To some degree, the entire season for the Chittenango girls volleyball team centered around its confrontations with Cortland, one each month.
In December, the Purple Tigers rallied from two sets down to prevail in five. Then, in January, the Bears got even, winning in four tight sets.
Then, on Wednesday night, the climactic showdown took place between no. 3 seed Chittenango and no. 2 seed Cortland, a berth in the sectional Class A finals on the line against top seed Carthage, who had needed five sets to get past New Hartford in the first semifinal.
In the first two sets, the Purple Tigers were in command, winning those sets 25-15 and 25-17. Still, this put Chittenango in position to reverse the result of that December match.
Indeed, the third set did go 25-18 in the Bears’ favor, and in a close fourth set it got within range of taking the match further, only to have Cortland pull it out 26-24 and end Chittenango’s season.
Savannah Penoyer had nine kills and six digs, with Chelsea Lamphere adding seven kills and five digs. Bayla Cutrie got six kills and eight digs as Jada Masiclat got 19 assists.
Cortland was led by Kayci Olson’s 16 kills and 12 digs, with Grace Call earning 24 assists and Tori Cruz picking up 14 digs. The Purple Tigers would go on to sweep Carthage Saturday and earn the sectional Class A title.
Two nights earlier, Chittenango had swept no. 6 seed Watertown 25-12, 25-18, 25-20 in a quarterfinal rescheduled from a Feb. 6 weather postponement.
Penoyer had 13 kills, three aces, and 10 digs, with Sarah Martin adding 10 kills, three aces and 11 digs.
Masciclat got six kills and nine digs, Lamphere also earning six kills as Carolyn Myka gained 26 assists and eight digs. Cutrie had 12 assists, five kills, three aces and seven digs.
While all this was going on, Chittenango’s boys volleyball team was working through its regular-season homestretch, starting with last Monday’s 25-20, 25-19, 25-19 sweep of Westmoreland.
Many of Brandon Turner’s 26 assists went to Alek Reymond, who put up 12 kills. Austin Strickler had four kills, with William Bailey adding three kills. Caleb Barnard got seven digs as Reymond and Tom McIntosh both had five digs.
Seeking its 10th win of the season Wednesday night against Oneida, the Bears won in four sets, keyed by a 27-25 win in the opening set as it moved on to win the second set 25-18.
After dropping the third set 25-22, Chittenango pulled out the fourth set 25-21 to end it, with Turner amassing 36 assists and Kimball earning 20 digs to go with his 12 kills.
Strickler managed 13 kills and five blocks, with Reymond getting seven kills and five blocks. Barnard finished with 13 digs and Mikel Pascual gained 10 digs.
