ONONDAGA COUNTY – With a new mindset partially forged by other circumstances, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls volleyball team tackled the two biggest matches of its season in a 48-hour span, and ultimately split them.
First, the Northstars dealt last Wednesday with a Baldwinsville side that had just suffered its first defeat to a Section III foe in seven-plus years when it fell to Fayetteville-Manlius two nights earlier. Then, on Friday, C-NS had to turn around and meet F-M itself, having beat the Hornets in five sets on March 25.
First there was B’ville, and the timing of the match may have not proved ideal for the Northstars, who were unable to gain a set against the Bees.
B’ville was best in the opening set, where it prevailed 25-19. Closer in each of the next two sets, C-NS could not quite earn the points needed to prolong the match as the Bees took them 25-20 and 25-23.
Cassidy Ormond still managed 18 assists, 17 digs and three aces. McKenna Johnston had eight kills and five digs, while Brooke Segars got seven kills and matched Hannah Mingle’s total of 10 digs.
Emma Koenig added six digs and three assists as Maddy Howell had three blocks, with Alita Santangelo and Natalie Tice adding three kills apiece. For B’ville, Kyrah Wilbur had 15 kills and eight digs, with Brooke Clute adding 13 kills and 10 digs as Jenna Garvey managed 26 assists and Catherine Iven had 15 digs.
Now came the match against F-M, and once again C-NS figured out the Hornets, handling the first two sets by solid margins of 25-19 and 25-18.
F-M did control the third set 25-15, but that proved a temporary reprieve. The Northstars took the lead in the fourth sets and didn’t let the Hornets catch up, closing out the match 25-20.
Johnston and Segars both produced 12 kills, with Johnston getting 15 digs and Segars 12 digs to help Mingle, who led the defense with 27 digs.
Aside from her 38 assists, Ormond managed 13 digs as Santangelo got five kills and Tice added four kills. On F-M’s side, Harper Stoppacher had 16 kills and Morgan Napier amassed 36 assists to go with 20 digs.
Before all this, C-NS had swept Jamesville-DeWitt 25-16, 25-22, 25-17 last Monday night, with Ormond getting 27 assists as she fed it to Segars (eight kills) and Johnston (seven kills), among others. Mingle had 16 digs and Segars added 13 digs as Mingle and Maddy Howell both served up six aces.
Liverpool began the week 0-5, but finally broke into the win column last Monday against West Genesee, needing three close sets to subdue the Wildcats 25-21, 25-23, 25-22.
