“It was amazing, especially against big hitters,” said Melhorn, who finished with seven kills and eight blocks. “It was a great way to end the game and get some energy back into the team.”

The first and second sets featured long rallies and backlines capable of handling all the firepower on the net. Senior libero Margo Kaduson, Winchester’s career digs leader, had 17. Her fourth ace landed her to move on and play against No. 5 Needham or No. 12 Newton South.

“We’re really focusing on what we’re working on in practice, which is staying out of the block,” Kaduson said. “We spend a lot of time as a team going over everything, so I think it really paid off in the end.”

Sophomore Hazel Lovins (16 kills, 9 digs) and senior Helen Zhou (14 kills, 6 digs) were also key defensively, and sophomore Defne Mergen dished out 37 assists for Winchester.

In the third set however, it was Julia Leonardo who did what she does best, landing nine kills that were just too difficult to come back from. The Bombardiers took an 11-4 deficit and finished on a 14-5 run.

They seemed to do the same thing in the fourth, turning Attleboro’s 15-3 lead into 16-14. The Red and Black won the last nine points, thanks to a pair of blocks and an ace from Melhorn.

“We came here last year and our season ended,” Fleming said. “I wanted to make sure we got those memories out of our system pretty quickly and that it was a new team and a new year.

“They were confident they could compete. That’s all you ask for, going into a match thinking you have a chance.

Division 1 State

Barnstable 3, Wachusett 0 — Senior Molly Gleason had 14 kills and Alyssa McDowell had seven to lead the No. 7 Red Hawks (18-4) on offense. Senior Teagan Geraghty had a game-high 29 assists and four aces, Jazzy Coyer had 16 digs and Dylan Andrews, Lily Cordeira and Bella Magalhaes had five kills each in the second-round win over No. 23 Wachusett (12-10). . Barnstable will face second-seeded Brookline (17-3) in the quarterfinals.

Franklin 3, Belmont 0 — Olivia Alberti (8 kills, 7 digs, 4 blocks) and Makayla Kuykendall (6 kills, 13 digs, 4 aces) gave the No. 9 Panthers (17-5) control of a second-round victory. Emerson Delleo had 7 kills, Faith Edgehille contributed 22 digs and Brooke Daniels added 20 assists.

Lincoln-Sudbury 3, Natick 0 — Sophomore Lizzie Adolfsson and junior Sonia D’Ambrosio led the offense, with senior Reagan Pace and sophomore Amelie Andrews disrupting attacks and collecting blocks, the No. 3 Warriors (19 -3) earned a second-round sweep.

“Overall we played well,” LS coach Greg Falcone said. “We talked about how well Natick fought in their first round match, this is a team that is not going to go away. We focused on keeping our side of the net clean.

Adolfsson and D’Ambrosio brought much of the offense with “hard, smart swings,” Falcone added, and the entire team serving aggressively led to the victory.

“That’s our brand of volleyball, being a hard-serving team,” he said. “We did a good job displaying that tonight.”

Needham 3, Newton South 2 — Alex Sykora (14 kills) and Lisa O’Leary (12 kills) led a balanced net attack that also included Sadie Stants (10 kills), Coco Cusick (9) and Emma Nolfi (8) in a fifth-round finish in the second round. -adjust the inclination. Bella Lee dished out 28 assists and Raleigh Dellamarggio added 21 assists.

“It was an incredible game with a really strong Newton South team,” Needham coach Courtney Todesco said. “We always seem to go to five with them and that’s a testament to both teams. I was incredibly proud of our resilience and focus throughout the game and we remained strong even when the game got close.

Division 2 State

Billerica 3, Milton 0 — Senior Ella Quin led the third-seeded Indians (22-0) with 9 kills, 4 blocks, 10 service points and 4 aces in the second-round victory. Rylie Stromme (10 kills), Nyrah Joseph (4 kills and 2 blocks) and Meghan Downs (16 assists) had solid games against No. 19 Milton (10-10).

Duxbury 3, Algonquin 1 — The No. 8 Dragons (21-1) grew stronger as the match progressed, outlasting the No. 9 Titans (12-10) in a second-round victory. Algonquin snatched the first set, 25-18, then Duxbury settled in and found a way to win the second, 25-22.

