CUMBERLAND – Greely High, the seven-time defending state champion, dropped the first game to Yarmouth before rallying for a four-game victory Wednesday night in a Class A volleyball quarterfinal.
The fourth-seeded Rangers (10-5) lost the first game 25-20 to the fifth-ranked Clippers (7-8), then won the next three, 25-18, 25-15 and 25-15.
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Greely will play at top-ranked Biddeford in the semifinals Saturday.
The turning point came early in the second game after Yarmouth made it 2-2 on an Abbie Hutchinson winner. A kill by Sara Warnock put the Rangers up 3-2, and they weren’t even tied in the last three games.
“That first game, it was like we weren’t even here,” said Warnock, “and you can’t do that in the playoffs. But we started to play our game and stop standing around flat-footed. We just started working harder and calling out. Our communication got so much better, and that’s something we’re always striving for.”
Another winner by Warnock, a pair of kills by Emily Sampson and a strong serve by Haleigh Roach gave Greely an 8-4 lead. After winners from Emily Clark and Barley Sheehan pulled Yarmouth within 12-10, a Warnock block, Danielle Cimino serve and Maggie Bradley kill made it 15-10.
After tying the match at one game each, the Rangers took control early in the third with a pair of well-placed winners from Warnock and a Bradley kill, leading a 4-0 charge.
The Clippers closed the gap to 4-3 behind Hutchinson, but Bradley (a kill and serve) and Warnock scored the next three points, and a Sampson kill made it 8-3.
“We knew we could come back,” said Bradley. “We were a little tense and nervous at the beginning, but the coaches just told us to relax and take a chill pill, and we started to settle down.”
Yarmouth hung tough, an emphatic slam from Hutchinson sparking a three-point run that cut the lead to 14-12, but four players produced winners as Greely answered with the next five points, a nifty dig from Roach helping the Rangers to a 19-12 lead.
After scoring five of the last six points to finish off the third game, Greely opened an 11-2 lead in the fourth.
The Clippers scored the next four points to close to 11-6, but the Rangers responded with a 4-2 run behind Cimino and Ellie Weichert for a 15-8 lead.
“We got off to a real good start,” said Yarmouth Coach Jim Senecal, “and a lot of times the early momentum can make a big difference. But give credit to Greely; they made some adjustments and our passing wasn’t as crisp.”
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