RallyNorth.net

ANDOVER — Sarah Arvidson and the Andover volleyball team were, pure and simple, relentless last night in the Division 1 North semifinals.

Which was exactly what they were planning and, given their opponent, felt was a necessity.

ANDOVER — She was a force at the net all night, but Moira Cronin drew her biggest cheer after the game, when she spontaneously broke into a dance.

“When I get a kill I do a little dance,” she said, failing her arms and shimming. “I go a little crazy. I’m a little bit of a goofball.”

LAWRENCE — Now that the Central Catholic girls volleyball has taken care of the preliminary part of the Division 1 North tournament, the Raiders get to the hard stuff.

Winning for the seventh time in its past eight matches, Central ran past visiting Billerica in three straight games in last night’s quarterfinals. The victory sends the fourth-seeded Raiders into Thursday’s 7 p.m. semi at top-ranked and season-nemesis Andover. Two-time defending state runner-up Central (17-4) dropped both regular-season encounters to Andover although the Raiders were the only team to win a game against the Golden Warriors.

The Central Catholic girls volleyball team had no problem with local rival Methuen in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament, rolling to a 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 victory. Kendall Desrosiers led the way for the Raiders (16-4), who will host Billierca Tuesday, with 12 kills and 11 service points that included five aces.

Central Catholic's girls volleyball team took Connecticut power Coventry (11-0) to five games before losing a barnburner. Coventry, which won the first two games, before Central stormed back, has won four straight state titles and six of the last seven. Corrine Gosselin led the play at the net for Central (10-3) with 14 kills and nine blocks while Kendall Desrosiers added 11 kills and 11 service points.

In a back-and-forth thriller before a packed Dunn Gymnasium, Andover won a 26-24, 25-22, 25-11, 25-19 thriller. It was the Raiders' first league loss since at least 2007. "We were the comeback kids!" said Andover coach George Sullivan, whose unbeaten team set the tone with a 26-24 win in Game 1. Annie Ye took the control in that one. Marcela Familiar was immense defensively and Sarah Arvidson was "deadly all night."

Central Catholic remains unbeaten after its volleyball win against longtime rival and previously unbeaten Melrose. Central improved to 8-0 with the 3-2 win, prevailing 15-12 in the final game. Hunter Tuck scored 15 service points with two aces and Michelle Bouchard led with 31 digs.