WESTWOOD — When first-year Franklin head coach Chris Ridolfi took over the Panthers, the players he inherited made it abundantly clear to him that their goal was to make it to the state volleyball final.

As lofty as that might have seemed, it came to fruition for fifth-seeded Franklin on Wednesday night at Westwood High’s Bader Gymnasium.

The Panthers received standout performances from seniors Makayla Kuykendall and Olivia Alberti to end the Cinderella run of No. 16 Newton South with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) sweep and advance to the state final for the first time in program history.

“The first day I met them they told me they wanted to be in the state final,” Ridolfi said. “We were cleaning the closet, way before preseason just checking volleyballs and the net system and Mak and Liv

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