Hollis Brookline girls volleyball rallies to beat Merrimack, reach D1 final (video)

DERRY - There's was only one thing Becky Balfour could say to the Hollis Brookline High School girls volleyball team after it dropped the first game of Thursday's semifinal to Merrimack.

That's over.

The Cavaliers were making their first appearance in the final four since 2011, and looked like it in the opening game, as they fell behind early and dropped the first game 25-12.

But like its done all season, No. 4 HB regrouped and battled back, rallying twice to force a fifth game before knocking off No. 1 Merrimack, the defending champion, in the Division I semifinals at Pinkerton Academy. Game scores were 12-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-15 and 15-10.

The win sends HB to the final for the first time since the Cavs won Division I in 2011. There, they'll face No. 6 Bishop Guertin, which took out No. 2 Spaulding, at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Pinkerton.

"We said after the first set 'that's over,' " Balfour said. "But we said that after every set. If you look at our schedule, look at how many times we've gone to five. It's a testimony to our girls, that they don't give up."

It was the third time in three playoff matches that the Cavs needed five games to advance, and when HB (18-3) handed Merrimack (19-2) its only loss during the regular season, the Cavs won the first two games before coming back to win the fifth.

"It came down to nerves, to be honest," Merrimack coach Tammy Lambrou said. "We had a lot of kids who didn't see time last year who were out there on the court, and this (the final four) is a big deal. There's a lot of pressure as the No. 1 seed. We gave it a good run, this was a good game and there's nothing to hang our head about."

The Cavs got big games from their seniors, as Maddy Blake recorded 15 kills and Bella Zampieri added 32 digs and three aces. Hannah Balfour recorded 38 assists while underclassmen Elizabeth Atkinson and Maddie Norris chipped in as well.

"These seniors are stepping up and leading and these underclassmen are playing for them," Balfour said. "They're playing for each other and it's just beautiful."

Like the Cavs, Merrimack got big games from its experience players, as senior Jo Coffey finished with 41 assists to go with four blocks and four kills. Fellow senior Katie Flynn had 46 digs and 14 kills while Elise Jolly had 17 kills, 32 digs, seven blocks and 16 service points.

After the big loss in the first game, HB was able to keep things close in Game 2 before pulling ahead late. Merrimack led 23-22, but the Cavs tied it up and then went ahead. The Tomahawks knotted the score at 25, but HB took the final two points for the win.

Merrimack was able to pull away late in the third game and went up 2-0 in the fourth, but HB stormed back, winning 12 of 15 points, forcing the Tomahawks to take a timeout. The Cavs led by as many as 11 points and went on to win by 10 to force a fifth game.

HB jumped out to a 5-1 lead before Merrimack took a timeout and the lead stretched to 11-3 before the Tomahawks started to come back. But by then, it was too late.

"They had a lot more kids that swung away and hit the ball," Lambrou said. "What it came down to at the end was swinging to win, and we didn't do that. We fought back, just a little too late."

In the last two seasons, the Cavs have been the only team to beat Merrimack, and they also beat the Tomahawks in the 2011 final to win their last championship.

"That's a great team, and we knew we had to buckle down," Balfour said. "I said to them no matter what happens in set one, two, three, if we go to four or five, just reset and go back at them."