Copyright The Boston Globe
She led with 15 kills, 11 digs, 3 aces, and a block Saturday as the No. 5 Panthers earned a 3-0 victory over No. 28 Braintree (11-10) at Bellingham High. Scores were 25-16, 25-17, 25-13. Next up: hosting No. 12 Lincoln-Sudbury, date and time TBD. “They’ve proved, the way they play, [a state championship’s] really what they want,” Ridolfi said. “As a coach, you can’t really ask for anything more. They’re putting their actions behind their words every day at practice.” Freshman Phoebe O’Connor (30 assists, 5 digs, 3 aces) and senior Emma Cunningham (12 digs, 5 aces) provided strong passing, and sophomore Emerson Delleo (8 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces, 1 block), Livi Alberti (4 blocks, 2 kills, 3 aces), Gianna Laurello (7 kills, 2 blocks, 5 digs), and Charlotte Yeulenski (4 kills, 2 blocks) controlled play at the net. “The coaching has really helped, because we’ve been able to focus a lot on specific things we never focused on before,” Alberti said. “We all work really hard together and we all are very determined. We have high energy.” The Panthers have had three coaches in as many years. They made a run to the semifinals as the 10 seed in 2023, then fell in the quarterfinals to top-seeded eventual champ Newton North last year as the No. 9. Kuykendall and Alberti remember both. The Panthers (19-2) took their two losses in the first two weeks of the season, to Hockomock League rivals Oliver Ames and Attleboro. An undefeated season was not the goal, though. They kept working. A sweep over Attleboro two weeks ago and a recent scrimmage win against OA demonstrate the progress. After the Braintree win, the Panthers have their eyes on four more. “From the beginning of the year to now, we’ve grown a lot as a team,” said Kuykendall. “We all share a common goal of wanting to make it to the end and getting there together.” Andover 3, Boston Latin 0 — Claire Zhang accounted for 19 service points, with six aces, as the fourth-seeded Golden Warriors (17-4) picked up a first-round win. Jessie Wang led the way with 10 kills and Naomi Vajda, who reached 100 career blocks, added 6 kills, 3 blocks, and 4 aces. Needham 3, Haverhill 0 — Sadie Stants (10 kills, 4 aces), Julia Burns (8 kills), and Bella Lee (27 assists, 5 kills) directed a first-round victory for the No. 10 Rockets (16-2). Westford 3, Natick 0 — Junior Anna Fernandez (10 kills, block, ace) and senior Norah Schweitzer (5 kills, 3 blocks, 6 digs) took charge of evading strong opposing blockers, leading the No. 15 Ghosts (14-5) over No. 18 Natick (9-9) in a first-round sweep, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22. Kaitlyn Pepin added 4 kills, 6 blocks, 4 digs, and 5 aces. “Our defense, back row was really solid,” said coach Brandon Eang. “We tracked the serves pretty decently, got digs, got blocks. Collectively, we played pretty well as a unit.” Westford plays two setters, and each has their own style. Adding that unpredictability, as well as hitting down the line when it was open, helped Westford triumph. The Ghosts travel to defending champion Newton North on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. Round of 16 match. Division 2 State Marblehead 3, Woburn 0 — Eva Burke provided 29 assists and Lila Moniz had a team-leading 11 kills in a first-round victory for the sixth-seeded Magicians (17-2). Sydney Faris notched 13 digs. Reading 3, Amherst-Pelham 0 — Sophomore Mary Furey posted 10 service points, 3 aces, 8 kills, and 3 blocks in a first-round win for the No. 13 Rockets (15-6). Sophomore Victoria Reposa recorded 12 kills and senior Gianna Miceli had 16 assists. Division 3 State Old Rochester 3, Shawsheen 1 — Maya Morrison (37 assists), Piper Newell (4 kills, 4 blocks), and Erin Root (14 kills) powered the No. 5 Bulldogs (17-4) to a first-round win over No. 28 Shawsheen (11-9). Division 4 State East Bridgewater 3, Minuteman 0 — Freshman Elizabeth Willis smacked 10 kills to lead the No. 2 Vikings (20-1) to a first-round win. Division 5 State Whitinsville Christian 3, Charlestown 0 — Senior captain Faith Najem posted 17 service points, 6 aces, and 6 assists in a first-round victory for the No. 5 Crusaders (13-8).