The Dragons cruised to a 27-25 triumph in a pressure-filled, back-and-forth third set, then hit their stride to win the fourth convincingly, 25-17. Junior Avery McCash and seniors Skye Cerow and Caroline Cusson were forces at the net for Duxbury. Catherine Grimaldi, Valentina Torres and Maria Torres served at a high level for the Dragons. Seniors Grace Chiota and Katy O’Connell led the Titans and helped keep the game close, but Duxbury’s depth and defensive prowess wore down Algonquin.

“I’m so happy we’re home and we can continue to move forward,” McCash said. “I feel like this is our best team we’ve had in a while, and I just want to keep playing for the seniors and win everything for them.”

The Dragons will face two-time defending champion, No. 1 Westborough, in the quarterfinals.

Hopkinton 3, Dartmouth 0 — Senior Adriana Aquino had 14 kills, sophomore Evie Woodbury had eight kills from the middle, junior Gabby Pattie had 26 assists and senior Elsa Woodbury had seven aces in the win at the second round for the Hillers n°4 (18-4).

“Every year we get further and further into the tournament,” coach Emma Sweetapple said. “This team has worked very hard this season, and I think we can continue our strong run if we play like we have and continue to limit our mistakes.”

Hopkinton will face No. 5 Westwood (17-3) in the quarterfinals.

Oliver Ames 3, Burlington 0 — Addyson Smock had 12 kills and four blocks, propelling the No. 2 Tigers (19-3) to a second-round victory. Sophomores Molly Milliken (15 digs) and Chelsea Wagner (7 kills) contributed to the effort, and Lyla McDonough and Clare Kavolius combined for 30 assists.

Westborough 3, Walpole 0 — Seniors Sam Norman (29 assists), Georgia Tyrell (16 kills, 4 blocks) and junior Grace Hadley (6 kills, 3 blocks) led the top-seeded Rangers (18-1) into the second round against Walpole, n°17 ​​(8-12). Westborough will face No. 8 Duxbury (21-1) Friday in the quarterfinals.

Division 3 State

Bishop Fenwick 3, Nipmuc 1 — Senior captain Calli Symond executed attacks in spots where the team was practicing for the match, crushing 12 kills in a second-round road victory for the No. 11 Crusaders (16-6).

“We came out really strong,” Symond said. “Even after the third set, where we didn’t play as well, we came back on top in the fourth and that’s how we gained confidence.”

Junior Emme Lubas dished out 16 assists, senior Gwen Schroeder had 25 digs, senior Sienna Mancinelli had 17 digs and 6 aces and junior Kylie Murphy had 5 blocks.

“The main thing we knew we needed was endurance,” said coach Alexis Bédard. “We worked on sprints, fast movements. We knew we needed a lot to keep up with them because they have good hitters. They did a great job trusting their teammates. We knew we would be blocked a lot, but they did a great job playing out of the block.

Bédard, who graduated in 2015 as a member of the team, is in his second year as head coach. “This is the coach’s first time competing in the Elite 8,” Symond said. “We all play for her and for our seniors. We are very excited.

Holliston 3, Dennis-Yarmouth 1 — Senior Vivian Castano dished out 32 assists to total a state-record 2,589 for her career after the No. 10 Dolphins (13-9) closed their season with a loss to No. 7 Holliston (12- 8).

Old Rochester 3, Shawsheen 0 — Senior Aubrie Letourneau had 26 assists, 3 kills and 2 aces as the No. 4 Bulldogs (19-3) handed the No. 13 Rams (20-1) their only loss of the season. Caroline Brogioli (16 digs), Erin Root (12 kills) and Cami Van Ness (6 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces) were key contributors.

Weston 3, Wakefield 1 — Senior Fielding Mayhugh scored kills on the final two points for the top-seeded Wildcats (15-6) to earn a second-round triumph in a rematch of the year’s four-set semifinal last against Wakefield, number 17.

Division 4 State

Ipswich 3, Hamilton-Wenham 0 — Claire Buletza racked up 10 kills, 16 digs and 3 aces for the No. 2 Tigers (20-0) in a second-round victory. Tea Princi added 21 assists.

Trevor Hass reported from Duxbury and Lenny Rowe contributed.

AJ Traub can be contacted at [email protected].