SARANAC LAKE – Coach Mike Navarra has never heard about the Saranac Lake volleyball team winning a playoff match before. And if that’s the case, and Saranac Lake hasn’t tasted victory in the postseason, then the Red Storm just notched their biggest win ever on Wednesday.

Competing at home in front of their always boisterous fans, the Red Storm rolled to a three-game sweep over Saranac Central in the semifinal round of the Section VII, Class C playoffs.

After knocking off the Chiefs, Saranac Lake now has the opportunity to attempt to pull off an even more monumental achievement Saturday when it takes on Northeastern Clinton in the Class C championship match, which will be held at Saranac Central starting at 2 p.m.

After splitting their two matches with the Chiefs during the regular season, and with a chance to play for a title on the line, the Red Storm turned in one of their top performances to date and rolled to a 25-19, 25-11 and 25-13 triumph. Saranac Lake headed into the postseason as the second seed and improved to 9-8 overall with the win.

“That’s the first playoff game that we’ve ever won that I’m aware of, but I’m pretty sure that’s the first one,” Navarra said. “A very historic victory and probably one of the best games we’ve played all year because Saranac is a tough team. I think we were able to challenge a very, very tough team and get them off balance.

“Defensively we got the ball up,” Navarra continued. “Our setters were able to put the ball up for our offense to attack, and I think that made a difference in our entire game. We haven’t been able to put the ball down a lot this season. Tonight we were able to put the ball down.”

The first game was the closest, and once the Red Storm broke free from an 11-11 tie thanks to a pair of aces served up by Morgan Farmer, they were never threatened on the way to a 25-19 win. Saranac Lake cruised out to a 14-3 lead in the second game, and had a similar run in the third, erasing an early 2-0 deficit by scoring nine straight points.

Navarra said everyone who stepped on the floor played a roll in the victory. Farmer had a big night for Saranac Lake on offense and defense, finishing with 18 points, including 8 aces, and she also chipped in 11 digs and eight kills. Kaitlyn Smith served up a team-high 19 points in the win, and also led the way with 17 assists. Olivia Atkinson paced the defensive effort with 14 digs, and Andrea Boon led the Red Storm at the net with 11 kills.

Maddie Hoeth, who came up from the junior varsity, led the Chiefs with 9 points, and Paytyn Lehman recorded a team-high 19 digs in the loss. The Red Storm held an overwhelming 33-7 advantage in kills.

“They executed, they found the holes,” said coach Mary LaDuke, whose Chiefs finished with a 5-12 record overall. “They did a lot of tipping and we were more prepared for attacks, kills, hard hit balls. They ran a great offense. Our kids were off the net more than we were on it. We were not ready for the tip over the block.”

The challenge now for the Red Storm is taking down a Cougars team that swept them in both matches during the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference’s regular season. NCCS is the top seed and also posted a 3-0 semifinal shutout victory Wednesday over AuSable Valley to reach the championship match. The Cougars head into the contest with a 13-4 mark.

“They’ve beaten us twice, we haven’t won a set against Northeastern Clinton this year, and the our girls’ psyche is, ‘Can we get past them? and I think that they can,” Navarra said. “I think if we come prepared, get some rest and have the metal state that they are confident and play well, I honestly think we can beat that team.

“Playoffs are different than the regular season. You get pumped up for the playoffs,” Navarra added. “We didn’t idle through tonight. They actually had their engines revved up, their mind was there, their bodies were there. Everyone contributed.”

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Saranac Lake 3, Saranac Central 0

25-19, 25-11, 25-13

Saranac – N. Donah 1 dig; Parrotte 12 digs; Hoeth 9 points, 2 aces, 8 digs; Snider 6 points, 1 ace, 2 kills, 15 digs; Lehman 19 digs, 1 block; Trudeau 1 point, 1 ace, 5 assists, 10 digs, 2 blocks; K. Donah 1 dig; Wiedeman 3 kills, 2 digs, 2 blocks; Holzer 4 points, 2 kills, 1 dig; Ducatte 1 point.

Saranac Lake – Meadows 5 points, 1 ace, 11 assists; Sapone 8 points, 1 assist, 7 kills, 8 digs; Smith 19 points, 17 assists, 2 kills, 4 digs; Gonyea 1 assist, 1 kill; Atkinson 3 points, 1 kill, 14 digs; Martin 3 kills, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 dig; Boon 12 points, 11 kills, 1 dig; Farmer 18 points, 8 kills, 11 digs.