Solvay — One set from seeing its season come to an end, and playing on the road, the Skaneateles girls volleyball made its most memorable stand of the 2015 season.
The no. 3 seed Lakers came from behind to defeat the no. 2 seed Solvay Bearcats in five sets to claim Thursday night’s Section III Class C semifinal and earn a state in next Wednesday’s final against top seed and defending champion Cazenovia at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall at 1 p.m.
Skaneateles and Solvay had met twice in the regular season, and split those matches, the Bearcats winning in four sets on its home floor Sept. 17, but the Lakers retaliating in a five-set battle on Oct. 6 where it twice led, twice squandered that lead and still prevailed.
Here, in the third and most important match between these sides, it was Skaneateles again getting the jump, steadily leading throughout the first set and ultimately taking it by a 25-20 margin.
And the Lakers nearly got up 2-0, but in a tightly played second set Solvay pulled it out, 25-23, and carried that momentum over to the third set, where it won its own 25-20 decision to push Skaneateles to the brink.
Yet the fourth set ended up resembling the first, with the Lakers grabbing the early edge and then trading points with the Bearcats. Ultimately, Skaneateles held on, 25-22, and the match went to a final set.
Early in that fifth set, there were six lead changes, but when the Lakers went up 14-9, it seemed to deflate Solvay, who never could regain its footing. By a margin of 25-19, Skaneateles had kept its season alive.
The solid foundation was laid by a back line where Margaret Canty managed 23 assists to go with her nine kills and two aces, while Cassidy Pitman had 15 assists and five digs. Emma Goodell anchored the defense with 18 digs, though Olivia Nye, with eight digs, helped out.
continued — Kelsey Kraetz was sensational on the front line, recording 15 kills and nine blocks. Bailey Herr and Jessica Patalino had eight kills apiece, with Herr adding seven digs and two aces, and Patalino getting two blocks. Bella Falcone got three aces and two blocks, with Mia Grasso earning two kills and three digs.
Solvay, in defeat, saw Jackie Allen amass 25 kills and 25 digs, with Mackenzie McCarthy adding 32 assists, 10 digs, three kills, three blocks and three aces. Taylor Preble finished with 20 digs. Anna Rolince had seven kills and four blocks as Mikayla Knight earned six kills and five digs. Delana Thomas added eight digs.
Skaneateles (11-7) seeks to avenge a pair of regular-season three-set losses (on Sept. 24 and Oct. 13) to Cazenovia, who swept Hannibal in the other Class C semifinal to improve its record to 17-1. The winner advances to the Nov. 14 Class C regional final at Chittenango High School.
