SOUTH DEERFIELD — The Frontier volleyball team’s run to another state championship got out to a roaring start.
After earning a bye in the preliminary round, the No. 2 Redhawks squared off with No. 31 Ware in the Round of 32 on Thursday at Goodnow Gymnasium and didn’t give Ware any chance of pulling off an upset.
Frontier came away with 25-5 and 25-10 wins in the opening two sets before clearing its bench and winning the third set, 25-14, to earn a 3-0 sweep to move onto the Round of 16.
“It’s so exciting to win,” Redhawk Aine Carey said. “It doesn’t get old. We all try to keep the same energy every game and get as excited as possible. Every win brings us closer together as a team and closer to our goal of winning states.”
It was a complete team win for Frontier (18-4), with everyone getting in on the action.
Seven different players recorded kills and eight different players had aces as Ware struggled to find answers for the potent Redhawk attack.
“We’re feeling great,” Frontier’s Gabrielle Adams said. “We try to go into the games with confidence. We have the mentality that we have to be ready for whatever’s coming. When we play with energy, we’re a really solid team. Our chemistry is great on the court. For us, it’s finding a rhythm. It’s energy. All our fundamentals and technique, it’s our mindset that’ll get us going.”
Frontier raced out to a 10-2 lead in the opening set behind four kills for Jillian Apanell and a kill and two aces from Lilah Evans. Later in the set, setter Sydney Scanlon went on a run in the service station, serving up eight aces as the Redhawks went ahead, 21-3.
“They tell us where to serve it,” Scanlon said. “As I keep going, I get more momentum and that builds up. My confidence grows as I go.”
Leading 10-7 in the second set, Frontier went on a run with Eve Dougan serving. Dougan had three aces in the stretch to put the Redhawks ahead, 17-7. Apanell had three kills to close out the frame and give Frontier a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Redhawk bench more than held their own in the third set. Leading 15-14, Frontier scored the final 10 points of the set behind four aces from Adams.
Getting to play in a state tournament game proved to be great experience for the younger Redhawk players.
“Getting new people into the game and getting everyone a part of it is exciting,” Carey said. “It was very exciting. To get to play in a state tournament game with the new players, it’s special. If we can go farther, it’ll feel like we all had a part in it.”
Apanell led the way with 11 kills and three aces. Scanlon had 10 aces to go along with 12 assists, Dougan put down four aces, Adams recorded five aces, Carey dished seven assists and Caroline Deane smacked six kills in the victory.
Frontier will face No. 15 Georgetown in the Round of 16 at Goodnow Gymnasium. The Royals are coming off a 3-0 win against Academy of Notre Dame in the Round of 32, but being from Eastern Mass. they share no common opponents with the Redhawks.
Coming off a Western Mass. title, Frontier is prepared to face anyone.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time and see how it goes,” Scanlon said. “We’ll go in and do our best and figure it out as we go.”