WORCESTER — After a one-year respite, Frontier Regional found itself in a very familiar position Saturday afternoon.
The Red Hawks volleyball team captured their ninth state title in program history, sweeping Bourne High School in convincing fashion, 25-11, 25-21, 25-15, in the MIAA Division 3 championship match at Worcester State University.
The state title was the seventh in the last eight years for Frontier (17-6). The lone blemish came in last year’s title match against Joseph Case.
“I just can’t say enough about these four seniors,” Frontier coach Sean MacDonald said of Ella Deane, Selayna Bathurst, Grace Randall and Brianna Thurber. “To have them try and live up to the name on the back of their shirt is really hard. It’s probably an unfair burden to have to live up to. I’m really happy that their last high school game ended this way.”
Bathurst amassed 11 kills and nine digs in her last Frontier match.
“It’s really overwhelming,” she said. “I was not expecting to come here and win in three (sets).”
Deane dished out 28 assists to go with three aces. The senior setter closed out her career with a state championship for the first time as a starter.
“It’s just amazing to get to play with such great athletes and women on this team,” Deane said.
The challenge on Saturday was a new one for Frontier. Bourne (25-3), champions of the South sectional, was playing in its first state final since 2009. It was the first meeting between the two programs.
Bourne was led by 6-foot-3 opposite hitter Emma Fenton, who was an imposing presence at the net, especially on the defensive end.
“We had a lot of film on them and focused on (Fenton). We did a great job defensively against her,” Deane said. “Everyone was making great passes. I barely had to move to get to the ball as a setter.”
Although Fenton unleashed a few kills early in the match, the Frontier defense did a nice job scrambling to keep points alive.
“They’re a good team,” MacDonald said. “Emma, she poses some challenges just trying to hit around her. They’ve got some nice pieces. We knew they were going to be tough. It went a little smoother than I thought it would. I didn’t expect a sweep.”
Frontier got off to a strong start, building an 11-5 lead on a service run from Deane. Plenty of miscues from Bourne kept things early, though Frontier received late kills from Hailey Orloski and Lauren Davenport. The Canalmen put the ball into the net on game point, and the Red Hawks took a commanding 25-11 win to set the tone.
It was a much different story in the second frame. Frontier committed its share of errors that led to an 18-14 Bourne advantage.
“We made a few errors in the second set, missed some serves and had some hitting errors,” MacDonald said.
Undaunted, the Hawks rallied when it mattered most. Bathurst put down a pair of kills late, while a service run from Randall (three aces) enabled Frontier to close the stanza on an 11-3 run. Bourne was whistled for a net violation on set point, and the Red Hawks closed out a 25-21 victory to put them in the driver’s seat with a commanding 2-0 advantage.
“When we came back from that four-point hole and won, it was like, ‘OK, we can win this thing,’” Bathurst said.
That momentum carried into the third set. With Bathurst at the line, Frontier stormed out to a quick 9-3 lead. Davenport and Ashley Telega keyed the run offensively with two kills each.
Bourne got on track, rallying within 12-11 on a Kameryn McAnaugh kill, but the Canalmen never pulled even in the set.
Randall smoked another ace to extend the advantage to 16-11, and minutes later, Sarah Zoly (nine digs) continued the run at the service line in helping Frontier to a 21-12 lead.
With the score 22-15, Bourne committed three consecutive errors to close things out. The final one came with Frontier’s Reilly Isler at the service line, and the Red Hawks captured the 25-15 win to secure the 3-0 sweep and a ninth state championship.
“Just about everybody on the floor had a good game,” MacDonald said. “They serve tough. We knew if we could pass, then we were going to be in it.”
Davenport, the star of the team’s state semifinal win over Notre Dame, led the offensive effort with 13 kills to go with three aces. Telega chipped in seven kills in a strong effort over the middle, while Thurber had a team-high 10 digs in the back row.
“We were really focused on our defense,” Bathurst said. “We made a point of going for every ball no matter how far away you are.”
Frontier improved to 9-2 all-time in state-championship matches. The Red Hawks won all five of their postseason contests (three in the sectional tournament, two in the state tourney) via 3-0 sweeps.
“I get old, but this doesn’t get old,” MacDonald said. “I get to see the joy in the players. That’s the best part for me.”