Cicero — From start to finish in 2015, the Cicero-North Syracuse boys volleyball team held domain over local large-school sides, and wasn’t about to let go of that position at the end of the tale.
Baldwinsville tried to do it, though, and was in a good position deep into Tuesday night’s Section III Division I final before the Northstars picked up crucial points just when they were needed to prevail in four sets and claim the program’s first sectional title since 2011.
Each of the first two times these sides had met in the regular season, on Sept. 29 and Oct. 22, C-NS had taken just three sets to put the Bees away, utilizing its deep group of front-line players in a manner that B’ville could not match.
Yet both sides figured that the sectional final would prove a closer match, and they were right. In fact, it was 9-9, with eight ties, in the opening set when the Northstars used an early time-out.
That proved pivotal, since C-NS got four straight points after that time-out, and though the Bees pulled back within one, 15-14, it couldn’t catch up, the Northstars claiming it 25-19.
B’ville, who won the sectional title a year ago, made sure this wouldn’t be a sweep, though. It jumped out 7-1 in the first set, and didn’t panic when C-NS roared back and took leads of 11-10 and 19-18.
With the score tied 20-20, the Bees pulled off three consecutive points, and that accounted for the final 25-22 margin that evened the match at one set apiece.
Carrying that momentum into the third set, B’ville seized a 12-8 lead. Then, on Luke Barnell’s serve, the Northstars reeled off six straight points, only to have the Bees answer that surge and push it back to a 17-17 tie.
With the tension building and the noise in the C-NS gym growing, the Northstars got three big points in a row to go back in front 20-17, and didn’t get caught, winning that crucial third set 25-21.
continued — Moving to the fourth set, they were again tied, 13-13, when Robert Patzer reeled off three decisive serves. Two bounced off B’ville’s players and hit the ceiling, ending the point, and the last one caught the back line for an ace.
Never trailing again, the Northstars closed out the match 25-20, with Barnell putting away 16 kills and adding six digs as Josh Bigford added 11 kills. Patzer, Robert Hoke and Reed Jones had five kills apiece.
As he has done all season, Connor Millias anchored the C-NS attack, earning 43 assists, while Jordan Caviness earned 17 digs. Barnell added six digs.
C-NS faced Section IV champion Horseheads Friday night at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, and the Northstars had little trouble with the Blue Raiders, prevailing in a 25-9, 25-8, 25-17 sweep to match the three-set win over Horseheads it earned on Oct. 17.
Millias earned 35 assists, with Barnell again leading the front line as he put away 12 kills, to go with six digs. Bigford gained seven kills and two blocks as Justin Kegebein matched Hoke’s totals of five kills and three digs. Coleman had four kills and Patzer finished with five digs.
So the Northstars advance to the state championships Nov. 21 at Suffolk County Community College on Long Island, where it will have round-robin matches against the other Division I teams that lead to a championship match at 4:30.
