WORCESTER – When No. 4 Amherst took the court against No. 1 Medfield in the MIAA Division 3 Girls Volleyball Final Four Monday night, the Hurricanes struggled to find any cracks they could exploit.

Receiving? Medfield had it covered. Setting? Consistent and well-placed balls every time. Hitting? Remarkable depth and power in a variety of players across the lineup. Blocks? You know the answer by now. 

Medfield (23-1) proved why it was a No. 1 seed, shutting out one of Amherst’s best volleyball teams in decades in three sets (25-16, 25-16, 25-15) in the state semis at Worcester North High School.

The Warriors will move on to the Div. 3 state championship, where they’ll face either No. 7 Wakefield or No. 3 Weston. Amherst finished its season 19-5.

“They were just a really steady team. They didn't make many errors, they got every ball up, they hit every ball down. At the end of the day, I just do think they were the better team and that's OK,” Amherst libero Liza Beigel said. “They were just a little cleaner than us with certain things.” 

Beigel led the team with 23 digs, including a truly jaw-dropping receive in the first set. Setter Annabel Ogden finished with 19 assists and Lauren Joy led the team with eight kills, helped by Ruby Austin (seven kills) and Shannon Klaes (four kills). 

The teams stayed within a point or two of each other through the beginning of the first set, with Amherst showing remarkable determination to keep the opening set close. But after the ‘Canes tied the set up at 10, the Warriors went on an 8-1 run to build a 18-11 lead. That was how most of the sets went – Amherst was never out of a game, but Medfield steadily and consistently wore down the No. 4 seed, forcing mistakes and some frustration as the match went on.

“I think we could have come in with a little bit more confidence than we did. I think that they shot themselves in the foot a little too much, but I also have to say that there's a reason why (Medfield is) the number one seed,” Amherst head coach Kacey Schmitt said. “They forced a lot of mistakes on us, which is what they do. I think we could have responded a little bit better, but I think (Amherst) picked it up in different parts and tried really hard to stay together as a team, to stay positive, stay upbeat.”

The Warriors were led by hitters Lily Brodeur, Anna Koch and Kaelyn Larkin, among others. The top seed went on a similar 6-1 run in the second set to force an Amherst timeout down 12-7, and continued to whittle away at the ‘Canes to secure the second set win. They put their foot on the gas pedal in the third set, racing out to a 14-3 lead early and holding off Amherst’s comeback effort.

Schmitt put in setter Abigail Como and Autumn Tarbox late in the third set, both because she had faith they could compete against the tough Medfield group and in part as a ‘thank you’ for the hard work they’ve put in this year. 

Despite the loss, the Hurricanes were proud of their season. This was the farthest that the ‘Canes have advanced in the new playoff format, and in Schmitt’s 25 years of coaching, she hasn’t had a team go farther than this group did. 

“I have to tell you that I have never been prouder of a team. They are a wonderful group of girls, they love each other, they play really great volleyball. And I told them that they've come further than pretty much any team that I’ve coached in 25 years,” Schmitt said. “I want them to look back and think we were always competitive, we always played with a lot of fire. That’s what you want them to remember from their high school career.” 

That sentiment was echoed by Beigel, who spoke about how tight-knit the team was both on and off the court. Anyone who watched an Amherst match this season could see how much fun the team had together during even the most stressful of matches.

“It's just so amazing… it's definitely upsetting that we can’t go further, but the fact that we've even got this far is just incredible,” Beigel said. “I'm gonna miss this team so much.” 

Hannah Bevis can be reached at hbevis@gazettenet.com. Follow her on Twitter @Hannah_Bevis1.