Just about every time the Skaneateles girls volleyball team gathers with Solvay, it might take a while to see who finishes on top.
When the no.5 seed Lakers rallied to force a fifth set in last Friday’s Section III Class B playoff match against the no. 4 seed Bearcats, it marked the sixth time in their last seven meetings that Skaneateles and Solvay required five sets to settle matters.
Yet it’s often gone in the Bearcats’ favor, and did so again, bringing an abrupt end to the Lakers’ season in the third straight sectional playoff matchup between these two sides.
Here, Solvay led the opening set 19-16 but could not hold on as Skaneateles claimed it 25-23. Undaunted by this, the Bearcats scored the first six points of the second set and never trailed in a 25-19 decision.
The third set nearly matched the second, Solvay roaring out to a 9-1 lead and prevailing 25-18, only to have the Lakers put up its own 6-0 run to open the fourth set on the way to pulling back even in another 25-19 decision.
A final set would decide the game and the season for the Bearcats, and it steadily built a 16-8 advantage, never getting caught on the way to winning the match by a 25-18 margin.
Still, the Lakers had a host of stellar efforts, including Jessica Patalino, whose 13 kills and three aces paced a front line where Maeve Canty got seven kills, four assists and two blocks, while Mia Grasso got six kills.
Cassidy Pitman put together 17 assists, three aces, four digs and two kills, while Karah Blair amassed 17 digs. Aidan Bennett combined eight digs with four kills and four aces as Lily Delasin and Jenna Moore had three assists apiece.
Brielle Bagozzi led Solvay with 17 kills and 24 digs. Anna Rolince had 10 kills and three blocks, while Phebe Guadagnolo claimed eight kills and 11 digs.
Allie Posnick combined her 34 assists with four aces, five kills and si x digs Also helping out, Bella Petralito had six aces, adding seven kills and 12 digs, with Ashley Bosco getting four kills and two blocks.
Solvay advanced to the sectional semifinal against Westhill, while Skaneateles closed out a 10-7 season and sees most of its roster graduate, including Pitman, Blair, Delasin, Grasso, Moore, Bennett and Sarah Delasin.
