A week after snatching the Section III Class B championship from long-reigning Living Word Academy, the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill boys volleyball team took on one more assignment.
The Red Devils went to Hudson to face undefeated Section II champion Ichabod Crane in Saturday’s regional final and saw a 2-1 lead in games slip away to the Riders in a five-game defeat.
All the confidence VVS gained from that sectional final win carried over a while. It zoomed ahead of Crane 10-5 in the first game and moved the margin to 20-13 before cruising to a 25-19 win.
The second game proved pivotal. Down 16-9 at one point, the Red Devils roared back to claim an 18-17 lead, then traded points until it was 22-22. Just as VVS was poised to get a 2-0 lead, though, Crane earned the last three points to win it, 25-22, and pull even.
That looked even more important after VVS dominated the third game, at one point notching 15 out of 17 points. The Red Devils prevailed by a comfortable 25-15 margin, reclaiming the lead in the match – but not for long.
In the fourth game, the Riders again rallied, breaking a 5-5 tie with a 9-2 run to move ahead for good. VVS never got closer than three points as, by a score of 25-16, the match went to the limit.
Crane didn’t waste much time in the final game, erasing a 2-2 tie with yet another run of net points, adding up to a 13-1 run that all but put VVS away. It ended 25-12 in the Riders’ favor.
Cole Barbano finished with 22 assists. Jordan Loboda and Steve Geer each had 10 kills, with Loboda adding five blocks and Geer seven digs. Casey Henderson and Jake Voelker managed seven kills apiece as Kyle Renwick (seven digs) and Bobbie Mumford (three digs) helped on the defensive side.
Steve Domino led Crane, who improved to 22-0, with 26 assists and 11 kills as Alex Maloy amassed 25 assists, Will Valley 14 kills and Alex Potts nine kills. VVS finished its season with a 16-3 mark.
