Mars fends off Freeport to stay undefeated in section
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Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | 10:14 PM
Mars’ Rylee Wooldridge hits against Freeport’s Payton Woods (7) and Jaisa Gaillot on Tuesday at Freeport Area Middle School.
Mars’ Reese Connelly hits against Freeport’s Evie Tola on Tuesday.
Freeport’s Jayme Radvan hits against Mars’ Cecilia Christy on Tuesday.
Mars’ Cecilia Christy hits against Freeport’s Jayme Radvan (23) on Tuesday.
Mars’ Gabi Weidemann blocks the shot of Freeport’s Jayme Radvan on Tuesday.
Freeport’s Evie Tola hits against Mars’ Gabi Weidemann on Tuesday.
Freeport’s Jaisa Gaillot sets against Mars on Tuesday.
Mars’ Alyssa Genis hits against Freeport’s Payton Woods on Tuesday.
Freeport’s Emily Boylan hits against Mars’ Cecilia Christy on Tuesday.
Mars won the first two sets of Tuesday’s Section 2-2A girls volleyball clash with Freeport and hoped to finish off a clean sweep.
The Yellowjackets didn’t go down without a fight, however, and rallied to keep the match alive with a third-set triumph.
But in the end, the visiting Planets were just too much for the youthful Freeport group and were able to finish off a 3-1 victory to remain in sole possession of the section lead.
“It is always a battle with Freeport,” said Mars coach Tamara Caraway, who saw her team improve to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in the section.
“They never come in unprepared. They are always going to give us their best until the last ball hits the floor. They just don’t give up.”
Freeport fell to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the section. The Yellowjackets came into Tuesday’s match hoping to bounce back from last Thursday’s heartbreaking loss to Hampton that saw the Talbots rally from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
Freeport had momentum in the fourth set as it sought to push the match to its limit.
Sophomore Evie Tola delivered three kills in a six-point span as the Yellowjackets took an 11-9 lead.
But Mars came back to hold a 12-11 advantage and did not relinquish that lead the rest of the set.
The Planets finished off the set and the win as senior Rylee Woolridge and junior Reese Connelly delivered kills for the final points of the 25-16 win.
“We just took a step back, relaxed and just focused on playing our kind of volleyball,” Caraway said. “We had kids step up in every set. It can be anyone on any night.”
Freeport will seek a return to the win column Thursday in a nonsection match with Kiski Area.
“We are a very young team,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “Sometimes there are four or five sophomores and a couple of freshmen on the floor for us. You have to learn how to win. The road is a little tough for us right now just from the fact that we are so young.
“We’re talented, but we are making mistakes at critical times. That is something that we have to overcome, but that will hopefully come with experience.”
Mars jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first set with the help of a block from senior middle blocker Cecelia Christy.
Freeport clawed its way back and grabbed the lead at 9-8 on an ace from junior Jayme Radvan.
The Planets then took the lead back and made a run for a 17-9 advantage which prompted a Freeport timeout.
The Yellowjackets scored two points out of the timeout and started to get the momentum back on their side.
Wooridge extended Mars’ lead to 19-13 with a kill.
Freeport sophomore Emily Boylan’s powerful swing helped keep Freeport in the first set.
But the Planets made the plays they needed to close out the first set. Woolridge and Christy met at the net for a block that provided the final points in the 25-16 Mars win.
Mars opened a lead in Set 2 as a Christy kill gave the Planets an 8-2 lead.
But Freeport again fought its way back on the hitting strength of Radvan, Boylan and Tola as well as sophomores Lauren Helgren and senior Payton Woods.
The comeback was complete when Tola delivered a kill to tie the set at 22.
Freeport then took the lead, but Mars countered and tied it at 23 before going ahead 24-23 on a Woolridge kill.
A hitting error by the Planets tied the score at 24, but a Freeport serve into the net put Mars on the brink of the win. A Christy kill then finished off the 26-24 victory.
With their backs now against the wall, the Yellowjackets were able to stay alive in Set 3 with a rally from as much as a six-point deficit (13-7).
Down 20-16, Freeport scored five straight points, taking the lead on a Tola hit that wasn’t returned by the Mars defense.
Tola again came up big with a kill to put her team ahead 24-22. Boylan then finished off the win at 25-22 with a hit at the net.
“I can’t fault the effort of the girls,” Phillips said. “The effort was definitely there tonight.”
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
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