Having each prevailed in various five-set decisions the previous week, girls volleyball teams at East Syracuse Minoa, Christian Brothers Academy and Manlius-Pebble Hill wished for smoother proceedings.
The Spartans, in particular, faced a big test when it put its 4-0 record on the line against 4-0 Whitesboro Thursday night. And it was here that ESM took its first blemish, falling to the Warriors in four sets.
Each of the first two sets proved close, but Whitesboro pulled them out by 25-21 and 25-22 margins. The Spartans prevented the sweep, winning the third set 25-20, but the Warriors controlled the fourth set and closed it out 25-18.
Isabella Talarico had 21 assists, her passes going to a variety of front-line players. Kat Boland had six kills, with Gillianne McCarthy, Riley Abbot and Aubrie Williams each getting five kills.
Arrica Williams had eight digs, while Abbot and Aubrey Williams had six digs apiece as Talarico and Franchesca Polcaro both earned five digs.
Erin Herrmann led Whitesboro’s efforts, earning 36 assists, five aces and 14 digs. Jessica Blaszak had 13 kills and 22 digs as Hayley Lawler got 11 kills, with Cameron Boehlert getting eight kills and 18 digs and Natalia Dzeravenets adding 16 digs
Before that, ESM went to New Hartford last Monday and claimed the Spartan duel in a sweep, taking the first set 25-19 and dominating the second set 25-12 before closing it out, 25-20, in the third.
Polcaro not only gained 22 assists, she posted eight digs as Shaina Brilbeck had four assists. Aubrie Williams stepped up with 13 kills, while Abbot had eight kills, three aces, two assists and two digs. McCarthy had six kills and Polcaro notched three kills and four digs.
Off until Thursday night, Christian Brothers Academy had the misfortune to run into defending sectional Class C champion Tully, who proved too strong as it beat the Brothers 25-21, 25-11, 25-22.
CBA did keep it close in the first and third sets, helped by 26 digs from Kristen DeLorenzo and 10 digs from Catherine Burns. Jillian Hopkins had three kills and three aces as Burns also got three aces and Anna Jenkins had four assists. Tully featured Grace Chaffee, who had 26 assists, and Alexi Hamilton, who earned 14 kills.
MPH was off until Friday night, when it lost, 25-22, 25-15, 25-16 to DeRuyter. Ren Brown still had 15 assists and six digs for the Trojans as Sara Smith got five kills. Anna Szombathy earned nine digs and Claudia Cook got six digs.
