If the Seabury Academy girls volleyball team is going to make a deep run into the state tournament, it will need strong play from its freshmen.

Six freshmen are on the roster, and four play significant minutes.

During Tuesday’s home triangular, in which the Seahawks went 2-0 with wins over Kansas City Lutheran and K.C. Barstow, it was the freshmen who paved the way to victory.

“If you look at the ninth-graders that played tonight, they all played a lot,” Seabury coach Craig Friedrichsen said of freshmen Emily Palan, Melissa Burch, Gabrielle Dillon and Bria Phipps. “That group of kids … they are athletic, confident, and every match they get better. After our last quad, I told the team that our success rests dearly on how well the ninth-graders do.”

In its opening match against K.C. Lutheran, Seabury won, 25-23, 20-25, 25-18, thanks in large part to those freshmen. Early in the deciding game three, Dillon had four consecutive aces to give Seabury a 6-3 lead.

The Seahawks never looked back, going on an 11-1 run, pushing the score to 21-11. Phipps served during most of the run, adding an ace of her own in the process.

K.C. Lutheran made a run and cut it to 22-18, but a powerful kill by Burch finished off the 25-18 victory.

Seabury Academy's Melissa Burch, right, goes up for a block against Kansas City Lutheran's Datie Hoy during Tuesday's triangular meet at Seabury.

The freshmen largely were responsible for the game-clinching performance, and the rest of the Seabury team noticed.

“This is the best group of freshmen that I think Seabury has ever had,” said senior Lindsey Ahlen, who had a team-high 17 kills against K.C. Lutheran. “They learn things really fast and have actually begun to take leadership roles. They are awesome.”

As a whole, the freshmen may have helped Seabury to the victory, but the best individual effort Tuesday came from Ahlen. The four-year veteran recorded eight of her 17 kills in the deciding game three. She also had two blocks.

“She is the player that makes us go,” Friedrichsen said. “She did an outstanding job tonight and has been doing great all season long.”

The win was Seabury’s sixth in its last eight games, after the Seahawks tied for first Saturday in the Hartford Invitational.

In the second game against Barstow, the Seahawks swept with identical scores of 25-18. Ahlen was big again, with 12 kills in the match.

The freshmen also came up big against Barstow. Down 14-11 in game one, Dillon served eight straight points.

“Those points were huge,” Friedrichsen said of the run.

In game two, Dillon had an ace to make the score 24-18, and a kill by Ahlen finished off the sweep. It was the second consecutive year that Seabury beat K.C. Lutheran and Barstow on the same day.

“They are two tough teams that make you play hard for every point,” Friedrichsen said. “We have now won seven of our last nine and we’re just playing terrific. The girls are really growing up.”

Seabury will travel Saturday to the Olpe Invitational.