The Hollis Brookline girls volleyball bench celebrates a big point during the Cavs' semifinal win over Londonderry on Tuesday night in Derry. (Photo by Jack Belanger)

DERRY –For the third year in a row, the Hollis Brookline Cavaliers will have a chance to bring home a Division I girls volleyball state championship.

And once again, the undefeated, top-seeded Bedford Bulldogs will be the opponent.

After losing their first set against the Londonderry Lancers, the Cavaliers stormed back to win three straight sets and take their semifinal match vs. Londonderry Tuesday night at Pinkerton Academy.

In the first set, HB was down 8-6 then went on a 7-0 scoring run highlighted by two aces from Kate Berrigan. The Lancers fought back after calling a timeout. Down 17-12, Londonderry went on their own seven point run to take the lead, holding on for the 25-21 in the first set. Berrigan would finish tied with the team lead with three aces while also provided strong defense.

“They were serving well,” said Hollis Brookline Coach Becky Balfour on the Lancers run. “They were trying to serve bombs at us to get out of our system, which is a great strategy.”

Cheyenne Colbert, shown in last year’s tournament, had 20 kills to lead the Cavaliers past Londonderry in the Divison I semifinals at Pinkerton Academy on Tuesday night. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

But after the break between sets, Hollis Brookline (18-2) took control of the rest of the match. The Cavalier began the second set on another 7-0 run en route to a 25-10 win. Balfour noted the team’s communication improved for the last three sets, as well as an improved attack led by Cheyenne Colbert. Colbert led the team with 20 kills on the night and added eight digs as well. Balfour pointed out her play as key for the team in the final three sets.

The third set continued to be all Hollis Brookline. Leading by as much as 11 points, they would coast to a 2-1 lead, 25-18. Balfour credited her backline for providing great defense against the Lancer’s attack. The trio of Maia Schneider, Anneli DiVirgilio, and Malaya Colena combined for 30 digs on the night with Colena leading the way with 13.

“That was a great team and they were working the ball,” said Balfour. “But when had those three girls back there, they were scooping everything up.”

Desperate to keep their season alive, the Lancers showed some fight in the fourth set. They held a 9-5 lead before Hollis Brookline went on the 6-0 run to force a timeout. The Lancers battled to get the set as close as 16-14 before HB finally pulled away, scoring the final six points of the set to win 25-15.

The win sets up HB for a third straight finals rematch against two-time defending champion Bedford, who swept Exeter 3-0. The Bulldogs beat the Cavs 3-1 early in the season in Hollis.

Saturday’s match here will start bright and early at 10 a.m.