Before heading off to some holiday rest time, the Marcellus and Skaneateles girls volleyball team took some time to gather last Thursday for the first of two regular-season showdowns.
For a brief moment, the Lakers had the edge — but the Mustangs soon took it back, then pushed forward to prevail in four games and improve its record to 6-0.
Focused and ready, Skaneateles matched points with Marcellus in the opening game and surprised the home crowd when it broke a 25-24 and pulled off a game point on its serve to win, 26-24, and take the early lead.
Trailing in a match for the first time all season, Marcellus reacted well, claiming the second game by a comfortable 25-18 margin as its power advantage started to show.
Though the third game was a bit closer, the Mustangs won again, 25-21, to take the lead, and finished it off by claiming the fourth game 25-18.
Lauren Fletcher and Kayla Howard provided Marcellus with a nice front-line balance, as Fletcher earned 19 kills and two blocks, and Howard added 14 kills and seven blocks. Natalie Scheibel and Kelly McInerney each had three kills.
On the Mustangs’ back line, Jenn Daley had her longest court tenure of the season and finished with 36 assists, an average of nine assists per game. Rebecca Eddy contributed four aces.
As for Skaneateles, Krissy Ryan had a strong front-line presence, with 12 kills and four blocks, but none of her teammates came close to that kind of production as Alex Hughes added five kills and two aces. Chloe Warner gained 15 assists.
Just before this, the Mustangs and Lakers both earned one-sided league victories.
Up against long-time rival Solvay, Marcellus pulled through a close opening game then handled the Bearcats 25-23, 25-15, 25-13.
Fletcher gained 13 kills and four blocks, while Howard took a larger role with seven kills. Daley fed both of them with 26 assists, as Carly Annabele (three aces) and Scheibel (three kills) had strong showings.
Meanwhile, Skaneateles went to Bishop Ludden and wiped out the Gaelic Knights 25-11, 25-10, 25-15.
Hughes piled up a career-best 13 aces, as Ryan Merle and Katherine Hill each earned four kills and Hill added four aces. Warner got six assists and two aces, with Emily Wood and Olivia Falcone picking up three kills apiece.
