SOUTH DEERFIELD — The Frontier girls volleyball team had to reset after the opening set of its MIAA Div. 4 Round of 16 contest against Rockland on Wednesday. 

The sixth-seeded Redhawks led 21-13 in the opening set but the 11th-seeded Bulldogs didn’t go down that easily, as Rockland scored 13 of the next 16 points to take a 1-0 lead with a 26-24 set win. 

Frontier regrouped, came out and squeaked out a 26-24 win in the second to tie things up before cruising to 25-14 wins in both the third and fourth frames to advance to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory at Goodnow Gymnasium. 

“We have a problem with getting too comfortable,” Redhawks senior Olivia Machon said. “After the first set, it set in that this could be our last game. We have 10 seniors and we were all thinking we might not never play volleyball again. It was do-or-die and we had nothing to lose.

“One of our goals was to make it back to the final four this year,” Machon added. “We’re one step closer.” 

Frontier (16-6) advanced to play on the road against No. 3 Joseph Case — which is coming off a win over No. 14 Sandwich — in the quarterfinals at a date and time to be determined. 

The Redhawks came out like a team on a mission Wednesday, scoring the first five points behind a trio of aces from Ariana Miller and kills from Abigail Hernandez and Greta Hale. 

Hernandez put down a kill to give Frontier its 21-13 lead but Rockland fired back with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 23-22.

“We got a big lead,” Redhawks senior Parrish Stilla said. “Then we just got a bit frazzled but we came back together.” 

Machon scored a point on a tip to go up 24-22 but the Bulldogs (13-9) rattled off the final four points of the set – two of kills from Brianna Quinlan and one off an ace from Chloe Nash – to  earn a 26-24 set win. 

“It sucked to give up that huge  lead,” Frontier coach Courtney Parent said. “Kudos to Rockland. They fought for every last point in that first set and across the whole match. It goes to show you’re never out of it and they deserved that win. I looked at the girls before the second set and told them we could be done tonight or we could turn it back on and play like we know how.” 

Neither team was able to gain any separation in the second set. Machon put down an ace late that gave the Redhawks a 20-17 lead, which was the first and only time either team had a three-point edge the entire set. 

A Hernandez kill tied the score at 23 and after it looked like Rockland scored its 24th point, the referees got together and determined the Bulldogs had four hits, giving the point to Frontier. The Bulldogs followed by tying things at 24 but a Machon block followed by a Redhawk point allowed Frontier to tie things with a 26-24 set two victory. 

“In the second set we came together and started playing as a team,” Hernandez said. 

Frontier pulled ahead 12-6 in the third after a kill and a pair of aces from Hale before a Caitlin Maio kill and a Machon ace put the Redhawks up, 22-10, helping them take a 2-1 lead following the 25-14 set win. 

Frontier kept the pace up in the fourth, with Emilie Candelaria smashing a kill and two aces before Machon put down the final kill of the set to send the Redhawks to the quarterfinals. 

“We talked about Rockland for three days, looking at what they do and spots that are open,” Parent said. “As soon as we started hitting those we felt good and fell in our rhythm.”

Hernandez led the way with 17 kills and nine digs while Maio — getting the starting nod on Wednesday on the outside — tallied 11 kills. 

"She’s been consistent and she’s been hitting the open spots,” Parent said of Maio. “She worked on that cut shot. She earned her spot on the floor tonight.” 

Hale finished with nine kills and two aces, Machon had eight kills, three aces and nine digs, Candelaria finished with five kills and five aces, Stilla tallied 45 assists and three aces while Hannah Davis came up with 13 digs in the victory. 

Div. 5 Round of 16

No. 2 Whitinsville Christian 3, No. 15 Turners 0 — The Thunder made a run to the Div. 5 semifinals a season ago but the Crusaders didn’t allow Turners to spring an upset on Wednesday, as Whitinsville Christian advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory in Whitinsville. 

The Thunder closed their campaign with a 15-7 record. 

Boys soccer

Div. 5 Round of 32

No. 10  Brighton 1, No. 23 Pioneer 0 — The Panthers nearly pulled off the upset on the road, limiting Brighton to just one goal but Pioneer was unable to respond with a goal of its own, falling in the Round of 32 on the road. 

Pioneer closed its season with a 17-2-2 record and having captured a Western Mass. Class D title – the first sectional title in program history.