Things are now underway for the Chittenango boys volleyball team, who plays a winter schedule and is undefeated through its first set of matches.

Of those matches, none were more important than last Thursday’s match between the Bears and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, the same two teams that met last March in the Section III finals.

Already with two three-set sweeps behind them Chittenango finally dropped a set against the Red Devils when it lost the opener 25-22, made more frustrating by the fact that the Bears led 13-5 before VVS roared back and won that set with a 20-7 run.

Quickly rebounding from this, the Bears dominated the second set, up by as much as 14 points before prevailing 25-15. The third set saw VVS go in front 8-2 and the Bears make a rally of its own to tie it, 13-13, and then kept on going until it had won 25-20.

Throughout the fourth set, Chittenango was in front, yet the Red Devils roared back and got even, 15-15. Then Ryan Pitt’s kill and Griffen Smith’s ace put the Bears in front for good, and a 7-1 run closed it out, 25-17.

Grant Czarnecki gained 15 kills, adding four blocks and five digs. Pitt had seven kills and four digs as Cooper Young managed six kills, seven digs and three assists. Tim Ryder earned 12 assist as Smith got five kills and three blocks. Jacob Graham contributed seven digs as Tom Rooney had five digs and Justin Makowski had three assists.

All of it began on Dec. 22 with the Bears defeating Little Falls in a three-set sweep. Michael Culkin served up 14 aces to go with five kills, whileTom Rooney had four aces.  Czarnecki got eight kills, three aces and two digs, with Pitt adding five kills and Makowski earning six assists. Ward Beley finished with three digs.

Then the Bears returned to action last Tuesday night by sweeping Central Valley Academy. The 25-12, 25-10, 25-15 romp over the Thunder included four aces from Czarnecki, who also picked up six kills and three blocks.

Pitt was close behind, earning five kills and three aces, while Culkin had four kills and three digs. Cooper Young added three kills as Ryder, with eight assists, and Makowski, with five assists, split back-line duties. Rooney had three digs as Smith and Jacob Graham got two kills apiece.

Meanwhile, the Chittenango girls volleyball team returned from its holiday break and continued its winning course, hosting Cato-Meridian and improving to 7-1 on the season with a 25-15, 25-7, 25-16 sweep of the Blue Devils.

Having not played since Dec. 20, the two-week layoff didn’t bother the Bears too much. Shelby Maring, with 19 assists, and Tiffany Scofield, with 18 assists, shared back-line duties as Tyla Cutrie put away 16 kills and Megan Mayer had 13 kills and six digs. Mya Streiff had three aces and five digs as Alyssa Bates (four kills, four digs) and Jackie Kohler (three kills) offered further help.