Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars celebrates a point against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars (9) Gabi Weidemann taps the ball over Freeport (7) Payton Woods in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars (9) Gabi Weidemann digs the ball against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars (12) Lily Javor spikes on Freeport (24) Caylee Zembrzuski in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars celebrates a point against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Freeport celebrates a game two win against Mars in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Freeport (1) Nina Pagano digs the ball against Mars in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars (14) Hailey Duker digs the ball against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars vs Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars celebrates a point against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (9) Gabi Weidemann taps the ball over Freeport (7) Payton Woods in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (9) Gabi Weidemann digs the ball against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (12) Lily Javor spikes on Freeport (24) Caylee Zembrzuski in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars celebrates a point against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Freeport celebrates a game two win against Mars in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Freeport (1) Nina Pagano digs the ball against Mars in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
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Mars (14) Hailey Duker digs the ball against Freeport in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Freeport Middle School. (Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle)
Mars girls volleyball coach Tami Caraway has tried to instill in her players an appreciation for the process of becoming a title contender and not just the end goal.
“There's a quote from John Wooden that we talk to the girls about,” she said after Thursday’s five-set win over Freeport.
That quote from the college basketball coaching legend is: “The teams that compete at the highest level love the thrill of the contest. They may have winning in their heads, but they have a love for the effort and struggle in their hearts.”
Mars has been enjoying its run this season. The Planets are 14-4 and finished a perfect 10-0 in section play with Thursday’s victory. Now they head into the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs as a No. 2 seed.
Related Article: Meet the Top 11 girls volleyball players to watch in Butler County ahead of 2024 PIAA season
The brackets were announced Friday afternoon.
The Planets will host a first-round game at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the winner of a play-in game between No. 15 Derry and No. 18 Albert Gallatin.
A win would match them up a few days later against Indiana or Montour, and then a possible third meeting with No. 6 Freeport could await in the semifinals.
It’s been an impressive season already for the Planets, who have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs the past nine years.
They swept Freeport in the teams’ first meeting in September, a stunning result against a team that had won at least a share of a section title for 19 straight years. Then they beat the same Yellowjackets, who saw their streak end before Thursday, again in five sets.
Mars girls volleyball earned the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Class 3A tournament, which was announced Friday. Justin Guido/Special to the Eagle
Junior middle hitter Cecilia Christy has anchored a deadly attack, and Rylee Wooldridge, a junior, has been one of the outside hitters benefiting from the attention Christy draws.
“It's a different environment,” Wooldridge said. “Everybody is so excited to play in the games and show up at practice. It's been great to be part of it.”
“We have respect for other teams, but also a lot of confidence in our own abilities,” Christy said.
But one thing missing for the program in its previous eight postseason trips is any sort of run. Mars has not advanced past the quarterfinals the previous eight seasons. It hopes to end that trend in the coming weeks.
Related Article: Mars girls volleyball wins 5-set thriller over Freeport, caps unbeaten season in WPIAL section
“We've been doing some things well, but still need to improve. We know as a team, we can reach another level,” Caraway said.
Here are the first-round WPIAL postseason matchups involving Butler County teams:
Class 4A
Third-seed North Catholic has first round bye and will host the winner of No. 6 Peters Township and No. 11 Kiski in a quarterfinal Thursday at a time to be determined.
Class 3A
First round: Winner of No. 18 Albert Gallatin/No. 15 Derry at No. 2 Mars, 7 p.m. Wednesday
No. 11 Ringgold at No. 6 Freeport, 7 p.m. Wednesday
Class 1A
First round: No. 13 Union at No. 4 Saint Joseph, 7 p.m. Tuesday
