Three years had passed since the Marcellus girls volleyball had last earned a Section III Class B championship – too long, as far as Mustang partisans were concerned.
But that dry spell came to an end Saturday night at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, where the Mustangs completed its 15th run to a sectional title by knocking off undefeated top seed South Jefferson in four games.
“It’s an awesome way to go out,” said setter Jena Annable, one of just three seniors (along with Veronica Raymond and Allie Vanderwerf) on the roster. And it was particularly special for Annable because she had missed the better part of two seasons with injuries before returning this winter to lead the Mustangs back to glory.
Head coach Hy Bryant, who has been at the helm through most of the Mustangs’ championship runs, said the feeling of finishing on top never gets gold.
“Every one of these championships is just as important,” he said. “To do it all over again is just as magical as the first time.”
This title sticks out because Marcellus wasn’t favored when the season began and, according to Bryant, had a difficult time finding its top form, especially on the defensive side.
Then, after the Mustangs claimed the OHSL Liberty division regular-season title, the playoffs provided an extra layer of challenge. To win it all, Marcellus had to beat two undefeated teams in the semifinals and finals.
Showing top form, the Mustangs took care of the first part when it swept past Canastota in last Wednesday’s semifinals at Chittenango. Now it took aim at South Jefferson, appearing in its first-ever sectional title match. Marcellus had faced the Spartans late in December at a tournament in Watertown, taking two out of three games in their first head-to-head encounter.
Here, the opening game went back and forth until, at 12-12, Marcellus went on a 6-1 run. Though South Jefferson closed the gap to 18-17, it would not catch up again as the Mustangs fought its way to a 25-21 victory.
The Spartans came right back, never trailing once in the second game after scoring the first four points. Down 18-11 at one point, the Mustangs reeled off six straight points to move within one, but South Jefferson countered with a 7-1 finish and, by a 25-18 margin, evened the match at one game apiece.
In the crucial third game, the Mustangs’ all-around game began to assert itself. From consistent serving to power from Nicole Fletcher, Devon Landers and Sara Ryan on the front line, to the steady work of Annable and Jess Cost on the back line.
Add to it some remarkable saves from libero Tabby McBride, whom Bryant praised for her vast improvement from the start of the season, and it allowed the Mustangs to break out of a 13-13 deadlock with five straight points, all leading to a 25-20 win and a 2-1 lead in games.
Again, South Jefferson tried to fight back, gaining an 18-14 lead late in the fourth game. But the Mustangs got the ball back and, with Fletcher delivering hard serves and McBride continuing to save points, Marcellus caught up at 18-18.
Then the two sides traded points until, with the Mustangs in front 23-22, it pulled off two great digs in a single rally to make it 24-22 and force match point. When Fletcher blocked a shot that the Spartans could not stop, Marcellus was sectional champions again.
Fletcher, earning the same kind of winning glory her older sister Lauren attained in years past, led with 14 kills, six blocks and five digs. “Watching Lauren helped influence me, and took those skills and brought them to this team,” said Fletcher.
Landers posted 11 kills, while Ryan produced 10 kills and four digs. Meanwhile, Cost managed 21 assists and six digs as Annable, in her last high-school match, produced 14 assists and six digs. McBride was credited with four digs, too.
Marcellus will not attend a regional tournament this winter. Instead, it prepares for a short off-season – and a momentous move to the fall, where it will reunite with rivals like Skaneateles and Cazenovia, plus Solvay, LaFayette and Westhill, in a new version of the Onondaga High School League. Fletcher, Cost, Landers, Ryan and McBride all return for the autumn, with the Mustangs set not only to go after a sectional title – but perhaps a state title, too.
