The Aquinas Academy girls volleyball team is headed to the WPIAL Class A semifinals for the first time in program history after defeating No. 6 seed Trinity Christian, 3-1, Thursday evening in front of a packed and energetic crowd at Rhodora Gymnasium on the Aquinas Academy campus. The third-seeded Crusaders took the opening two sets, 26-24 and 25-23, before Trinity Christian battled back to win the third, 25-21. Aquinas responded with a 25-18 victory in the fourth set to close out the match. The two teams were familiar with one another heading into Thursday's quarterfinal. Aquinas and Trinity Christian split their regular-season section meetings, with each team winning on its home court. Senior Kay Chufo turned in an outstanding performance, earning Player of the Game honors. Fellow senior Katie Tarquinio also had a strong evening, delivering the final kill of the match to send the Crusaders into the semifinals. Senior Megan Policicchio came up with several big digs throughout the match, while junior Myah Gaydosz was a force at the net, recording a number of important blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Claire Bandurski also contributed several clutch kills for Aquinas. Following the match, head coach Jenny Chufo credited her team's ability to work together and the leadership of her seniors. "When we play as a team and play together, good things happen," said Chufo. "Our senior leadership helps us dig out of pressure situations." Chufo also had plenty of praise for the Aquinas student section and the home crowd, which kept Rhodora Gymnasium loud throughout the evening. She credited the atmosphere with giving her team a significant home-court advantage, particularly during the closely contested opening sets. The Aquinas coach also spoke about the importance of taking the match one point at a time. She stressed that every point matters and acknowledged that her team can sometimes lose focus, allowing a few mistakes to turn into a difficult stretch. Chufo emphasized the need for her players to avoid getting into their own heads when things aren't going their way. Instead, she wants them to trust one another, stay focused on the next point and continue playing together. That mindset was particularly important after Trinity Christian took the third set. Rather than allowing the momentum to shift further, Aquinas responded with a strong fourth set to finish the match. The victory sends Aquinas into the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in school history. The Crusaders will face No. 2 seed Serra Catholic, which reached last year's WPIAL championship before falling to Eden Christian. Eden enters this year's tournament as the No. 1 seed. Aquinas will face Serra Catholic on Monday, November 2, with the time and location to be announced. The Crusaders are now one win away from their first appearance in the WPIAL championship match. --- Follow Aquinas Athletics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aquinascrusaders/ Follow Aquinas Athletics on X: https://x.com/AquinasAD For the latest Aquinas Academy Athletics news, schedules, results and more, visit: https://aquinascrusaders.org/ #GoAquinas #AquinasAthletics