Though it was Christian Brothers Academy serving as the host for last Friday’s holiday volleyball tournament, it was East Syracuse-Minoa who would claim the top spot.
Four teams competed – the Spartans and Brothers, along with two sets of Blue Devils from Cato-Meridian and Pulaski. It was quickly established that ESM and CBA were the top two sides.
During the round-robin format (two sets against each opponent), the Spartans handled Pulaski 25-18, 25-12, and went on to defeat Cato 25-20, 25-14.
CBA, for its part, steadily worked past Cato 25-17 and 25-16 before a pair of 25-20 sets put down Pulaski, setting up the decisive match between the Brothers and Spartans.
Led again by Kaitlyn Shaughnessy and Rachel Aird, ESM pulled away to win the first set 25-18. Then, in the second set it was tight all the way through, but the Spartans notched the decisive points and prevailed by a 25-23 margin to take the first-place trophy.
Shaughnessy, with her strong work in the backcourt, gained tournament MVP honors. Aird joined her on the All-Tournament teams, as did CBA teammates Carly Hail and Gabby Carni. Pulaski’s Darby Leaf and Cato’s Samantha Savery filled out the All-Tournament team.
ESM and CBA have a match against each other on Jan. 7, but only after the Spartans start the new year with trips to Cortland and Hannibal and the Brothers visit Rome Free Academy on Friday.
