ROSS TWP — Alexis Schrecengost sat in a classroom at Freeport High School with her teammates and watched an inspirational video — about boiling water of all things — hours before the Yellowjackets' volleyball team was scheduled to play Knoch in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals Thursday.

The video was about how water boils at 212 degrees, but does nothing at 211.

That message sprang into Schrecengost's mind following a Game 3 loss that put Freeport down 2-1 against its rival.

“That one degree makes such a difference,” Schrecengost said. “Before we went out for that fourth game, I said let's not (break the huddle) with 'team.' Let's do '212.' It just completely made us push that much harder.

“What that video said,” Schrecengost added, “is what we had to do on the court. Ramp it up one more degree. Two-twelve.”

Behind Schrecengost's boiling play and a defense that kept Knoch's superstar hitter Celina Sanks somewhat in check, the Yellowjackets won the final two games and escaped the North Hills Middle School gym with a 3-2 win over the Knights.

The marathon 25-22, 21-25, 21-25, 25-15, 15-7 victory in a match that lasted more than two hours sends Freeport to play Indiana for the WPIAL championship at 4:15 p.m. Saturday at Chartiers Valley.

The Yellowjackets last won the WPIAL title in 2010.

Freeport coach Tom Phillips had his own message for his team after the Yellowjackets fell behind 2-1.

“Play your guts out,” Phillips said. “I said, 'Listen. We've worked eight months for this.'

“Play your guts out,” Phillips added. “And that's what we did.”

Perhaps no one showed more guts than Schrecengost, who made a save in the second game fit for SportsCenter.

The senior outside hitter scrambled to the back line, threw her fist out and swung her arm, making contact with the volleyball and sending it backward over the net. As she fell, she slammed her head on the court.

Freeport won that point, but Schrecengost's next serve was long. She spent the next nine points on the bench with an ice pack on her head before she was cleared to return.

“I hit my head really hard,” Schrecengost said. “Five seconds later I was fine. I could see. Put me back in the game, please.”

Schrecengost finished with 13 kills, including three for the last three points for Freeport in the decisive fifth game.

“Megan Sweeny, our right-side hitter, said, 'You better smack that ball so hard their hands go numb,'” Schrecengost said, laughing. “I said, 'OK. I'm down with that.'

“Our whole team is such an inspiration,” she added. “That's what helps you out through thick and thin.”

Freeport (17-2) won a tightly contested first game with neither team leading by more than two points until the end. Knoch, though, was able to wrest the next two games away thanks to the play of Sanks, Mary Zellhart and Schaely Renfrew.

Sanks ended up with 18 kills on the night and was particularly effective in the second and third games. Zellhart and Renfrew also were good at the net and on defense in those two wins.

But Knoch (16-3) fell behind 17-11 in the fourth game and couldn't recover and then trailed in the fifth game 12-5 at one point before succumbing.

“I don't know that we were firing on all cylinders,” said Knoch coach Diane Geist. “It was a struggle tonight, but I'm proud of the girls. They went out hard and fought for it. Freeport is a good team.”

The two teams split during the regular season with Knoch winning 3-2 in the last meeting. In that match, Sanks had 33 kills.

The difference this time was defense, particularly at the net where Sweeny, Jess Kelley, Zoe Pawlak and Morgan Ruppersberger combined for 29 blocks.

Pawlak added 14 kills and Sweeny had 21 service points.

“I'm so proud of our (middle hitters),” Schrecengost said. “I can't even tell you how proud I am of them. They got a touch on every single ball. I'm just proud of everyone. We played such an awesome game.”

Despite the loss, Knoch's season is not over. The top four teams in Class AA advance to the state playoffs, which begin Tuesday.

“We know we have another game, at least,” Geist said. “The girls were down, but in the huddle Celina said how proud she was of everybody. I think we'll be up for that next game.”