GRAND MEADOW — The No. 2 seeded Grand Meadow volleyball team hasn’t always been the favorite in playoff matches, but that was the case in a Section 1A West quarterfinal against No. 7 Randolph in GM Thursday night.

The Superlarks took care of business and they advanced to the Section 1A West semifinals for the third consecutive year after they swept the Rockets (9-13 overall) by scores of 25-15, 25-9, 25-18.

The Superlarks (24-9 overall) haven’t won a tournament match in Mayo Civic Center in program history and they’re hoping that will change when they play against No. 3 Faribault Bethlehem Academy in Rochester at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

“We knew we just had to come into this one knowing how we can play and to work our hardest. We had a goal to get back to the Civic Center this year,” GM libero Isabelle Olson said. “[Winning in Civic Center] is our biggest goal this year. We just said in the huddle that we’re going to Ciivic Center and our goal is to win.”

GM controlled the pace against Randolph for much of the night as it was led by Kailtyn Hilton, who had eight kills, five aces and five digs and Riley Queensland, who had 10 kills. GM co-head coach Alex Peterson said that the team was able to sharpen up its focus in Thursday’s win.

“We challenged the mental game of staying in it and staying focused. Randolph can have a really strong offense, but tonight they had two girls out so they weren’t their typical selves,” Peterson said. “It was nice to get the playoff jitters out and it was fun to have our last match at home. It was a good match for us to try some new things on offense and get some challenges with some stuff that we don’t normally run.”

While GM has a lot of experience on its side from a group that has racked up three straight 20-win seasons, it also has some new players stepping up like sophomore Hailey Hindt, who has emerged as a strong hitter up front.

“I’ve trusted the other hitters, the passers and the setters that they’re going to get the ball there,” Hindt said. “I’ve also trusted the other blockers on our team. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a good time.”

GM stats: Jordyn Glynn: 4 digs, 6 kills, 9 set assists; Kaitlyn Hilton, 5 digs, 8 kills, 5 aces; Riley Queensland, 10 kills, 1 block; Hailey Hindt, 4 kills, 2 blocks; Kylie Fenton-Musel, 2 blocks; Isabelle Olson, 7 digs; Meghan Eastlee, 13 set assists; Madison Hindt, 6 set assists