Throughout last week, varsity high school sports teams from Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool found themselves matched up against each other – and that included volleyball, girls and boys alike.
Each of these matches took place last Tuesday night, including the girls match at C-NS where the Warriors showed up and beat the Northstars in four sets.
Liverpool took the opening set 25-19, and was two points from a bigger margin before C-NS pulled out the second set 27-25 to get even. The Warriors went back in front with another 25-19 decision in the third, and held on, 27-25, in the fourth set, leaving the Northstars two points from forcing the match to the wire.
Katie Boak and Karlie King each got 20 digs and Ashley Teixeira added 13 digs to lead the Warriors’ defense. Maddie Lapointe had nine digs to go with her seven kills as Caitlyn Metrick got seven kills, eight assists and four aces. Lee Keeling also had seven kills. King and Tori Bedelak had five kills apiece.
In defeat, C-NS saw Jessica Barry earn 20 assists, five aces and 11 digs, while Olivia Salvador got 20 digs. Savannah Ciciarelli had 15 digs and Kim Barry earned nine digs, plus five kills. Olivia Johnson earned a team-best eight kills, with Madelyn Murray contributing four kills.
On that same night in boys volleyball, C-NS visited Liverpool. In this encounter, the Northstars made a quick show of it, prevailing in a 25-8, 25-15, 25-11 sweep.
Nine different Northstars earned at least one kill, with Trevor Caviness setting the pace thanks to his seven kills. Josh Bigford offered more power with his five kills and four blocks, while Josh Cloute picked up four kills.
On C-NS’s back line, Connor Millias earned 20 assists, four aces and two kills as Tristen Cummings got five assists and Robert Patzer four digs. For Liverpool, Will Karns had 11 digs, with Frank Constantine contributing three assists and Brendan Lee earning three kills.
Liverpool met Oswego a day later, falling in three sets 25-14, 25-21, 25-11.Lee had four aces, with Connor Chaffee earning four kills and Constantine gaining three assists. The victorious Buccaneers featured eight kills from Matt See, 10 digs from Cole Shurtleff and 16 assists from Jason Proud.
C-NS ventured to Central Square on Thursday night and did not have to spend much time on the court, sweeping the Redhawks 25-13, 25-11, 25-7. Kegebein’s seven aces and four kills set the tone as Robert Patzer picked up eight kills and Bigford added six kills. Millias earned 21 assists and Cummings added seven assists. Cloute had three kills.
Back in girls volleyball, Liverpool and C-NS both picked up wins in three-set sweeps on Thursday – the Warriors over Nottingham, the Northstars over Henninger.
On the way to beating the Nottingham Bulldogs 25-9, 25-7, 25-13, Liverpool got 13 aces, four each by King and Lapointe. Keeling and Abby Anderson both earned three kills, with Lapointe and Metrick getting five assists apiece and Sophia Vangelov adding four assists.
C-NS rolled through Henninger 25-17 and 25-8 in its first two sets before battling past the Black Knights 26-24 in the third. Jessica Barry picked up 10 assists and Sharlene Richards had eight assists, with Kaylin VanAuken adding six assists.
Up front, Murray, Johnson and Corrine Rutkowski each picked up five kills, with Ciciarelli putting together an effort that included 10 digs, four kills, four assists and three aces. Kim Barry had a team-best four aces and Rutkowski added three aces.
Then Liverpool and C-NS competed in Saturday’s Baldwinsville Fall Fling Tournament, both of them in the the Bronze Division. The Northstars, in pool play, struggled, falling twice to Victor and Burnt Hills while splitting with LaFayette.
Things turned around, though, for the C-NS in the elimination round as it beat Buffalo City Honors 25-11, 25-7 in the division quarterfinal and won a 25-14, 10-25, 25-12 battle with Fayetteville-Manlius in the semifinals before a 25-14, 25-23 defeat to Fairport in the finals.
Liverpool, meanwhile, split six sets in pool play, sweeping Galway, splitting with Pittsford Sutherland and losing twice to Penfield. In the Bronze division quarterfinal, the Warriors met Rochester Mercy, dropping the first set 25-21, but winning the second set 25-22 before Mercy rolled through the final set 15-0.
