Though the tough parts of the schedule still lay ahead, the Skaneateles girls volleyball team is not getting tripped up in any of the preliminaries, improving to 8-0 on the season.
When the Lakers visited Phoenix Tuesday night, it had some rough spots, but still beat the Firebirds in four sets.
Skaneateles made it through a 25-20 opening set and routed Phoenix 25-12 in the second set. Phoenix kept the match going, though, by claiming the third set 26-24, but that only caused the Lakers to refocus and dominate the fourth set 25-9.
Working everywhere, Colleen Cargile managed 15 assists, seven killds and five digs. Julianna Augustine had 13 kills, plus four blocks, three digs, two aces and two assists.
As the help, Joanna Dean picked up seven kills and six digs, while Sidney Lawson put up 13 assists and five kills as Cargile’s back-line mate. Casey VanSlyke had three kills, with Melissa Severance and Natale Roche both getting three digs. Phoenix saw Amber Crews (13 assists, seven digs, four kills) and Marisa Turner (nine kills, six digs, four blocks) put up strong efforts.
Back home Thursday night, the Lakers had one of its best performances of the season, toppling Fulton in straight sets.
The Red Raiders arrived with a 4-1 record and had just won a five-set battle with Cazenovia. None of that mattered, though, as Skaneateles fought to a 25-21 victory in the first set and won each of the next two sets by equal 25-21 margins.
Lining up on the front line, Augustine put away 14 kills, with Dean not far behind as she earned 12 kills, to go with six digs. Roche and VanSlyke both picked up eight digs, while Amanda Shoenfelt also earned six digs. Skaneateles was just as balanced on the back line thanks to Cargile’s 15 assists and Lawson’s 12 assists. Emily Ervin (13 assists) and Erika Johnson (nine kills) led Fulton.
Other than Tuesday’s match with Fowler, the Lakers are off the rest of September, preparing for the gauntlet early next month that culminates Oct. 7 with the showdown against Marcellus, who is off to its own 5-0 start.
