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Jaguars back in finals

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.

Even though they had split with Milford in the regular season, and both teams were an identical 15-2, they liked their chances.

But Sawyer, a multi-talented junior, did have one concern.

“I was a little nervous because some of the girls hadn’t been in a big game like this before,” said Sawyer, a three-year starter and a key player on last year’s state championship team.

As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about. The newcomers, like sophomore libero Nikki Batson, were up to the task as the Jaguars swept their way to a 28-26, 26-24, 25-13 victory. They advance to Saturday’s 5 p.m. finals here at Pinkerton Academy against surprising Portsmouth, the No. 5 seed with a 16-3 record.

Still, it was Frank and Sawyer — both three-year starters — who led the way.

Frank had one of her best performances of the season with 12 kills, 4 blocks and 2 aces while Sawyer finished with 11 kills and was reliable with her defense and passing.

Moreover, both were at their best in the challenging first two games, both of which featured Windham comebacks.

Sawyer was at her best in the first game, finishing with five kills as Windham fought back from a 15-10 deficit while Frank was immense in the second game with 5 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces.

“Emily Frank played great but I think she has played great all season,” said Windham coach Jill Bartlett. “I think we had great passing, getting it to the right people, and we were aggressive when we needed to be.”

Perhaps worn out both mentally and physically, Milford was no match for the Jaguars in the decisive third game, which featured four kills by Nina Berni and some excellent serving, especially by Julia Carey. Taylor Dufield led for the night in both total service points (10) and assists (27).

Batson, meanwhile, finished with 18 digs and played what both Bartlett and assistant John Vaughn felt was her best match of the season.

“She is rising to the challenge and playing beyond her years,” said Bartlett.

Frank, a captain who was a reserve as a freshman on Windham’s first state championship squad, will now be looking for her third state title in four years.

“I’m so excited to be here again,” said the 5-foot-10 Frank. “I’m no stranger to it, but it’s still so exciting.”

Added Sawyer: “We’re confident going in and even more excited than last year.”

In the regular season, Windham swept Portsmouth, which defeated No. 1 seed Gilford 3-1 in the other semifinal Wednesday night. But that was way back on Sept. 11.