YARMOUTH — The York volleyball team lost starting setter Chloe Slovenski to a turned knee in the first set of its Class B semifinal Wednesday against Yarmouth. After readjusting through two sets, the Wildcats stormed back in the third.
But in the end, Yarmouth’s height and power gave the No. 1 Clippers the advantage.
Big blocks by Yarmouth’s Dorcas Bolese and Leila Tati-Dambou and a timely kill by freshman Grace Keaney enabled Yarmouth to finish off a 25-11, 25-11, 26-24 victory.
The Clippers started four underclassmen but have height at the net, with 6-foot middle hitter Bolese and the 6-1 Keaney. They will be attempting to win their seventh Class B title in 11 postseasons on Friday when they face Gardiner.
Yarmouth Coach Jim Senecal said it was important that his team came out strong in the first set to set the tone and not allow a different outcome than the two regular-season matches against York that Yarmouth won 3-0.
“Sophomore Laila Brewer was huge. She had a long service run in the first set,” Senecal said.
Brewer won eight service points right at the time Slovenski went out, turning a one-point lead into a 19-10 advantage, and York never got closer.
In the second set, it was much of the same, as Yarmouth jumped to a 10-4 early lead that grew to 20-10.
York Coach Suzanne Bradley said when Slovenski went out, it took the Clippers two sets to reorient themselves with a new setter. But she was proud of their run in the third set.
“We had Maya Babcock, who is a freshman, come in for Chloe, but they found their chemistry in the third set.
“Obviously, Yarmouth is a great team and they played smart,” Bradley said.
In the third set, York’s Brooke Roe had big kills to help lift the Wildcats to a 5-3 early lead.
Yarmouth’s Annie Vinnakota answered with two flying kills to tie it at 7-7. Yarmouth held the lead with another kill from Vinnakota, a block from Grace Keaney and two kills and a huge block from Bolese to move ahead 20-14.
But York proved relentless, as Ella Moon helped win three service points and Lauren Chagnon contributed four service points to get the Wildcats within one, 24-23.
The teams then traded points. In the end, a Bolese kill was blocked by York’s Roe but flew out to give Yarmouth the point and a 26-24 margin in the third set.
“I’m proud of the girls. It’s one of the youngest teams we’ve had in a while. But we have five seniors who provided leadership,” Senecal said.
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