RallyNorth.net

SUDBURY — With North Reading leading 25-24 in the fourth game, every member of its student section was holding up one finger to signify “just one more point.”. Within seconds, those students were storming the court, looking to hug the nearest Hornet player. The defending state champion Hornets defeated Frontier 27-29, 25-19, 25-19, 26-24 in the Division 3 state semifinals. The Hornets (23-1) now move on to the state championship game Saturday against Cinderella Millis (16-8), noon at Hudson High. “The girls played their butts off, from the backline to the front,” said coach Keri Forrest amid a wild celebration between coaches players, parents and students. “It was a little bit of luck but also a lot of hard work.” Frontier took the opening game 29-27 in a back-and-forth battle of the two rivals, who’ve met late in the postseason each of the last four years. The turning point of the match came in Game 2 when North Reading’s Adrianna Doyle came to serve and brought the Hornets back from a 15-12 deficit. Soon it was 20-15 Hornets and they held on 25-19. Doyle provided some fine serves which Frontier had difficulty answering, including two aces. North Reading took the with lead with another 25-19 win in the third game. Elizabeth Sutera, who made several clutch kills, put North Reading in position to serve out the match with a 24-24 tie. Frontier couldn’t return either of Taylor Dyer’s last two serves and that started the wild celebration. With Frontier’s gifted eighth grader Cassidy Stankowski’s wicked jump serve, North Reading knew it wouldn’t be easy. And, of course, it wasn’t as the previously unbeaten Red Hawks, who won Division 3 state titles in 2005 and 2006, battled to the end. “Nichole Cecchini (26 digs) played unbelievable, she wasn’t afraid of anything,’’ beamed Forrest. “We had been working on defending that all week because that (jump serves) is definitely their strength.” Sutera led the Hornets with 11 kills while returning Eagle-Tribune All-Star Alison Friberg led with 28 assists. “I really don’t know what to say, this was just an exciting game,” said Sutera. “Frontier is one of our biggest rivals and it feels great beating them 3-1.”