Fredonia sophomore Sophia Pagan and the rest of the Hillbillies volleyball team will play Aquinas Institute in the NYSPHSAA sub-regionals at Lake Shore High School at 6 tonight. P-J file photo by Christian Storms

For the first time since 1993, the Fredonia girls volleyball team is representing Section VI in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships when the Hillbillies host Section V champion Aquinas at Lake Shore High School at 6 tonight.

Fredonia knocked off defending champion Southwestern, which reached states for the first time in program history a year ago. The Trojans had little trouble when they played in the Far West Regionals, posting a sweep against Section V’s Livonia 25-19, 25-16, 25-21.

Fredonia is matched up against Aquinas, which was the 5-seed in the Section V tournament, posting wins over Dansville in a sweep, then a close five-match win over Waterloo, and closed out the title with consecutive sweeps of Penn Yan and Hornell.

Typically the battle between Section VI and V would be for a spot in the state semifinals, but this year the Class B showdown is a sub-regional and prequarterfinal matchup in the state tournament.

Either the Hillbillies or Little Irish will advance to the regionals against the Section IV champion at Candor High School on Saturday.

If Fredonia hopes to break into the state semifinals, it will not only have to defeat the Section V champion, but it will also have to play the Section IV champion, which produced the overall state champion last year.

But Fredonia can’t look ahead to a Saturday matchup until it takes care of business tonight and there are a couple of key players who could lead the Hillbillies to the regionals.

Fredonia’s biggest offensive force this year has been sophomore Londyn Wilmot, who leads the team with 118 kills, 41 aces and 10 assists. Wilmot also has provided 77 digs and 26 blocks.

Several of the seniors have seen the Fredonia program at its lowest and will now look to guide the squad to the highest parts of the state. Senior setter Maddie Saunders is the most important piece in setting up offense with 253 assists, 102 digs, 37 aces and 28 kills; senior Elizabeth Morris leads the team with 118 digs on top of her 92 kills; and fellow senior Lydia LaBarr is right behind with 103 digs and 55 kills.

What awaits the winner of tonight’s match is the newly crowned Section IV champion Windsor Black Knights. Windsor was the top seed in its sectional bracket and only needed to post sweeps of Oneonta and Chenango Valley for a spot in Saturday’s regional.

Defending state champion Lansing was the 5-seed, but was ousted by No. 4 Chenango Valley.