SOUTH DEERFIELD — Two defending Western Massachusetts champions squared off on the volleyball floor Wednesday.

Amherst and Frontier Regional met at Frontier in the Pioneer Valley Juniors Girls High School Summer League.

The stakes weren’t anywhere near a state semifinal or state championship game, but playing in the summer provides teams a head start on the fall.

“It makes starting the season a lot easier so everyone’s not so rusty at once,” Frontier senior Selayna Bathurst said.

There are 11 teams in the league, which plays some games at Frontier and the rest at Elms College.

Frontier, the 12-time Division 3 sectional champion that saw its state championship streak end at six last season, fields two teams in the Wednesday-night league. The Hawks A squad is composed entirely of returning varsity players. Frontier didn’t graduate anyone from last year’s title team. Hawks B has mostly JV players.

“They’ve took it upon themselves to want to play with the other varsity teams,” Frontier senior Lauren Davenport said. “It’s going to make them better.”

Hawks A beat Amherst in the two sets they played, then Amherst turned around a few minutes later and took down Belchertown 2-0.

Teams play two sets regardless of who wins them. The standings are kept by sets won and lost. There’s one more week in the regular season before the teams will divide into gold, silver and bronze playoff brackets.

“You get some touches and some play within the group you’re going to be in the fall,” Frontier Regional varsity coach Sean MacDonald said.

MacDonald doesn’t coach in the summer league. His role is administrative. He sets up the net, turns on the lights and keeps score.

“I fight myself because I want to watch,” MacDonald said.

The teams organize themselves, and it’s up to the players to make lineups, figure out jerseys and ensure there are enough players to fill a team.

“People were super eager (to participate),” Amherst senior Teya Nolan said.

Amherst will need to replace six seniors from its first Western Mass. championship team in 10 years. The summer league is giving the Hurricanes a sneak preview of who will fill those roles.

“We’ve sat back and said ‘who’s going to fill these spots?’” Amherst senior Sahar Douglas said. “But we do have a lot of the same players that will step up.”

The teams have to find their own coaches, and some turn to alumni. Sarah Corey led the Hawks A team, while Cara McKenzie and Jenna Blain helmed Belchertown.

“I’ve grown up with (McKenzie) being a year above me, and she’s always known more of what’s going on than me, so it’s a continuation of that,” Belchertown senior Quinn Roche said. “They have some constructive input, which is a lot more than some people who are here just to be here.”

Belchertown lacked some of the cohesion of its opponents because the squad featured players from Ware and Deerfield Academy in order to give Belchertown more players and those additional players a chance to play.

“It’s fun to meet people from different towns and make new friends,” Roche said.

The league, above all, is a fun chance to get on the court and knock off some rust. MacDonald only had one rule with his seniors organizing Frontier’s teams: “Don’t try to pick the varsity team in the Juniors.”

That process starts in three weeks.

Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.

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