WHITEHALL — Trailing 24-16 in the first set against No. 1 seed Beaver, things looked grim for the Freeport girls volleyball team.

Then Jenna Manke got a kill.

Then Kristie Radvan notched an ace.

Then Claire Crytzer dove to the floor for a huge dig to keep the set alive.

Then Katie Zingaro smashed a kill.

Suddenly, things didn't look so bleak.

Then Maddie Christy finished off the rally with a kill for Freeport's 10th consecutive point and a first set win.

That sent the Yellowjackets on their way to a 26-24, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20 win over Beaver to repeat as WPIAL Class AA champions.

“It's surreal, honestly,” said Crytzer, a junior libero who had 22 digs. “It's really the best feeling in the world. There's no words to describe it.”

Crytzer's lips began to quiver and her eyes filled with tears before she continued, 'I'm getting emotional right now thinking about it.”

It was an emotional afternoon for both teams.

After Freeport rallied to win the first set, Beaver responded by taking the second.

But the well-balanced Yellowjackets adjusted their rotation to help neutralize Beaver's big hitter, junior Macy McElhaney.

McElhaney finished with 21 kills, but only three in the decisive fourth set — and all three came early.

When McElhaney was on the bench for the Bobcats, they struggled.

“When she wasn't on the floor, we tried to take advantage of that,” Radvan said. “Their middles are amazing. We just tried to keep it away from them.”

McElhaney wasn't on the floor for the 10-point run by Freeport in the first set.

“At the timeout (down by eight in the first set) we talked about building some momentum,” said Freeport coach Tom Phillips. “They built the momentum, all right. They won the set. It was a big factor in the game.

“We changed our rotation and went back to our base rotation, where we were a little more comfortable,” Phillips added. “We had Kristie Radvan against their weaker middle. It really helped a lot.”

Radvan, though, made her presence felt on the serve. She had 20 service points and four aces.

“I like having the game in my hands on the serve,” Radvan said. “It can be a little nerve-racking, though, because you know if you make a mistake, that's a point for the other team and momentum.”

Beaver had the momentum in the fourth set, leading 10-5.

But Freeport, as it has done all season, wasn't easily daunted.

The Yellowjackets rolled off the next five points to tie. With the set deadlocked at 20-20, Freeport went on a five-point run to end it, culminating with an attack error on Beaver.

The Bobcats handed Freeport 14 points on errors in the fourth set.

A lot of those errors were forced by Freeport's relentless defense keeping points alive.

“Honestly we've been saying this all season — we refuse to lose,” Crytzer said. “We never give up, never give in. We dig deep and try to outwork every team for every point. We know what it's like to win one of these and we relish the opportunity.”

Freeport will open the state playoffs at 6 p.m. Tuesday against North East at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School.

For now, the Yellowjackets are basking in the glow of another WPIAL title.

“It's unbelievable,” Radvan said. “For us seniors, this is a dream to win back-to-back WPIAL championships and three gold medals in four years.”