking about having more energy and we need to get more energy. Who’s going to walk the talk?” Easthampton coach Molly Jacobson said. “Good old reliable Skylar, stepped it up and picked up some amazing balls that would have been down on any other team. She gets us going every time we need to get going.”
Raskevitz pulled up 26 digs to go along with five aces and two kills. She doesn’t know how to play any other way than all out.
“I’ve been doing that since seventh grade. When I started, that’s just how I was, I was everywhere, I wasn’t afraid to throw myself on the ground,” Raskevitz said. “I think you could call that instinct.”
Easthampton (13-4) trailed 10-8 in the potentially decisive third set before Raskevitz started seeking floor burns. She kept points alive that gave the Eagles a 15-14 lead then blasted an ace for a 16-14 advantage.
Franklin Tech wouldn’t go away, though. The seventh seed hung around and eventually pushed the set to extra points by taking a 25-24 lead and setting up set point. Easthampton stabilized and finished the set 28-26 with a block.
“The fact that we figured out how to win and finished that third set, I mean it took us a few extra points to do it, but that’s what’s gonna make a better tournament team,” Jacobson said. “That’s why we won. We can figure those things out.”
Easthampton won the second set 25-18 and cruised 25-9 in the first set. The Eagles only had one service error in the opening frame.
“There were so many serves they couldn’t even touch of ours,” Jacobson said.
Kaelin Damon led the Eagles with four kills, while Delima Fournier had 17 assists with six digs and three kills. Rina Damon had four aces, eight digs and two kills.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.