ROCHESTER HILLS - There was a stretch early in the opening set where Riverview Gabriel Richard middle hitter Kelsey Ferla hammered five straight kills to put her team up 13-4.

It was clear that the Whitmore Lake volleyball team had their hands full with Riverview’s 6-foot, 1-inch senior.

And in the end, Ferla, who finished with an impressive 21 kills, and her counterparts were too much for the Trojans, who were swept 3-0 (25-9, 25-18, 25-21) by the Pioneers in a Class C regional semifinal Tuesday at Lutheran High Northwest.

“Obviously, Kelsey is their offensive player,” said Whitmore Lake coach Kathy Coleman, whose team was, in fact, put on its heels by the entire Gabriel Richard team. “We play good teams that have offense like that, but a lot of times when they get in the back row we’re able to make up on the points. But (Gabriel Richard) have a lot of offense all the way around.”

The Pioneers breezed to a 25-9 first-set victory, fittingly capped by a pair of kills by Ferla.

The Trojans (25-13-3) appeared overwhelmed and undermanned against Gabriel Richard’s high-octane offense.

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