Now in the heart of their respective league schedules, the area’s trio of high school girls volleyball teams had decidedly mixed results early in 2020.
In particular, it was exciting for Christian Brothers Academy in last Monday’s match against Faith Heritage, which the Brothers pulled out in five sets to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Twice, CBA rallied, dropping the first set 27-25 but roaring to a 25-16 win in the second set. Then a close set went 25-23 in Faith Heritage’s favor.
Again, the Brothers got even by taking the fourth set 25-16, and in the final set CBA wore the Saints down, easily claiming that set 25-9 to earn the match.
With her 32 assists, Makenna Shultz distributed passes to, among others, Bella Roberson, who had 11 kills, leading a balanced front line as Delaney Della Donna had eight kills. Kristen DeLorenzo finished with seven kills to go with 28 digs and six aces. Abby Kambhampaty added four kills.
Back in action on Thursday night, CBA challenged 6-2 Onondadga, only to have the Tigers take the first set 25-20 and roll through the second set 25-11.
The Brothers did win the third set 25-17, but OCS closed it out 25-19 in the fourth as Sierra Trotman and Calie McLaughlin each had 11 kills, with Sam Geis earning 27 assists.
DeLorezno earned 39 digs. Shultz had 15 assists, five kills and four digs, with Lauren Griffith getting 12 assists, five kills and five blocks. Roberson earned 14 kills as Della Donna had eight kills and 18 digs. Ashley Brown and Gia Anthony had four kills apiece.
Facing Tully on Saturday, CBA would drop the first two sets 25-10 and 25-13, only to roar back and take the next two sets 25-14 and 25-23 before the Black Knights pulled out the final set 25-19.
DeLorenzo finished with 38 digs, four aces and four kills, Della Donna getting 21 digs to go with eight kills and Anthony finishing with 23 digs. Up front, Roberson had 13 kills and nine blocks, her passes often coming from Shultz, who earned 26 assists.
East Syracuse Minoa started the new year fine, meeting Camden on Jan. 3 and, except for a close second set, controlling matters in a 25-11, 25-22, 25-14 sweep of the Blue Devils.
Olivia Fortuno had five kills and four blocks to lead the Spartans’ front line. Skyler Mahoney had four kills, with Ariana Costanzo earning 13 assists as Morgan Ransom finished with six digs.
Yet that good result did not carry over into last Monday’s match against Whitesboro, where ESM, sitting at the .500 mark (4-4), fell below it with a 25-16, 25-16, 25-18 defeat to the Warriors.
Helena Scolaro did have four aces and nine digs, while Mahoney got four kills and Fortuno three kills. Ransom, with seven digs, was helped on defense by Jazmin Tyo (six digs) and Alana Day (four digs).
Two more defeats followed later in the week. Against Rome Free Academy on Thursday, ESM won the second set 26-24 after dropping the opener 25-18, but then lost the next two sets 25-16 and 25-10 to the Black Knights.
Fortuno gained 11 kills, with Costanzo getting 16 assists as Mahoney had five kills and Scolaro four kills to go with her 10 digs.
Then, against undefeated Cortland on Friday, ESM lost 25-15, 25-19, 25-22, improving as the match went along, but unable to keep up with the Purple Tigers.
Costanzo had 19 assists and seven digs, with Day getting 12 digs as Fortuno finished with 12 kills, Mahoney adding six kills and six blocks. Cortland got 18 kills from Kayci Olson and 22 assists from Grace Call.
Manlius-Pebble Hill ran into undefeated Cortland last Monday night and fell to the Purple Tigers in three sets 25-3, 25-3, 25-12. Then the Trojans fell to Cato-Meridian 25-18, 25-12, 25-19 two nights later.
