By Chris Hunn, Register Staff 

MIDDLETOWN — Again. Different year, but same story.The top-seeded Sachems swept the No. 4 Eagles 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-22) Wednesday in the Class M semifinals.

“It was just going to come down to that bracket,” Loch said. “This should’ve been a state final game. But I really thought if there was a team that was going to beat RHAM, this was the one that could do it.”

So instead of Law snapping its losing streak against RHAM and playing for its first state title, it will be the Sachems taking the floor for a chance at its third straight championship when they face No. 11 Barlow Saturday (1 p.m.) at Berlin.

Once again, in a rematch of last year’s state championship game, the Eagles got a taste of senior Tessa Smolinski, who led RHAM (24-0) with 10 digs, seven kills and four aces. Kelsey Welling added 13 kills and four blocks, while Ellie Linden had 25 assists.

For Law (21-3), it was Casey Dulin highlighting a losing effort with 11 digs, nine kills, five aces and two blocks. Caitlin Stapleton added 10 kills, eight digs and four blocks and Meaghan Abbott finished with 10 kills and seven digs.

In the first game, Law trailed 22-16 before rattling off a 7-1 run to knot the game at 23. Abbott capped the spurt, driving a kill past two leaping defenders.

“We always get down by five or six points, and then they always come back,” said Loch of her team. “I don’t know why they do it.”

But it wasn’t enough.

RHAM proved that, silencing Law’s run as Alie Carlson finished a kill to give the Sachems a one-point advantage. Then on the next play, RHAM closed out the win when a softly hit ball by Jocelyn
Taylor made its way to the floor in the middle of a confused Law defense.

“We never give up and never give in,” RHAM coach Tim Guernsey said. “We chased down a lot of balls tonight. There’s no give. They’re relentless.”

In the second game, Law was never able to regroup from a 12-5 run. An ace by Welling finished the run and gave the Sachems a 22-16 lead. Shortly after, Stapleton jumped in front of the net for a block, but Smolinski tapped the ball over the 6-footer’s outstretched arms and dropped to the floor for the win.

Law controlled most of the third game and Stapleton’s powerful kill on one of Jackie Kochiss’ 24 assists gave the Eagles a 20-16 lead. But RHAM responded and took a 22-21 advantage, its first of the game.

“You could just look across and see their faces,” Guernsey said. “They didn’t seem like they had any fight left. When we brought that ball back I knew they were in trouble.”

Law was able to even the score at 22 on another kill by Stapleton. But the Sachems finished off the Eagles with the next three points and Welling blocked a Stapleton hit to polish off the victory and keep RHAM’s winning streak against the Eagles intact.

And consequently, leaving Law looking ahead to next season.

“They even thought, we could do it, this was the year,” Loch said. “But now I know they’ll even be more amped up for next year.”