SACO — The playoffs are approaching fast, and once again, the Gorham volleyball team seems to be finding the right time to hit its stride.

The Rams erased a late deficit in the first set and escaped a double-digit hole in the second set en route to a 3-1 victory Thursday night against Thornton Academy. It was their second win this season over the No. 1 team in the Varsity Maine poll.

Gorham, the three-time defending Class A champion, won the first two sets by 25-23 scores, dropped the third 25-22, then wrapped up the match with another 25-23 margin in the fourth.

The victory seemed to send a statement: Overlook the champs at your own risk.

“We’ve definitely heard a lot of stuff going on about (how) everyone wants to beat us,” said senior setter Liana Edwards, who had 30 assists — including the 800th of her career — to go with 14 kills. “I feel like we just use that as fuel to win against these big teams.”

• Gorham (10-3) trailed 20-17 in the first set, but after coach Emma Tirrell called a timeout, the Rams came out recharged. They pulled even at 20, worked to a 23-23 tie, then clinched the set on an Abigail Stevens kill and a Kasey Plaud ace.

• Thornton (11-2), led by three Lotus Porter kills, took a 16-6 lead in the second set, but Tirrell again called timeout, and the Rams again stormed back. Gorham won 12 of the next 13 points, getting three kills from Stevens, and prevailed through a back-and-forth finish when a long Trojans serve and violation broke a 23-23 tie.

• After Thornton stayed alive by securing the final four points of the third set, Gorham won a fourth set that was tied 16 times. The Rams got four kills apiece from Stevens, Edwards and Sophie MacIsaac.

In all four sets, Gorham was the last team to reach 15 points. The Rams won three of them.

Call it big-game experience paying off.

“We’ve all fought (back from) gaps like that,” Edwards said. “It’s just so important that all of us have that grit.”

Stevens said the team has learned not to be phased by being down on the scoreboard.

“It’s just us having confidence in our skills and our practice,” Stevens said. “It’s just trusting each other. We just have to take it point by point, and I think that is a really big game-changer for us.”

Earlier this season, Gorham lost three of four matches — to York, Cheverus and Washington Academy — causing it to fall out of the top spot in the Class A Heal point standings. The Rams knew, however, that the short slump did little to affect their championship chances.

“I haven’t had an undefeated (regular) season since 2018, and we lost states that year,” Tirrell said. “We don’t take losses lightly … but we also know that it’s not a big deal, and what really matters is the games in late October.”

Gorham’s Brooklyn Shaw, a sophomore, came off the bench to make a difference late in the fourth set. She had three kills that put the Rams ahead 16-15, 18-17 and 23-22.

• Gorham: Liana Edwards (30 assists, 14 kills, two aces), Abigail Stevens (18 kills), Sophie MacIsaac (nine kills)

• Thornton Academy: Sarah Berg (12 kills, six aces), Lotus Porter (nine kills), Ryleigh Light (seven kills, three aces), Sophie von Meyer (six kills)

• “I think this game taught us a lot about ourselves and our team and our starting lineup, and kind of things that we need to work on. We consider this a playoff game, even though it’s the end of the regular season. But from here on out, we’re kind of in playoff mode.” — Thornton coach Kayla Arthurs

• “I don’t think it’s anything we worry about. It’s great matches. That’s definitely something we look forward to.” — Arthurs, on whether losses to Gorham cause frustration.

• “She needs to swing hard, and it always goes our way when she does. … I’m so proud of how aggressive she’s become, because there were games last year when she’d barely swing at all because she was scared. Now she swings all the time.” — Tirrell, on Abigail Stevens