Local roundup: Frontier girls volleyball falls to Joseph Case MIAA Div. 4 quarterfinals

Frontier’s Olivia Machon (21) serves against South Hadley earlier this season at Goodnow Gymnasium in South Deerfield.

Frontier’s Olivia Machon (21) serves against South Hadley earlier this season at Goodnow Gymnasium in South Deerfield. PHOTO BY DAN LITTLE

Staff Reports

Published: 11-08-2024 8:40 PM

Modified: 11-08-2024 11:27 PM


Tensions were high, the crowd was loud and both teams were scrambling proficiently in a wild opening set during Friday’s MIAA Division 4 Girls Volleyball quarterfinal match between No. 6 Frontier and No. 3 Joseph Case.

Neither team backed down as action went in extra time, with both squads looking to make their mark early. The host Cardinals held on however, taking the early momentum and not giving it back. Case ultimately notched a 3-0 sweep, advancing to the Final Four in Swansea.

Set scores were 29-27, 25-20, 25-13.

Frontier finished it season 16-7 overall, while Case (20-5) advanced to play No. 2 Ipswich in the state semifinals.

“I am sad that our season has to come to an end but these girls fought hard for every last point tonight,” Redhawks coach Courtney Parent said. “They left it all on the floor and I couldn’t be more proud of how hard we fought tonight and all season.”

It was a whopper of an opening set between the two well-acquainted rivals, which have played numerous times in the state tournament over the past two decades. Frontier trailed 22-20 before Greta Hale and Abigail Hernandez came through with back-to-back kills to pull even.

Case had several set point opportunities but the Redhawks scrambled well, using two kills from Olivia Machon in crunch time to stay alive. Machon’s kill tied the set at 27-27, but Case answered with a kill and took advantage of a Frontier hitting error to survive for a 29-27 victory.

After the tight opening-set win, Case jumped ahead quickly in the second frame to build a 13-6 advantage. That lead grew to 20-10, and it appeared as though the Cardinals were going to cruise to a commanding win. Frontier rallied however, winning 10 of the next 14 points to get within 24-20 on a Hernandez kill. But Case closed the door from there, putting down a kill on game point for a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 set lead.

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The third set was tied 10-10 before Case ripped off nine straight points to snag control, ultimately finishing off the sweep via a 25-13 win.

Hernandez finished with nine kills and 11 digs, Caitlin Maio put down eight kills, Greta Hale had six kills and two aces, Machon recorded four kills, three aces and 13 digs, Parrish Stilla dished 27 assists while Hannah Davis made 25 digs for the Redhawks. 

Football

Frontier 38, Pathfinder 13 — Garrett Dredge ran in a pair of touchdowns while Collin West caught a 40-yard touchdown reception from Ben Caron in the Redhawks’ victory in South Deerfield Friday. 

Caron added a pick six and hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Kaden James. Brady Poreda closed out the scoring with a pick six for Frontier. 

Colleges

Field hockey

Racquel Provost and the Assumption University field hockey team will play for the Northeast-10 championship for the second year in a row on Sunday. 

Provost — who attended Greenfield High School and Northfield Mount Hermon — and the Greyhounds have had a stellar season, going 17-3 and knocking off Bentley, 3-2, in overtime of the Northeast-10 semifinals on Thursday to reach the championship game. There, Assumption faces Saint Anselm College, with the game set for 1 p.m. on Sunday at Brian Kelly Stadium in Worcester.

Saint Anselm knocked off the Greyhounds in the finals a season ago. The winner will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division 2 tournament.

Provost, a sophomore defender, started every game for Assumption this season, playing every minute of all but two games. 

Bowling

Here are the high scores from the Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley this past week: 

Sunday Scotch Doubles - High Single- Scott Schneider & Kendall Schneider 119; High Triple- Nick Brown & Robby Wood 328.

Monday Mixed League – Women’s High Single- Marilyn Wilson 99; Women’s High Triple- Marilyn Wilson 286; Men’s High Single- Paul Cohen 141; Men’s High Triple- Paul Cohen 370.

Tuesday Mixed League – Women’s High Single- Andrea Newland 102; Women’s High Triple- Nancy Purington 260; Men’s High Single- Chris Lafreniere 127; Men’s High Triple- Robby Wood 311.

Wednesday Mixed League- Women’s High Single- Marilyn  Wilson 112; Women’s High Triple- Marilyn Wilson 302; Men’s High Single- David Livingstone 111; Men’s High Triple- Erich Price 287.

Thursday Mixed League- Women’s High Single- Josh Slysz 115; Women’s High Triple- Josh Slysz 318; Men’s High Single- Colleen Barrows 104; Men’s High Triple- Colleen Barrows 278.