ROCHESTER —The Hayfield volleyball team came out swinging as it was able to advance to the Section 1A West title match for the fourth straight season.

The No. 2 seeded Vikings (23-5 overall) knocked off Medford (16-13 overall) by scores of 25-9, 25-15, 25-13 in the Section 1A West semifinals in Mayo Civic Center in Rochester Saturday.

Hayfield jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first set and it rolled from that point on.

“We were really excited to play here and during the playoffs you can’t take anything for granted,” said Hayfield junior Maggie Streightiff, who had nine kills, 19 set assists and 16 digs. “We knew that Medford was going to come out and play scrappy and we knew he had to be on our feet and ready to go.”

Hayfield’s front line did a lot of hitting in the win as Kate Kruger powered nine kills, Carrie Rutledge chipped in eight kills and Emily Sprau smashed seven kills. Kruger said the ambience of the Civic Center carried the Vikings to another level.

“There’s just something about being here that gets you pumped up,” Kruger said. “You know if you lose, you’re done so you’ve got to come to play. It’s always good to be the hitting team and you could see that today.”

Hayfield will now face the team that has ended its season in the last four years — FBA. The Cardinals swept Grand Meadow to get to the finals.

“We have an opportunity, maybe better than we’ve had in year’s past. We need to bring our ‘A’ game and bring confidence,” Hayfield head coach Jeremy Struck said. “This is definitely how we want to play. We all need to contribute in some way or form. We have to pass, set, swing and help on the bench. We really need that whole team concept to be successful.”

Hayfield stats: Maggie Streightiff, 9 kills, 19 set assists, 16 digs, 2 ace serves; Kate Kruger, 9 kills, 4 blocks; Carrie Rutledge, 8 kills, 13 digs, 2 blocks; Emily Sprau, 7 kills, 5 digs, 5 blocks; Olivia Matti 4 kills, 9 digs, 3 aces