CUMBERLAND — Greely topped Falmouth 3-1 in their Class A volleyball semifinal match Wednesday night behind strong blocking, and powerful hitting from Molly Chapin and Kayley Cimino.

After losing the first set 25-16 – beaten in a set for just the second time this season – the Rangers dominated the rest of the match, winning the next three sets, 25-12, 25-16 and 25-14.

Top-ranked Greely (16-0) will seek its ninth state championship but first since 2012 when it meets second-seeded Scarborough (16-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Gorham High.

Greely Coach Kelvin Hasch said his team had jitters at the start but gave a total effort the rest of the way.

“If we play like that Friday, we’ll be fine,” Hasch said.

Fourth-seeded Falmouth (13-4) came out aggressively in the first set, taking a 19-13 lead off middle hitter Alison Noyes’ blocks and two kills. Middle hitter Alston Armstrong and outside hitter Madi Tait also two kills apiece in the first half of the set.

Falmouth extended the lead to 23-13 with an ace and a kill from outside hitter Malia White, and kills from Tait and outside hitter Victoria Burton.

“We were super pumped in the first set. We practiced before the game so we were focused on what we had to do,” said Falmouth Coach Molly Northway.

“But Kayley Cimino was an absolute powerhouse. We really struggled with our blocks. And our passing fell apart.”

While Greely came out off balance in the first set, it was completely in sync the rest of the way with big blocks that kept Falmouth on its heels and making errors.

Greely led the entire second and fourth sets, and Falmouth never led by more than three points in the third. Chapin had nine kills and Cimino added five, including on the match-winning point.

“We got really down on ourselves but Molly Chapin told us after the first set, they still have to win two more sets,” Cimino said.

In the second set, Greely took an 11-3 lead largely off Falmouth mistakes. Then, after the teams traded points, Chapin added two kills within three points to make it 15-7, and Greely had its confidence back. Cimino jumped in with her first kill of the set and a huge tip-in as Greely extended the lead to 23-10 on its way to the 25-12 win.

In the third set, Chapin was largely responsible for pushing the Rangers’ lead from 11-8 to 17-10 off three kills and a tip-in.

In the fourth set, Greely’s energy never wavered. It led by as much as 15 points and had the set almost won at 23-8.

But four Greely errors allowed Falmouth to pull within 24-14 before Cimino scored the final point.

“They had a lot of energy in the first set. We were a little timid,” said Chapin. “Coach told us to stay together, stay positive.”

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