The Northampton girls volleyball team won their final four matches of the season on the way to an 11-7 record and the sixth seed in the EPC tournament.

On Saturday they faced off with third-seeded Emmaus in the EPC quarterfinals. The Hornets, who entered the match as the eighth-ranked 4A team in the state, had swept all 6 sets against the K-Kids in their two regular season meetings.

After dropping the first set 25-14, it appeared that the trend would continue. However in the second set, Northampton battled out to a 17-15 lead before a series of events turned the tide toward Emmaus.

A cameraman who was standing on Northampton’s side of the court in Emmaus’ cramped auxiliary gymnasium got in the way of the K-Kids’ attempt at a ball going out of bounds. On the playground, there would have been a “do over,” but the point went to Emmaus.

There were three other disputed calls in the remainder of the set, two of which went against the Kids, and the Hornets took the second set 25-19.

The Northampton players and coaches were visibly frustrated with the officiating, but the team dug in and won the third set 25-21.

Emmaus took the fourth set 25-11 and advanced to the EPC semifinals. The Hornets beat Freedom on Tuesday, 25-23, 26-24, 26-24. They play Parkland in the final tonight at Central Catholic.

Head coach Mike Holihan explained the loss of momentum. “We used a lot of our tank of gas. I think the girls were really high and they put a lot of work into it,” he said. “The adrenaline was flowing in the third set and then they weren’t able to keep up it up after the set was over. They (Emmaus) made some adjustments and we lost our energy.”

Naomi Nebiyou led the team with 6 kills and had 11 digs. Payton Reuber had 4 kills and 5 blocks. Elana Erdman notched 3 kills and 10 digs. Setter Molly Hughes had 13 assists. Morgan Hughes led the team with 12 digs.

The next match for Northampton will be on the road in the quarterfinals of districts on Thursday, October 28. Once again, they will be the sixth seed. If Emmaus beats Parkland for the EPC championship, the K-Kids will play Freedom. Otherwise, they will face the Hornets for the fourth time this year.