RallyNorth.net

NORTHBOROUGH - Andover knew what it was up against in Wednesday night's state semifinal.

In its inaugural season in Division 1, Central-West Champion Hopkinton continues to prove it belongs with the state's best. A perennial power, the Hillers had won two of the previous three Division 2 state championships.

HAVERHILL — The end seemed unavoidable for Andover volleyball.

The No. 3 seed Golden Warriors had dropped the first two games of the Division 1 North final to top-seeded Methuen, the second by a decisive 25-16 score.

WINCHESTER - Like clockwork, Andover plays its best volleyball when the calendar switches to November.

When the lights are brightest, the Golden Warriors respond.

That trend continued Tuesday night, when No. 3 Andover took down second-seeded Winchester, 3-1, in the Division 1 North semifinals. The win put the Warriors in the North finals for an incredible ninth consecutive year. 

Methuen's No. 1-seed volleyball team had no problem rolling over Marblehead in the Division 1 North quarterfinals, breezing to a 25-6 win in the first game of a sweep.Abby Sullivan led the way with 22 kills and 12 blocks while Julia McCoy had 14 kills and 10 service points. The rangers will host Central Catholic at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

After taking out No. 5 Masconomet on Thursday, No. 12 Central Catholic volleyball earned another upset victory, 3-0, over No. 4 Woburn in the Division 1 North quarterfinals. Sarah Janco and Katie Kirsch each had eight kills, and Rachel Hyatt had 21 assists.

DERRY — As Nina Berni took her stance, one point away from another state title, the Windham star visualized if the ball came her way.

“I was thinking that if it came to me, I was going to do everything I could because I had to score,” said Berni. “In that moment, I just tied to stay calm and hit it. When it came off my hand, I didn’t know what to think. And when it fell, I didn’t know how to react.”

Andover volleyball swept Lawrence 3-0 in the Division 1 North quarterfinals, winning 25-14, 25-21, 25-22. Sarah Shattuck led the way with nine kills and five blocks, and Alexis Mancha also had nine kills. Andover improves to 17-2 and will be at Winchester in the North semifinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Lawrence got eight kills each from Alondra Davila and Vielka Sanchez and finishes its season at 16-6.

Sisters Laura and Sarah Farnum played key roles in No. 10 North Andover's Division 1 North first round win, 3-0, over Peabody. Sarah, a junior, led the Knights with 26 assists while Laura, a sophomore, had a team-high three aces.

It was a slow start for the Presentation of Mary volleyball squad, losing the first game of its Division 3 North first round to Northeast. But the No. 3 Panthers bounced back thanks to ateam-high 14 kills from Paige Athanasiou, and advanced to the quarters with a 3-1 victory.

Lawrence volleyball left no doubt in its Division 1 North first round matchup against Lynn Classical. Led by 10 kills each from Alondra Davila and Chantel Melgen as well as 17 assists and seven aces from Jasmine Mejia, the No. 6 Lancers throttled their way to a 3-0 sweep to advance to the quarterfinals.

Hallie Dunn had a monster game, leading No. 12 Central Catholic to an upset, 3-0, sweep of No. 5 Masconomet in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament. She had a team-high 15 digs, 13 service points and nine kills in the victory.

DERRY — Windham frontcourt standouts Emily Frank and Taylor Sawyer are tournament tested, so they were confident coming into Wednesday night’s Division 2 volleyball semifinal against Milford.

Taylor Sawyer had 10 kills, 18 service points and four aces, going on a 10-serve streak in the fourth game to help Windham take down John Stark, 3-1, in the Division 2 quarterfinals. The No. 3 Jaguars get No. 2 Milford in the semifinals Wednesday at 5 p.m. from Pinkerton.

Shaina Garcia had 17 service points and eight aces as PMA locked up the Commonwealth Conference small title with a 30-28, 25-17, 25-15 win over Lynn Tech.