YORK — Freeport coach Tom Phillips knew how high the level of competition was going to be at the PIAA Volleyball Championships Friday.

He also was pleased with how well his team stood its ground.

The Yellowjackets opened quarterfinal Pool A play against Mars in a rematch of the WPIAL Class AA semifinals with a 3-0 victory at Central York High School.

Freeport defeated the Planets 25-17, 25-13, 25-23, but fell to Holy Redeemer, the No. 1 seed from District 2, 25-13, 25-13, 25-19, before Brandywine Heights pulled out a 14-25, 25-17, 25-19 decision over the Yellowjackets.

That left Freeport at 1-2 behind Brandywine Heights (3-0) and Holy Redeemer (2-1). Mars finished Pool A play at 0-3. The top two teams in Pool A and Pool B advanced to Saturday's semifinal round.

"The state playoffs are truly, truly amazing," said Phillips. "We would have liked to have fared better, but the competition is immense.

"We were in every game. It's such an eye-opening experience for all these girls and our younger players. It was a tremendous ride. I hate to see it end but I'm happy for the girls," he added.

After the loss to Freeport, the Planets then fell to Brandywine Heights, the eventual Pool A champion, 25-17, 25-16, 25-22.

In the third match of pool play, Holy Redeemer dispatched Mars 25-21, 25-19, 25-9 to end the Planets' season.

Merion Mercy and Archbishop Carroll were the top two Pool B finalists to move on to Saturday's semifinals.

The Yellowjackets (20-3) couldn't continue their momentum after the win against Mars, losing in 3-0 to Holy Redeemer.

"We drew Mars right off the bat and came out smoking," said Phillips. "Then, against Holy Redeemer, they have a girl who, in my eyes, was the best player in the tournament.

"Again, it was one of those things. ... We played aggressive and well enough, but she was hitting from everywhere.

"We were a little flat in the second match. There were a couple of times we had the lead but couldn't hold it," Phillips added.

Freeport won the first game against Brandywine Heights, but couldn't pull out the win.

Not advancing to Saturday's final shouldn't take away what his squad has accomplished this year, the Freeport coach said.

"The big thing was getting here and seeing what it's all about," said Phillips. "We finished fifth overall — not bad. Someday, we're going to get there. But to get there you have to experience it a couple of times," he said.

Phillips also paid tribute to his four seniors: Carlie Bieranowski, Madison Rotto, Ashley Massart and Alyssa Vigliotti.

"This (playoff run) is something to keep our young girls hungry. The cupboard is not bare," said Phillips.

"Sure, we lose four tremendous girls. ... But I told them they're part of the history-making process. They'll always be the cornerstone of this program.

Seneca Valley also saw its season come to a close, going 1-2 and placing third out of four teams in Pool A.The Raiders, the WPIAL Class AAA runner-up, lost to District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan 2-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-17), but they did come back with a 21-25, 25-21, 25-20 victory over Hempfield, the District 3 champion.In the third match, Seneca Valley (19-6) won the first game 25-23 against Hatboro-Horsham but lost the next two 21-25, 23-25.Bishop Shanahan (3-0) and Hempfield (2-1) were the two teams out of four that advanced from Pool A to Saturday's semifinals and finals. Hatboro-Horsham finished at 0-3 in their respective pool play.Mount Lebanon and Allentown Central Catholic were the two Pool B finalists that advanced to Saturday's matches.