Up and down throughout this winter, the Jordan-Elbridge girls volleyball team continued on that zigzag path in the first full week of 2013, winning three times to climb back above the .500 mark.
Perhaps more important, though, was what the Eagles did outside of the court. Saturday’s match against Weedsport was designated as a fund-raiser for the “More Than A Game” Foundation.
Both the J-E and Weedsport sides took part in raffles and also had a pledge drive. That, plus the sales at the gate, raised more than $2,900 that will go to Golisano Children’s Hospital and its Upstate Cancer Center.
The match was pretty good, too. J-E won each of the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-19, only to have Weedsport roar back and claim the next two sets by margins of 25-19 and 25-16.
When it counted, though, the Eagles dominated the final set by a 25-10 margin, Kali Kimak leading the way with an all-around effort that included 12 kills and 20 digs.
Brienna Fabrize amassed 24 digs, with Ashley Wixson managing eight digs to go with her four kills. Samantha Ryan, Ashley Hamlin and Melissa Perkins notched four kills apiece, with Hamlin adding six aces and four blocks. Olivia Simmons fed them with 16 assists, to go with three aces and three digs.
This busy week started with the Eagles taking out Hannibal last Monday night, dominating from start to finish in a 25-8, 25-10, 25-15 sweep.
In all, J-E served up 20 aces, seven of them from Kimak, who also led the Eagles with 11 kills. Ryan managed five aces, three kills and six digs, while Hamlin had four kills and four aces. Fabrize got 10 digs and Cassidy Fletcher managed 10 assists, plus three aces.
Hosting Christian Brothers Academy on Friday night, J-E got a tougher challenge, but still claimed another sweep. The Eagles won the opening set 25-21 and the second set 25-16, and though the Brothers nearly extended the match, J-E closed it out 25-23 in the third set.
Defensively, Fabrize earned 19 digs, while Wixson stepped up for 18 digs and Mackenzie Mansion posted 11 digs. Hamlin added five digs. Kimak had a team-best nine kills, while Perkins contributed eight assists and two aces. Simmons posted four aces and three kills.
Having improved to 7-5, J-E would get a major test Tuesday at East Syracuse-Minoa before returning home Thursday to face Blessed Virgin Mary.
