Telegraph photo by TOM KING Hollis Brookline's Sarah Dreyer goes airborne to lead the celebration along with Jess Cooper, left, Hannah Close (2) and Cheyenne Colbert after the Cavs beat Londonderry 3-1 Wednesday night to return to the Divison I finals.

HOLLIS – They’re back where they’ve always felt they belong.

The Hollis High School girls volleyball team missed out on a trip to the Division I finals last year after an incredible four-year title run.

Well, they are making their return to the championship match on Saturday after handling Londonderry 3-1 in the semifinals Wednesday night.

“This team, we work really well together, we’re trying to bring it all the way, and make it the best season for all of us,” Cavs outside hitter Sarah Dreyer said after her amazing 16 kills, including the final point in a 25-21 clinching fourth set.

The Cavs and Lancers split the first two sets, 25-18 HB and 25-19 Lancers, before HB rallied from a 7-2 start in the third set to win it 25-17.

HB will take on either unbeaten Bedford or Spaulding, who meet tonight in the other semi at Oyster River in Durham.

“We were like, ‘Wow, this is the semifinals,’ but it’s just another game,” Cavs coach Becky Balfour said. “So it was relaxing and just playing our game. That was the key.”

The Cavs (10-2) had to work for it throughout, but never more so than for their final four points. They were up 21-15 and on the verge of clinching before the Lancers (6-5) rallied to tie it at 21. But Cheyenne Colbert tapped the ball over the net for the go-ahead point and the Cavs were on their way.

“It was exciting,” Balfour said. “That’s what we worked on all season. Not letting the momentum shift and stopping surges like that. There weren’t many runs that they got. I think the second set was it.”

HB got seven kills from Meaghan Coutu but a monster game from Angelina Leonard with 28 assists and six aces. Jess Cooper added three aces and 13 digs while Hanna Close had three aces, 11 digs.

HB’s strategy was to try to keep the ball away from Londonderry’s best hitter, Kelsey Sanborn, who finished with eight kills and four digs. Other keys for LHS were Emma Detellis (10 digs, three aces), Kat King (six blocks), and Lexi Small (two blocks, 15 assists).

“They’re a great team,” Lancer coach Matt Leonard said of Hollis. “It wasn’t easy for us, either. … Obviously it was a battle all night. They’re a tough team, and we were proud to stand up to them tonight. We wish them a lot of luck going to the finals.”

Balfour is thrilled that the Cavs have gotten this far during a pandemic season.

“They had a responsibility to themselves and their teammates to stay healthy and stay safe,” Balfour said. “We’ve done that.”

You have to think the Cavs would love a third shot at Bedford, which has beaten them twice this year.

“We’re just happy to be in the finals,” Balfour said. “We’ll go after whoever we’ve got.”

Just like they did last night, even during the tense moments.

“We treat every team like their the best team, and they fought really hard,” Dreyer said of the Lancers. “I think we just huddled and said ‘Guys, we need to reset, calm down, put it all out there on the court.’ And that’s what we did.”

And they hope to do it again on Saturday night.

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