With a rush of action at the end of August, area high school girls volleyball teams entered 2018, with Westhill getting a big win in its opener as it took down Marcellus in four sets.
Tough as this was, the Mustangs showed its skill and toughness in the two matches that followed in the first week of September, starting with its comeback Tuesday against Oswego.
Losing the first two sets 25-18 and 25-17, the Mustangs rolled through the third 25-8 and, two points from defeat, pulled out the fourth 26-24, carrying that momentum to the final set, where it held off the Buccaneers 25-22.
Through it all, Sydney French managed six kills and six aces, plus 19 digs. Bronte Stahl had 19 assists to go with five aces and 14 digs.
Now with some momentum, Marcellus hosted defending Section III Class B champion Cazenovia on Thursday and, once again, pulled out a big five-set victory, though this one took a different pattern.
Twice, the Mustangs went in front, winning the first set 25-22 and the third set 25-20. Both times, the Lakers pulled back even, claiming equal 25-22 decisions in the second and fourth sets.
So it went to a fifth set where the momentum constantly shifted, and match points were squandered. Finally, at 24-24, Marcellus got back the serve and held on to it, conquering Cazenovia 26-24.
Stahl amassed 43 assists, plus 11 digs and four aces, her passes often going to French, who managed to get 33 kills. Evelyn Webster (20 digs), Michaela Godbold (10 digs, four kills) and Jess Majo (nine digs) made major defensive contributions.
Cazenovia lost despite 30 kills, 30 digs and nine blocks from Lindsey Lawson, with Josie Avery earning 19 assists and 14 digs, Laura Clements adding 15 assists and 12 digs.
All of this followed the Mustangs’ loss to Westhill. After easy 25-16 and 25-11 wins to start the match, the Warriors cooled off enough to have Marcellus win the third set 25-23, only to have the Warriors claim the fourth 25-15 to put it away.
Mackenzie Martin again did it all, from 17 assists and nine aces to seven kills and seven digs. Sara Galante added 19 assists and six aces as Sarah Schwartz contributed 15 assists and nine digs. Montanna Gedney earned 14 digs, plus four aces and three kills.
Following that, Westhill swept Institute of Technology Central 25-8, 25-18, 25-15 last Tuesday as it recorded 28 aces, nine of them by Galante and five by Schwartz and Jill Wicks. Martin chimed in with 10 kills and Schwartz got seven assists.
Then the Warriors faced Skaneateles Thursday and roared past those other Lakers 25-15, 25-11, 25-18. Galante had 10 kills and eight aces, with Martin adding 13 assists, five aces, three kills and three digs. Schwartz contributed seven assists. Gedney notched 15 digs, plus four aces.
Back on Aug. 29, Solvay opened at Jordan-Elbridge, with the Bearcats finishing on top as, after the first two sets were split by equal 25-16 margins, the visitors took over, hammering the Eagles 25-11 in the third set and claiming the fourth set 25-20.
Allie Posnick earned 34 assists for Solvay, plus eight kills and four aces. Myah Plater got 14 kills and four aces as Genea Kadlublowski earned nine kills. Nicole Backus had six kills as Gianna D’Agostino and Alexa Filicia got five aces apiece.
Izzy Lambert (four aces) and Jordan Bamba (seven digs) helped Solvay, too, as for J-E Ranait McGuire had 10 digs, two kills and two aces. Cassie Klock and Mackenzie Kreisler had four kills apiece.
Solvay hosted Phoenix on Thursday and swept the Firebirds 25-20, 25-22, 25-15, Posnick at the forefront thanks to her seven aces, 13 assists and six digs. Platler posted nine kills, adding five aces and four digs. Filicia earned three aces, with Bamba contributing four digs.
