A combination of good timing and the motivation to beat a long-time rival nearly led to the Cazenovia girls volleyball team’s biggest win of the season.
But the Lakers could not quite pull it off, falling in five set to Marcellus last Wednesday night at Buckley Gym after getting two different leads during the match.
Anticipation for this contest only grew when, two nights earlier, Marcellus stunned previously unbeaten Skaneateles – in a sweep, no less.
From that emotional high, the Mustangs, perhaps having a letdown, allowed the Lakers to dominate the opening set 25-16 before taking the second set 25-16 to pull even.
It looked like Cazenovia would get control when it pulled out a tense third set 27-25. Again, though, the Mustangs showed resilience, winning the fourth set 25-19 and going on to edge the Lakers 25-20 in the final set.
Amber Robinson finished with 21 assists, 13 digs and four kills to lead the Lakers’ efforts. Samantha Prossner had eight kills and 15 digs, while Amara Kattrein put together six kills, four assists, 14 digs and two aces.
Also helping on the defensive side, Madison Gabor amassed 23 digs, with Dominique Lyons (eight digs), Kathleen Connellan (seven digs) and Dana Kiselica (six digs) following. Kiselica, Kailtyn Puukila and Emily Stoker each had three kills.
For Marcellus, Devon Landers led the front line with 17 kills, while Allie Massara had 13 kills and 22 digs. Jessica Cost got 19 assists and 14 digs, with Brittney Valentine also earning 22 digs.
Another classic would follow, when Cazenovia played at Westhill 24 hours later and, again, it went to five sets – and again, the Lakers would have to take a tough defeat.
Just as with Marcellus, Cazenovia won the opening set, 25-23. Westhill moved ahead by winning the next two sets 25-15 and 25-16, but the Lakers extended the match by that same 25-23 margin before Westhill pulled out the final set 25-17.
Gaining a triple-double, Robinson had 15 assists, 11 kills and 14 digs. Puukila added seven kills, while Lyons had 12 digs, Connellan had 10 digs and Prossner and Kiselica both picked up nine digs. Kattrein gained eight digs, just ahead of Gabor, who had seven digs and three kills.
