Against every other opponent in the 2017-18 season, the Chittenango girls volleyball team has proven an overwhelming force, taking little more than an hour to earn their three-set sweeps and move on.
But when the Bears have met up with fellow reigning Section III champion Tully, things have turned around.
First, there was the Black Knights coming to Chittenango and pulling off a three-set sweep on Jan. 22. Then, just eight days later and back on its home court, Tully triumphed again, and once more needed just three sets to put away the Bears.
The first meeting had turned on Tully winning a close first set and never relinquishing the momentum. Down 18-10 in the first set of the rematch, Chittenango fought all the way back to get within a point, only to have Lexi Hamilton’s kill finish it 25-23 in the Black Knights’ favor.
Here, the second set turned into a mini-marathon. Unfazed by its deficit, the Bears matched Tully point for point, and both sides had set points, but at 26-26 the Black Knights regained the serve and then closed it out, 28-26.
Tully then roared out 16-8 in the third set and never got caught, Chittenango beaten 25-20 as it could not reward Tyla Cutrie for her 16 kills, with Megan Mayer adding five kills and 22 digs as Alyssa Bates had four kills and 13 digs.
Shelby Maring, with 16 assists, and Tiffany Scofield, with nine assists, led the back line, each adding seven digs. Hamilton, with 19 kills, led Tully as Grace Chaffee picked up 24 assists. Morgan Hiltbrand and Emma Byrne had six digs apiece.
Recovering quickly, Chittenango swept Weedsport Wednesday night, the Bears’ 25-10, 25-11, 25-11 romp featuring seven aces from both Cutrie, who had eight kills, and Maring, who got nine assists. Scofield had 11 assists as Mayer got 12 kills and nine digs, with Cutrie and Bates earning six digs apiece.
Yet another sweep followed on Thursday, Chittenango handling Cortland 25-10, 25-10, 25-13. Cutrie did it all, from 15 kills to seven digs, four aces and four blocks as Mayer added 12 kills and six digs. Bates got 10 digs as Scofield earned 17 assists and four kills and Maring had nine assists and three aces.
The Chittenango boys volleyball team was back in action last Wednesday against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, and it went to five sets.
Twice, the Bears trailed and were on the brink of worse, but pulled out the second set 27-25 after losing a close opener 26-24 and then fending off several match points in a 29-27 fourth set after the Red Devils rolled through the third set 25-14.
But in a fifth-set race to 15, VVS beat Chittenango 15-11, overcoming 30 assists from Tim Ryder and 26 digs by Jacob Graham.
Griffin Smith and Keith Spurgeon each had 10 kills, with Nick Callahan getting seven kills and Seth Spurgeon six kills, plus 13 digs. Callahan, Smith and Griffin Furco each got 10 digs as, for the Red Devils, Brennan Miller had 29 assists, Nate Brewer got 17 kills and Owen Rose had 18 assists, plus eight kills.
A night earlier, Chittenango had swept Little Falls 25-22, 25-19, 25-16, improving as the match went along. Smith had 10 kills and three aces, with Seth Spurgeon getting eight kills and Callahan six kills.
Ryder this time finished with 25 assists as Graham augmented his five kills by earning eight digs. Furco had a team-best 10 digs as Callahan and Smith both had seven digs, Callahan adding four aces and Spurgeon with six digs.
After the loss to VVS, Chittenango swept Herkimer 25-13, 25-16, 25-11 the next night. Ignoring the fatigue of a third match in 48 hours, the Bears had Ryder earn 25 assists as Smith got 11 kills, six aces, eight digs and four blocks.
Keith Spurgeon had seven kills as Graham and Seth Spurgeon had six kills apiece. Graham got 13 digs, ahead of Smith (eight digs) and Callahan (seven digs).
