Knights oust Panthers, 3-2, in D-III quarterfinals

Johnston Sun Rise ·

No. 3 Central erased a 2-1 deficit on Tuesday evening, winning the fourth and fifth sets to down No. 2 Johnston, 3-2, in the Division III volleyball quarterfinals.

After the Knights dominated the first set, cruising to a 25-8 victory behind big hitting from Oribel Pujols and superb serving from Laisa Baez, Johnston settled in and the nerves vanished.

The Panthers went on to take the second and third sets by respective scores of 25-23 and 25-18.

Central would battle back, however. It fought off Johnston for a 25-19 victory in set No. 4, before taking an early lead in the fifth and final set en route to a 15-9, match-clinching win.

Although Johnston couldn’t hang on, Head Coach Greta Lalli was proud of her team. It certainly took strides this season, securing a No. 2 seed with a largely inexperienced roster.

“I am very proud of the team,” Lalli said. “None of them had stepped on a varsity court before and we made it to the playoffs. I couldn’t be more honored to have them as athletes. They were very coachable, and because of that, that’s how they got so far. They fought until the end and never gave up, so I’m very proud of them.”

After dropping the first set, the Panthers raced out to an early lead in set No. 2, taking a 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of aces from Sophia DaCosta. Central’s Ana Estevez recorded back-to-back kills to tie the score at 12, but the Panthers would put together another run shortly after.

A pair of blocks from Gabby DiRaimo pushed the Johnston advantage out to 22-14, and a Central hitting error would spoil its comeback bid in the set as the Panthers tied the match at 1.

And Johnston kept that momentum rolling into the third set.

Alyssa Johnson’s three aces gave the Panthers an 8-4 advantage in the early stages of that third set. Serving continued to be a strength, as well, when Lauren Messa toed the line shortly after and led the Panthers on a 5-0 run to push them in front, 16-9.

A block at the net from Benedetta Viti and a kill from DaCosta helped Johnston close out the third set with a 25-18 win.

Johnston stood just one set victory away from securing a spot in the semifinals but, unfortunately, the Panthers struggled from there.

The Panthers had a short-lived lead at 9-8 after a Viti kill in the fourth set, before Central took over. It produced a 14-5 run to take a 22-14 lead. The Panthers made a push at the end, but the Knights were able to hold them off, getting a kill from Estevez to secure a 25-19 win and force a fifth set.

Pujols started the decisive set off with a kill, and Tatiana Hall’s three aces shortly after sparked a 4-0 run to give Central a 5-0 cushion.

Johnston kept it close, cutting Central’s lead to 10-7, but it couldn’t get any closer than that.

Evianely Geraldino delivered the decisive kill, putting the match away with a 15-9 victory.

With the win, Central advanced to the semifinals, where it is scheduled to meet No. 1 Rogers this evening.

As for Johnston, its success this season was certainly encouraging with a young lineup. This taste of playoff action should only benefit the program in the next couple of years.

“I can’t wait for next year, and the year after that is going to be something to see,” Lalli said. “They’re already phenomenal, but they’re going to be the team. They’re going to be the team to beat for sure.”