DERRY – Upstart Goffstown High spoiled the expected showdown between the two top seeds in the Division I girls' volleyball tournament by knocking off top-seeded Merrimack, 3-1, in the second of two semifinal matches Wednesday at Pinkerton Academy.

The fourth-seeded Grizzlies (17-4) return her Saturday (5 p.m) to face second-seeded Salem (20-1).

The Blue Devils ran their win streak to 20 matches by sweeping away third-seeded Dover (17-4), 3-0 in the early match

Goffstown 3, Merrimack 1

Merrimack coach Tammy Lambrou said she thought her team played tight last year when it was the top seed and lost to Hollis/Brookline in the championship match. She saw the same kind of tenseness again Wednesday as the Tomahawks (19-2) struggled all match against the Grizzlies before falling 26-24, 25-14, 19-25 and 25-23.

“We haven't been able to practice or touch a ball since Saturday,” said Lambrou, whose team couldn't get into its gym in the aftermath of the recent tropical storm. “That made it difficult, but when it came down to it, Goffstown played better and we played nervous.”

The Grizzlies, now in their 11th year as a program, had never advanced past the quarterfinals, but coach Matt Leonard said his team set its goal of getting to the finals this season.

With the leadership of senior captains Abby Cook and Jennifer Cashin and the emerging front line of junior Jessica Williamson and sophomores Jennifer Hawley and Rene Roggenbuck, the Grizzlies never buckled against the more athletic and experienced Tomahawks.

Goffstown took early leads in every game and fought off several late charges by Merrimack. The turning point may have come in the third game when the Grizzlies, after splitting the first two games, squandered an early 8-1 lead and found themselves down 11-9. They responded by winning seven of the next eight points to go ahead for good.

A flying kill by Williamson for the final point of the fourth game closed out the match.

Salem 3, Dover 0

The Blue Devils never panicked as they reeled off their 20th straight win. They trailed the Green Wave at some point in each game, but relied on their depth to answer each time to post wins of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-20.

“We feel like we'll eventually fall into our rhythm,” Salem coach John Roemer said. “We can handle the dogfight longer than most teams.”

Olivia Burke set the tone, dominating at the net to spark an 8-1 run that broke a 15-all tie in the first game.

“That pumped us up,” Rachel Morrissey said. “I think we just keep fighting.”

The Blue Devils won four of the last five points in the second game, capped off by Alyssa Kolbert's kill on the final point. And, finally, it was behind Morrissey's serve that Salem ran off eight straight points to come back from being down 13-10 in the third and final game to firmly take control.

“When someone needs to step up, they step up,” Roemer said

The Blue Devils had to overcome a dominating effort by Dover's Molly Wotton, an athletic senior who had seven kills in the second game.

However, the Green Wave had too many unforced errors to hold any lead they built.

Dover, in its fifth year as a program, was in the tournament for the third straight year and had never gotten out of the first round before.

“We had a lot of unforced errors and a lot of it was first-time jitters,” Dover coach Colleen Harte said. “There were some nerves and it showed. Overall, it was a wonderful season.”

While Goffstown is making its first appearance in the finals, the Blue Devils will be gunning for their fifth title (first since 2007). They are making their eighth trip to the championship game since 1992.