Nora Hamel reached back, deflecting a pinballing volleyball over the net to somehow land in the middle of the floor.
Even if the play was out of control, Newton North found success just getting the ball to its outside hitters. Hamel, a senior, racked up 27 kills and four aces, and sophomore Pepper Johnson amassed 16 kills and two aces, as the seventh-seeded Tigers earned a 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22 Division 1 win over No. 10 Westford (16-3) to earn a quarterfinal matchup with No. 2 Brookline or No. 18 Lincoln-Sudbury.
“Trusting Chiara [Vitolo] to get me sets, and also trying to use different shots, like down the line and also campfire, and knowing when to swing,” said Hamel, who cranked 10 kills in the fourth set. “Having the confidence, knowing I can put the ball in different places and still be able to get them out of system, even if I don’t get a kill.”
Vitolo compiled 42 assists and three kills, and Alyssa Teixeira contributed back-to-back aces to win the first set, back-to-back kills to put the Tigers (16-5) at 24 in the second, and the final kill of the match.
“I know that my team will believe in me,” said Teixeira. “Even if I make mistake, I know that they’ll have my back, like, alright, get the next ball. On that serving line, like, I just have confidence in myself because my team has confidence in me.”
Each set was close when the teams approached the red zone but in the first two, the Tigers pulled away. It took a 10-2 run to close out the first.
“I’ve been saying all season, when we play our best, we can beat any team in the state and when we play like we did, anybody in the state can beat us,” said coach Nile Fox. “So we just have to really find a middle ground. It’s all about finding a common ground and trying to have everybody step up to the moment.”
Division 1
Central Catholic 3, Westborough 0 — Senior Julie Hall delivered 18 kills and 19 digs and freshman Hailey Beiler added 18 assists as the No. 1 Raiders (21-1) took down No. 16 Westborough (13-5) in the second round.
Franklin 3, Natick 0 — Emerson Delleo (15 kills, 17 digs), Gianna Laurello (14 digs, 7 kills), Phoebe O’Connor (37 assists, 10 digs, 2 aces), and Marley Lindenmeyer (10 kills, 11 digs, 3 aces) powered the No. 5 Panthers (20-2) to a second-round win over No. 12 Natick.
Wellesley 3, Needham 1 — Jane Rosenbaum (10 kills, 2 blocks), Lucy Kulka (10 kills, 3 blocks), and Sofia Sverdlova (7 kills, 16 digs) concocted a second-round victory for the No. 8 Raiders (13-7) over No. 9 Needham.
Winchester 3, Shrewsbury 0 — Senior Hazel Lovins fired off 25 kills as the No. 3 Red & Black (19-3) defeated No. 14 Shrewsbury (15-7) in the second round.
Division 2
Melrose 3, Dartmouth 1 — Junior Sadie Smith led the offense with 32 assists as the No. 3 Red Hawks (18-4) beat No. 14 Dartmouth (13-8) in the second round.
Oliver Ames 3, Wayland 0 — Chelsea Wagner (16 kills, 3 aces), Theresa Kavolius (30 assists), Taylor Donohue (13 kills, 4 aces), and Molly Milliken (12 digs, 12 receptions) propelled the top-seeded Tigers (21-1) over No. 16 Wayland in a second round tilt, which was a rematch of last year’s Division 2 finals.
Division 3
Joseph Case 3, Lynn Classical 0 — Junior Madyson Silva ran the offense with 29 assists and sophomore Lily Rego delivered 21 kills for the No. 4 Cardinals (18-4) in their second-round victory over No. 13 Lynn Classical (17-5).
Newburyport 3, Blackstone Valley 1 — Senior Gabby Vigeant fired off 23 kills and senior Ava Bailey delivered 6 kills, 5 blocks, and 2 aces for the No. 5 Clippers (19-3) in their second-round victory over No. 12 Blackstone Valley (16-4).
Old Rochester 3, Hanover 1 — Senior Molly Franco (15 kills, 9 digs), junior Erin Root (14 kills), and freshman Ady Chua (29 assists, 10 digs) led the No. 2 Bulldogs (19-2) to a second-round win over No. 15 Hanover (12-10).
Division 4
Carver 3, Sandwich 1 — Juniors Emma Wall (15 kills, 13 digs, 7 aces), Josie Helms (15 kills), Grace Hyland (14 digs), and Bella Fletcher (20 assists, 14 digs) powered the No. 7 Crusaders (18-4) to a second-round win over No. 10 Sandwich (16-6).
East Bridgewater 3, Ayer Shirley 0 — Senior Ayla Kingman (29 assists) and sophomore Elizabeth Willis (14 kills) powered the No. 1 Vikings (21-1) to a second-round victory over No. 16 Ayer Shirley (15-6).
Greater Lawrence 3, Tri-County 0 — Junior Ambar Munoz (16 digs), junior Ella DiMauro-Lozowski (12 kills) and senior Asmeily Anziani (18 assists) led the No. 4 Reggies (19-2) to a second-round win over No. 13 Tri-County (15-7).
Division 5
Calvary Chapel 3, Lee 0 — Seniors Colbie Adams (13 kills, seven aces) and Riley Hanlon (12 assists, seven digs) were key players for the third-seeded Cougars (20-2) in their second-round victory over No. 14 Lee (10-10).
St. John Paul II 3, Smith Voc. 0 — Eva Matthes (35 digs), Lola Our (17 kills, 8 digs, 3 aces), Zlata Alioshka (32 assists, 10 digs, 5 kills), and Caitlin McGrail (9 kills, 6 digs) led the No. 4 Lions (15-3) past No. 13 Smith in a second-round bout.
Tony Gleason and Ethan Kagno contributed to this story.
AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.