CAPE ELIZABETH — Cape Elizabeth defeated Yarmouth in three games Saturday in a Class A playoff battle between 2014 volleyball state champions.

The top-seeded Capers (13-2) advance to the semifinals Wednesday to face No. 5 Scarborough. Yarmouth, which won the Class B state title last year and moved up to Class A this season, finishes at 11-5.

The Capers, led by their senior core of Tess Haller, Maddie Bowe, and Lydia Brenneman, began the match strong and never looked back.

“We did really well, we came out hot in our first set,” co-captain Haller said.

“We were really ready for this game. We’ve been preparing all year for this playoff push.”

Cape Elizabeth began the first game with swift and forceful attacks by Haller and Bowe, anchored by the consistent play of sophomore setter Maggie Dadmun.

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“The beauty is (the seniors) have been playing together for four years,” Cape Coach Sarah Boeckel said. “They’re fighters, they’re athletes, and they’re going to do what ever they need to do to make it happen.”

The Capers never trailed in the first set and won 25-14.

Back-to-back kills by Monika Scheindel gave the Capers a quick lead to begin the second game, but Yarmouth fought back with blocks by senior Heather Clark and three kills by junior Alison Clark as the Clippers took an 11-10 lead.

Cape Elizabeth fought back with consecutive aces by Scheindel to reclaim the lead. With a 24-23 lead, a rotation error by Yarmouth clinched the game for the Capers.

Yarmouth built a 5-2 lead in the third game, thanks to a pair of blocks by senior Morgan Hamre, who also contributed two aces in the final game.

But the Capers came back quickly, with four kills by Haller and a mix of errors by the Clippers. Cape Elizabeth reclaimed the lead and never relinquished it, winning 25-19 to close out the match.

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Boeckel liked what she saw from her team.

“This team is the easiest team ever to coach,” Boeckel said. “They are all on the same page, they all want the same thing. I couldn’t ask for more.”

The Capers move on, having established themselves as the team to beat in this year’s Class A playoffs.

“We have really good team chemistry, and we use that to our advantage,” Haller said. “We have a really good dynamic together, and we’re all best friends.”


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