By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor
WESTWOOD, Mass – Newton South, the No. 16 seed, put together an improbable run to the Final Four, including a win over the tournament’s top seed Chelmsford in the Sweet Sixteen. The Lions went into Wednesday night’s state semifinal at Westwood High looking to complete their magical postseason with a trip to the program’s first final.
Instead, the clock struck midnight on this season’s Cinderella.
Franklin continued to roll, earning a dominant, 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) victory. It was Franklin’s 17th straight win, with 15 of them being sweeps (including all four postseason matches). The Panthers fulfilled their preseason goal of reaching the program’s first state title game in style and will face perennial power Newton North in the final.
“We’re so excited,” said Franklin senior hitter Makayla Kuykendall. “Our goal wasn’t just to win the league but it was to win it all. [Coach Ridolfi] asked us what we wanted to get from this season and we said, a state championship. We’re so lucky and grateful to have this privilege to play.”
“We were cleaning the closet,” first-year Franklin coach Chris Ridolfi explained, “way before preseason and Mak and Liv said they wanted to be in the state final. So, we’ve coached them that way the whole year and they’ve taken me on the ride.”
Each of the three sets started close until Franklin put together a run to open up a cushion. Once the Panthers got onto the front foot, it was hard for Newton South to keep up.
Leading 8-6 in the first, senior Olivia Alberti (nine kills, three digs, and six blocks) found the court with a deft tip and freshman setter Phoebe O’Connor (31 assists, two aces, and 10 digs) had a huge block to open up a four-point edge. The Lions halved the deficit but Franklin won eight of the next 11 points to pull away.
Alberti’s control of the net in the middle was key to Franklin’s success early on. She came up with a huge block and followed it with a kill and a tip that dropped just inside the line. Alberti added an ace to push the lead to six (15-9).
“The whole year, she’s been that way,” Ridolfi said of Alberti. “She’s fast off her feet, she’s strong at the net, she can just change a game that way. We count on her to do that for us.”
Kuykendall (15 kills, 12 digs, two aces, and two blocks) rolled a shot down the line for a point, the Panthers had multiple blocks during a long rally that ended in a Newton South hitting error, and junior Gianna Laurello (five kills, two aces, and five digs) smacked one off the block to give Franklin a commanding 18-11 lead.
Senior libero Emma Cunningham (three aces and 22 digs) fired in an ace and Alberti followed with another block. Cunningham again picked out the perfect spot with serve to the back corner for a second ace to keep the Panthers in charge. Newton South cut the lead down to seven, but sophomore Emerson Delleo (nine kills, three aces, and 15 digs) drilled the ball down the middle and Laurello’s serve clipped the top of the net for a set-clinching ace.
The second set didn’t start all that well for either team, as a series of service errors kept it close through the early stages. With the set level at 9-9, Franklin went on one of its standard runs to break things open. This time, the Panthers won nine of 11 points and 16 of the final 20 points in the second.
“We talk to them a lot about game plan and approach,” Ridolfi said. “We game plan and they have to execute, but our approach is we find a spot in the game where we can separate ourselves and play with the lead. Through the tournament, that’s what we’ve been able to do.”
Kuykendall got things started with a pair of kills and sophomore middle Charlotte Yeulenski stuffed a shot for a point. O’Connor hit a laser serve that couldn’t be handled cleanly, Laurello scored off the block, and Kuykendall added an ace to make it 15-10. After Annabel Kohler got one back for the Lions, Delleo closed out a rally with a shot inside the back line and Kuykendall scored with a swing from the back row.
Newton South was reeling and, after a shot into the net, Delleo’s powerful swing scored a point and Laurello added an ace. Alberti came back with an accurate tip and she and O’Connor combined to smother a shot at the net. O’Connor would add a second block two points later and Delleo’s ace delivered the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
“I’ve been in those shoes as a freshman,” Kuykendall, a four-year starter, responded when asked about helping the team’s talented younger players thrive in the tournament atmosphere. “I know how they feel, I know where they’re coming from. Obviously in these games, there’s a lot of stress, a lot of pressure, so I think it’s good to remind them that we’re all in this together.”
Ridolfi praised his seniors, particularly Kuykendall, Alberti, and Cunningham, for being the foundation for the team’s run. He said, “The team as a whole is a mature team. Those three are exceptional leaders. So, you have a mature team willing to follow and you have three great leaders willing to lead, it makes for a good combination.”
The Lions started the final set well, leading 5-2 early to give their fans a little hope, but Franklin chipped away and grabbed the lead at 10-9. Alberti’s block and a roll shot from Kuykendall but the Panthers up 15-11 and starting to feel like the final was in their grasp.
Newton South tried to push back and closed the gap to three, but Franklin went on a 3-0 run that gave it a more comfortable advantage. Kuykendall ended Newton South’s mini-comeback with a blast and then she finished off a rally with a shot that dropped inside the back line. A block from Yeulenski made it 19-13.
Sofia Hellstrom tried to keep the Lions alive with a nice tip and a big swing on the outside, but the Panthers continued to close down the angles with their block and keep everything alive along the back row.
Two shots into the net gave them match point and a final swing that went long sealed Franklin’s place in the final. Franklin (22-2) will now face three-time defending state champ Newton North at Billerica High on Saturday. As Ridolfi noted, “Might as well play the best.”
“It’s a big task ahead of us,” he added. “We have two days to get ready. I know they’re up for the challenge, so we’ll do what we can do.”
