Given the toughest possible opening assignment, the East Syracuse Minoa girls volleyball team suffered a brief setback, but rebounded with back-to-back wins before hitting its December slate.
The Spartans had to face Whitesboro in its Nov. 21 opener, and the Warriors, coming off winning the Section III Class A winter championship last February, prevailed in four sets.
ESM got the jump, taking the first set 25-17, but from there Whitesboro took over, claiming the second set 25-18 and hanging on 25-20 in the third set before a 25-10 romp in the fourth.
Shaina Brilbeck still had 21 assists for the Spartans as Riley Abbott got eight kills and six aces, while Olivia Fortuno had six kills. Gillianne McCarthy got four kills and Franchesca Polcaro earned three aces, plus six digs. Cameron Boehlert led Whitesboro with eight kills, 16 digs and four aces.
After the Thanksgiving weekend, ESM was back in action last Monday night, at Rome Free Academy, where it swept past the Black Knights 25-20, 25-20, 25-16 for its first win of the season.
McCarthy set the tone with eight aces to go with her five kills. Fortuno again had six kills as Skyler Mahoney contributed three kills. Brilbeck had 11 assists and four aces. Polcaro contributed five digs.
ESM played again Thursday against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill and pulled off its first sweep of the season, improving to 2-1 as it put away the Red Devils 25-14, 25-18, 25-19.
Again, things were spread out on the front line, McCarthy leading with six kills as Fortuno put away seven aces while joining Abbott and Mahoney earning three kills. Brilbeck, in addition to her 14 assists, finished with three aces.
Meanwhile, Christian Brothers Academy opened last Tuesday by hosting Cortland, where it prevailed in four sets. The Brothers won the opener 25-22 and, after dropping the second set 25-15, closed out the Purple Tigers 25-20 and 25-18 in the next two sets.
Through it all, Kristen DeLorenzo stood out for CBA, not only getting 25 digs, but earning six aces and three kills as Anna Jenkins chimed in with 18 assists, three kills, five digs and two aces.
Elsewhere, Grace Glowaki had eight kills and three digs, with Bella Roberson earning seven kills and five blocks. Delaney Della Donna got five aces and six digs as she, along with Jaedyn Congel, matched DeLorenzo with three kills.
CBA had another match Thursday against Cato-Meridian and blasted the Blue Devils 25-5 in the first set, doing the same 25-11 in the third set after a close second set went 28-26 in the Brothers’ favor.
Della Donna had 11 aces to go with six kills, while DeLorenzo contributed 10 aces, three kills and five digs. Jenkins finished with 12 assists as Glowaki got five kills. Congel and Roberson had three kills apiece.
Manlius-Pebble Hill began its season against Weedsport last Tuesday, and although the second set was close, it still fell to the Warriors 25-11, 25-20, 25-16.
Halle Erwin paced the Trojans with seven kills, with Ren Brown getting seven assists, three aces, two kills and five digs. Defensively, Claudia Cook and Liv Bigtree had nine digs apiece as Erwin got seven digs. Taylor Hunter was Weedsport’s top performer thanks to 10 aces and eight assists.
But then MPH had to go to Tully on Thursday, and though it put up a good effort in each of the sets, it still fell 25-18, 25-18, 25-16 to the Black Knights.
Brown had eight assists, six digs, two aces and two kills, while Erwin had eight digs and five kills. Cook also had eight digs and Bigtree five digs as Emma Byrne gave Tully 12 assists, six aces and nine digs.
