Just two more victories separate the Chittenango girls volleyball team from a perfect season and a third consecutive Section III Class B winter championship.
As the top seed in the seven-team sectional Class B bracket, the Bears, at first, had a bye straight into this week’s semifinals, but then the bracket changed to add no. 8 seed Clinton and no. 9 seed Sherburne-Earlville.
The Marauders beat the Warriors, so it was S-E challenging Chittenango in last Thursday night’s sectional quarterfinal – and once again, the Bears got a sweep.
During the 25-7, 25-14, 25-15 victory, Chittenango’s Tyla Cutrie finished with 22 kills, helped on the front line by Chelsea Lamphere, who earned four kills.
Savannah Penoyer and Sydney Pellman each had seven aces, Penoyer contributing four kills and Jada Masciat three blocks. Bayla Cutrie and Shelby Maring each earned 14 assists, Pellman getting six digs and Brenna Stanton four digs.
No. 4 seed Oneida swept no. 5 Clinton, so it’s the Bears against the Indians in the sectional semifinal, with the winner playing the title match this Saturday on Chittenango’s home court against Canastota or South Jefferson.
Meanwhile, the boys volleyball regular season continued for Chittenango, who started to get on a roll of its own the previous week when it swept Mount Markham and topped Westmoreland.
And it continued last Monday night in a rematch with Mount Markham. After the Mustangs won the first set 25-14, the Bears were in danger of falling two sets down, but pulled out the second 26-24.
The next two sets were close, too, but Chittenango won them, 25-20 and 25-23, as Tom McIntosh anchored the back line, earning 26 assists and 11 digs, as Caleb Barnard got 22 digs and Griffin Furco had 12 digs.
Austin Strickler produced nine kills, with Zephaniah Scott adding seven kills. Brandon Turner earned 14 digs to go with six kills and Seth Kimball got 15 digs to go with five kills. Keith Spurgeon also got five kills, plus eight digs.
A night later, Chittenango swept its rematch with Westmoreland, this time subduing the Bulldogs 25-20, 25-19, 25-14 as McIntosh piled up 39 assists, his passes often going to Scott, who had 14 kills, three blocks and seven digs, or Strickler, who finished with 12 kills.
Kimball had seven kills and 13 digs, with Spurgeon getting six kills. Turner earned 15 digs, three aces and three kills as Barnard also got 15 digs.
On Saturday, Chittenango lost in four sets to Canastota, though the whole match was close. The Bears lost the first two sets 25-23 and 25-20, and while it just avoided a sweep, taking the fourth set 26-24, it lost the fourth 25-20.
McIntosh earned 26 assists, four aces, four kill and seven digs. Spurgeon, along with 15 digs, joined Strickler in earning nine kills, Kimball adding six kills and nine digs as Barnard got 10 digs. Canastota’s Ethan Findlay had 23 assists and 11 digs as Sam Snow (13 kills) and Lucas Barnello (12 kills) worked out front.
