ONONDAGA COUNTY – With little time to recuperate following its own Hornet Pride Tournament on Sept. 14, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls volleyball team immediately found itself in tough SCAC Metro division competition.
The Hornets faced West Genesee last Monday night and nearly let two leads get away before beating the Wildcats in four sets.
A tough first set went 25-20 in F-M’s favor, but it lost the second 25-17. Then the Hornets won the third 25-16, only to have WG drag out the fourth set with several possible end points before F-M, by a 29-27 margin, finished it.
Through all of it, Kalyna Dannenberg dominated at the net amasssing 22 kills helped by Malana Noble, who had 11 kills and put up 22 digs to lead the defense. Larah Schepp had 19 digs and Madeline Housel 14 digs as Lalia Duggal, who got nine digs, passed it often to Dannenberg and Noble on her way to 27 assists.
Two nights later, it was F-M against Cicero-North Syracuse, and it turned into quite a battle, the Hornets surrendering a two-set advantage but hanging on to beat the Northstars in five.
A dominant 25-14 first set was followed by F-M holding off C-NS 25-22 in the second, but that cushion faded when the Northstars tore through the third set 25-11 and carried it over into a 25-20 fourth set.
Only in the final-set race to 15 did the Hornets fully regroup, winning it 15-11 largely on Dannenbeg’s 32 kills and Duggal’s 47 assists as Noble (22 digs) and Schepp (20 digs) were terrific on defense, Kara Evans contributing five kills.
For C-NS, Grace Murray got close to Dannenberg’s numbers with her 24 kills with help from Grace Turrell’s nine kills. Kendall Rumble, with 21 assists, and Payton LaMott with 10 assists split back-line work as Allison Navarra recorded 19 digs.
Jamesville-DeWitt faced its biggest match of the young season when it hosted Fulton last Friday night, the Red Rams entering the match at 4-1 and the Red Dragons undefeated at 5-0.
Yet it was J-D who controlled matters from the outset, rolling to a 25-15 victory in the first set. Fulton pushed in the second, but the Rams took it 25-21 and then pulled away again in another 25-15 decision in the third set for the sweep.
Alana Bates excelled on the back line, notching eight digs and five aces. Aaliyah Anderson, with her five kills, led a well-balanced front line where Quinn Pfister and Ellyana Deng each got four kills. Lyla Commandeur and Merris Kessler had three kills apiece. Helping them, Yeva Balayan put up eight assists, adding three aces, with Lacey Phaneuf getting seven assists.
Back on Tuesday, J-D routed Auburn 25-9, 25-13, 25-17. Phaneuf had nine assists and Balayan eight assists passing it to a front line where Pfister led with six kills. Deng and Commandeur each got four kills, Riley Tuite adding seven digs as Anderson and Kessler both finished with three kills.
Bishop Grimes took on Living Word Academy last Monday in its only match of the week and, after dropping the first set 25-22, took the next three sets from the Lions by scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-20.
Ava Christodoulou dominated on the back line for the Cobras, putting up 18 assists and adding 14 digs. Kayla Duenkel finished with 10 kills and two blocks. Riley Abernethy had five kills and five blocks.
