After defeats of various magnitude in the first days of 2019, the girls volleyball teams from East Syracuse Minoa and Christian Brothers Academy got back into the win column.
For the Spartans, who fell Jan. 3 to Whitesboro in four sets, that meant hosting Rome Free Academy and this time winning by that same margin.
Easy wins in the first two sets by margins of 25-13 and 25-16 nearly led to an ESM sweep, but two points from defeat the Black Knights stood up long enough to take the third set 26-24.
And the fourth set was close, too, but the Spartans pulled it out 25-22 as Shaina Brilbeck amassed 34 assists and got eight digs, with Gillianne McCarthy and Franchesca Polcaro also getting eight digs and Riley Abbott adding six digs.
There was nice balance on ESM’s front line, too. Olivia Fortuno led with 11 kills, but McCarthy, with 10 kills, was close behind, with Polcaro and Abbott each earning seven kills and Polcaro also managing five aces.
CBA, who got so close in a five-set defeat to Onondaga on Jan. 4, reacted by sweeping Faith Heritage in three sets last Monday night, the Brothers improving its overall record to 7-3.
Manlius-Pebble Hill was supposed to face CBA on Thursday, but weather forced a postponement, just as the snow kept the Trojans from taking on Pulaski two nights earlier and also nixed an ESM match at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill.
