Copyright MassLive
SPRINGFIELD — As the ball touched down outside of the playing surface, the Pioneer Valley Christian Academy gymnasium erupted. No. 3 Pioneer Valley Christian Academy clinched a state semifinal berth for the first time in program history as the Eagles took down No. 6 Baystate Academy in five sets in the Division V quarterfinal match. The set scores read 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 23-25 and 15-9. This was already the furthest the Eagles have come in the state tournament, having never made it past the round of 32. The Bulls have had more success in the state tournament, having reached the semifinals in back-to-back seasons. The first set indicated that Friday’s match would be anything but airtight. Brooke Beggs got the Eagles off to a roaring 5-0 start, but service from Zaida Colon pulled Baystate right back into the set, forcing an Eagle timeout. Following the stoppage, the lead would remain within two points until PVCA pulled ahead 18-14. This gap was all the Eagles needed to secure the set. The Bulls used both of their timeouts to try to slow momentum, but to no avail. Baystate jumped out to an early lead to open set two, but PVCA was able to gain ground right away, drawing the set even at 7-7. Gracen Baxter went to work from the service line, quarterbacking a 7-0 run and putting her squad up 14-7. Baystate would claw back to within five points, forcing PVCA to call a timeout, but the Eagles were able to maintain the gap, grabbing the second set and forcing Baystate’s backs against the wall. Now in do-or-die mode, the Bulls knew they had to find their fight. Baystate pulled out to an early lead in set three, forcing PVCA to call an early timeout. Colon’s service would help extend the Bulls’ lead, but the Eagles began to claw back. Up three, Baystate called a timeout to regroup and halt PVCA’s momentum. Following the stoppage, the Eagles would draw within one point, looking to secure the match. But it was the Bulls who were able to extend their lead, thanks to great serves from Arianna Cestary, to eventually secure the set and keep the match going. The fourth set opened airtight, with the largest lead being two points until Baystate’s Kimiko Rivera served up four unanswered points, forcing a PVCA timeout. Following the break, PVCA’s Hannah Smith was able to pull her squad within one with a great run of serves, forcing Baystate to use a timeout of its own. The Bulls were then able to pull out to a narrow two-point margin before the Eagles evened it right back up at 19 all. However, Baystate still found a way to fight ahead by a couple of points to secure the fourth set, and all of the momentum, wiping away any comfort PVCA may have had. “I think we had some communication breakdowns on a couple of things and some serving errors,” Eagles’ coach Bethany Souza said. “But I think that was all mentally.” Having seized all of the momentum, the Bulls jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, forcing Souza to use a timeout and calm her squad down. I started telling the girls to smile," Souza said. “(We have) to just keep it light, loosen it up somehow to take some of that edge off.” The break worked wonders for Souza’s squad and soon matched the set at seven apiece. Then, Sadie Keegan took over. Keegan, who had recorded her 500th career kill on Wednesday, quarterbacked a 7-0 run from the service line to give the Eagles a commanding hold on the fifth and final set. That gap was all PVCA needed to secure the win and the semifinal berth. PVCA opened its tournament with a sweep over No. 30 Georgetown in the round of 32 before sweeping No. 19 Avon Middle/High School in the round of 16. “It’s just so awesome,” said Souza. We’re such a small community and to have so many fans here, supporting us, the boys team, and the younger girls, families, alumni are (all) here. You know, it’s so special." For Baystate, its season comes to a close with an 11-12 overall record. Baystate swept No. 38 Hampden Charter School of Science in their first tournament matchup and took down No. 11 Lee Middle/High School in four sets in the round of 16. In her final match for the Bulls, Colon added 31 kills to her tally, crossing 1,000 career kills. She also added three blocks and two aces on the night. Despite not making it as far as they have the last two seasons, Bulls’ coach Hector Rivera knows this experience was valuable for his team, which is the youngest in the state. “We only have one girl with experience, Zaida Colon,” said Rivera. “The rest of the girls, they’re middle schoolers. So they have zero experience, you know, (but) they certainly have passion for the game, a great heart, and we’re looking forward to next year.” PVCA looks to keep their stellar season rolling as they look forward to a Final Four date with Smith Vocational/Agricultural High School. That match has a date and start time still to be determined.
