ONONDAGA COUNTY – When the Jamesville-DeWitt girls volleyball team put away Fulton in three sets on Sept. 20, it again established itself as the area sectional Class A favorites.
Yet when the Red Rams stepped up in competition to take on Class AA West Genesee last Monday night, it could not quite overcome a slow start and lost in five sets to the Wildcats.
After a close first set 25-21, WG dominated the second 25-21. It was here that J-D reclaimed its good form, controlling both the third and fourth sets to win them by equal 25-16 margins.
Now, though, the Wildcats regrouped and, taking control again in the final set, won the match 15-6, led by Sidney Hamilton’s 25 assists and 14 digs as Isabella Vallely added 11 kills.
Meanwhile, on J-D’s side there was Aaliyah Anderson getting 10 kills and 20 digs as three others – Quinn Pfister, Merris Kessler and Audrey Turner – had five kills apiece. Lyla Commandeur added four blocks as Yeva Balayan got 13 assists and 16 digs. Lacey Phaneuf earned 10 assists, with Hannah Trevisani earning 17 digs and Alana Bates adding 13 digs.
J-D got back to the win column on Wednesday sweeping Oswego 25-17, 25-18, 25-20. Balayan (eight assists) and Phaneuf (seven assists) split up passes to a front line where Kessler had four kills and three blocks. Anderson and Commandeur also had four kills as Anderson led the team with seven digs.
But then came Friday’s match against Westhill, a Class B state finalist in 2023 who remained in top form here handing J-D a 25-22, 25-16, 25-8 defeat.
Bates still had 10 digs, Trevisani adding nine digs as Balayan and Anderson each had eight digs. Kessler produced four kills and four blocks, Anderson adding five kills and Ellyana Deng three kills. Phaneuf and Balayan had five assists apiece.
Fayetteville-Manlius returned to action last Wednesday and routed Henninger 25-3 and 25-10 in the first set before using reserves in a long third set that ended 30-28 in the Hornets’ favor.
Kalyna Dannenberg still had time to pick up eight kills, with Megan Kolceski adding four kills. Madeline Housel got seven aces and earned 14 assists helped on the back line by Larah Schepp with her five assists. Malana Noble and Jessica Beasley each had three assists to match Dannenberg.
Bishop Grimes was victorious last Tuesday against Syracuse Academy of Science, peaking with a 25-7 second set in between an opening set of 25-16 and a third set where the Cobras put away the Atoms 25-18.
Kayla Duenkel led Grimes with 11 kills. Riley Abernethy gained six kills, with Olivia Vitale earning three aces as she and Elizabeth Corl got four kills apiece. Ava Christodoulou earned 25 assists and Gabby St. James had five digs.
Grimes followed Thursday with a 25-3, 25-3, 25-8 romp over Syracuse OnTech, the Cobras’ sixth consecutive victory as it faced a key clash with Hamilton this week with first place in the OHSL Patriot National division at stake.
