Freeport’s Emily Boylan, Evie Tola blast past Waynesburg Central into PIAA girls volleyball semis
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Freeport’s Emily Boylan (6) celebrates a point against Waynesburg Central in a PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Peters Township's AHN Arena. Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport celebrates a win over Waynesburg Central in a PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Peters Township's AHN Arena. Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport’s Evie Tola (1) spikes the ball against Waynesburg Central in a PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Peters Township's AHN Arena. Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport’s Brynleigh Paga (10) serves the ball to Waynesburg Central in a PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Peters Township's AHN Arena. Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle
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Freeport's Caylee Zembrzuski (24) digs the ball off the ground against Waynesburg Central in a PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Peters Township's AHN Arena. Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle
PETERS TWP, Washington County — It looked too easy at times for Freeport girls volleyball.
Led by the barrage of Emily Boylan and Evie Tola on the outside and a service strategy that fueled several long runs, the Yellowjackets thoroughly dominated Waynesburg Central 3-0 (set scores: 25-16, 25-11, 25-10) in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals Saturday, Nov. 14, at Peters Township’s AHN Arena.
“We had a lot of control over them the whole time,” Tola said after dropping 10 kills on the WPIAL third-seed Raiders (20-2).
Boylan led the attack with 15 kills, and sophomore Lucy Majerski, praised by teammates and coaches after the game, had 10. Caylee Zembrzuski dished out 33 assists for the WPIAL champion Yellowjackets (23-0), the No. 2-ranked 3A team in the state per the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.
“Probably the wide array of hitters that they have,” Waynesburg Central head coach Dan Higinbotham said of the challenge Freeport presents opponents. “They have three good pin hitters and it’s always relentless, it’s coming all the time.”
It was absolutely relentless, particularly whenever the Yellowjackets got into a rotation that put Boylan, Tola and Majerski on the front row with Zembrzuski serving.
After siding out the Raiders on the first point of the morning -- one of the earliest state playoff games of the day ended shortly after noon -- Zembrzuski and that rotation went on a 7-0 run to take an 8-0 lead by constantly attacking WC’s Railey Bochna with the serve.
While the Raiders responded shortly after to cut into the gaping hole and trail just 11-7 in that first set, the Yellowjackets’ pressure never let up.
That Freeport rotation produced four runs of at least five straight points on the day. The second run, a 5-0 string that made it 21-12, effectively ended the first set.
Zembrzuski’s serve led to a 7-0 run to blow the second set wide open and a 6-0 run to start the third set.
Freeport had 10 aces on the day. Waynesburg Central committed nearly 20 unofficial errors serving, passing or attacking, primarily in the second and third sets.
“I think Caylee hit the same spot in the right back,” longtime ’Jackets head coach Tom Phillips said. “We knew (Bochna) struggled passing the ball, and of course we pick out bad passers or people who are struggling and Caylee did an outstanding job keeping the ball on her.”
When the serve didn’t result in a WC error, that Boylan-Majerski-Tola front row routinely blasted home kills.
“I feel like we can put the ball anywhere, pull the blockers and really keep our offense going,” Boylan said.
Freeport’s pressure also had the added benefit of keeping Raiders outside hitter Harper Grimes from getting into a rhythm. She unofficially had six kills in the first set but didn’t come close to that number in the final two sets.
“I think we were serving aggressive and taking them out of system to the point where it was hard for them to set her as well as we were also putting up a good block,” Boylan said.
The Yellowjackets are a win away from returning to the state championship for the first time since winning it all in 2022. All that’s left in their way is Avonworth (20-4), 3-0 winners over District 6 champ Richland, in a rematch of last week’s WPIAL title game. That state semifinal will be Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
