WEXFORD — Freeport junior setter Maggie Ward didn’t have to fish through her memory for long to think of a time the Yellowjackets volleyball team overcame adversity.

Just last week, Ward pointed out, Freeport rallied from two sets down to beat Conneaut Area in a non-conference match.

So when the Yellowjackets sputtered at the start Tuesday night in a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal against Beaver, Freeport knew how to handle it.

Ward and her teammates battled back from an eight-point deficit in the first set en route to a 28-26, 25-6, 25-18 sweep of the Bobcats.

“One thing about my teammates is we persevere and know how to work hard,” Ward said. “I’ve seen us do amazing things, so I know we can do anything.”

Their feat against Beaver gave Freeport a berth in the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA tournament for the third straight season. The Yellowjackets will meet South Fayette Thursday at a site and time to be determined.

Ward set the table for Freeport, handing out 33 assists. Zoe Pawlak and Morgan Ruppersberger were the two big hitters, finishing with 13 and 12 kills respectively.

“I thought (Ward) did well and she was smart at placing the ball where it needed to be,” said Ruppersberger, who added three blocks.

Sweeping the Bobcats didn’t seem likely at the match’s outset. The Bobcats’ 6-foot sophomore middle hitter Macy McElhaney registered three quick kills and a block to stake Beaver to a 10-2 lead.

Freeport coach Tom Phillips quickly called timeout to try and get his team to slow down. He felt the Yellowjackets (18-1) were playing too quickly.

“When you go down that much in game one, obviously what you have to do is keep the ball off the floor,” Phillips said. “If you look at service tonight, I don’t think there were too many missed serves on either side of the court.”

Freeport hacked away at the lead and eventually tied it at 25 on a kill by Ruppersberger.

“We made too many hitting errors to let their confidence get back up and let them in the game,” Beaver coach Charlene Horwatt said. “When we made errors and scored their points, they were starting to wilt and we gave them the momentum instead of making them earn it.”

Both teams traded points before a block by Cat Zingaro put Freeport ahead 27-26. Zingaro followed with a kill to seal the set.

Freeport, which made eight attack errors in the first set, rallied by adapting.

“We were definitely adjusting,” said Ward, who finished with five kills. “We kind of had a different rotation than originally. ... Once we got settled and learned how to adjust to their hits and serves we picked it up and played really well.”

Beaver (15-2) never recovered.

The Yellowjackets ran off 16 straight points in the second set after an attack error cut their lead to 3-2.

“We’ve had runs like that, but it was flawless,” Phillips said. “We were able to pass the ball and stay in system and utilize our hitters to do what they do best.”

The Bobcats also struggled to set McElhaney, who had six kills and three blocks. Four of McElhaney’s kills came in the first set.

“It was very exciting,” Ruppersberger said. “I was surprised because of how close the first game was. I was expecting more competition. I felt Beaver gave up because we got so many points against them.”

Freeport never trailed in the third set, opening with a kill by Kristie Radvan and benefitting from an attack error by the Bobcats.

The Yellowjackets hope to use their ability to battle to keep advancing past the semifinals, where they stumbled last season.

“I think we want it even more this year,” Ward said. “We’re ready, we want to be at the WPIAL finals Saturday.”