Still without a defeat this winter, the Canastota girls volleyball team extended its domination by knocking off Center State Conference rival Hamilton last Friday night at the end of another flawless week of work.
The Raiders got a brief scare in last Monday’s match against Cooperstown, but still beat the Redskins in four games.
Canastota dominated the opening game 25-11, then lost the second game 25-20. But the Raiders didn’t get fazed, instead rolling through the third game 25-16 and blitzing through Cooperstown 25-12 in the fourth game to close out the match.
Jessica Patterelli set a milestone, too, as her 31 assists put her past 1,500 for her career. She also had 10 digs and eight kills.
Meanwhile, Denae Rinaldo finished with 23 kills, plus nine digs and three aces. Hailie Chandle had five blocks, while Tessa Gaglianese picked up four kills. Katelyn Rounds had 15 digs and three aces as Tracey O’Hern had seven digs. Sam McCarthy and Elizabeth Lavalee got five digs apiece.
On Wednesday night, the Raiders wiped out Sherburne-Earlville 25-6, 25-12, 25-5 to make it 12 wins in a row. Patterelli piled up 32 assists, eight kills and seven digs, as Denae Rinaldo earned 13 kills, five digs and three aces and Stephanie Thornton stepped up with 10 kills.
This latest perfect week climaxed on Friday with the Raiders facing Hamilton and recording an impressive 25-14, 25-15, 25-20 sweep of the Emerald Knights.
Though it earned the first three points of the match, Hamilton was soon overwhelmed as a 6-1 run pushed Canastota ahead for good and a 9-0 run closed out the game. The Raiders also had 8-0 and 6-0 spurts in the second game, and it was 20-20 in the third game before Canastota earned the last five points.
Before it was done, Patterelli had 17 assists, plus 12 digs and seven kills. Rinaldo had nine kills and nine digs, with Rounds earning four kills, four assists and seven digs. O’Hern got six blocks as Lavalee and McCarthy each had six digs.
In defeat, Hamilton saw Tiffany Jones-Maxwell pick up 15 kills and six digs, with Kaitlyn Askew and Rachel Holcomb earning 10 assists apiece.
Hamilton, who just gave head coach Dennis Roy his 100th career win a week earlier, continued to roll in last Monday’s 25-8, 26-24, 25-18 sweep of Waterville. Jones-Maxwell finished with 15 kills, with Sam Martin offering front-line help as she got six kills, plus three aces. Askew and Holcomb each had four assists.
The Emerald Knights then met Sauquoit Valley Wednesday night and, in a classic battle, edged past the Indians in five games.
They split the first two games, Hamilton winning the opener 25-17 and losing the second game 25-21. When Sauquoit pulled out a tight third game 26-24, the Emerald Knights did not panic, instead claiming the fourth game 25-23. The fifth game saw both teams squander match points, but Hamilton inched ahead and, finally, won the match 26-24.
Jones-Maxwell accumulated 18 kills, five blocks and six digs, while Martin got six kills, five assists and four blocks. Askew had 13 assists and Morgan Brooks produced 12 digs.
Morrisville-Eaton lost last Monday to Sauquoit 25-8, 25-11, 25-14, as Sam Conklin earned eight digs. Rachel Morris and Stephanie Davis each had six digs.
Then the Warriors fell to Mount Markham on Wednesday night. M-E won the second game 25-22 after dropping the opener 25-20, but watched as the Mustangs regained control, claiming the next two games 25-17 and 25-16.
Gabby Lake had eight kills as Taylor Gallup earned five aces and seven digs. A leak in the Waterville gymnasium roof forced a postponement of the Warriors’ match against the Indians.
