It proved a tough start for the West Genesee girls volleyball team as it dropped each of its first two matches under new head coach Dan Mercado, including a five-set battle with Fayetteville-Manlius last Wednesday night.
Against the Hornets, the Wildcats lost the first set 25-19 and were on the brink of a bigger deficit before pulling out the second set 26-24, using that momentum to get its own 25-19 victory in the third set.
In the fourth set, WG was two points from claiming the match, only to have F-M take its turn claiming a 26-24 decision. That seemed to affect the Wildcats, who lost the final set 25-15.
Julia Quirk picked up 14 kills, with Brynn Zajac adding nine kills and 22 digs. Isabella Allen and Sarah Rigge had six kills apiece.
Anna Snyder earned 29 assists, plus 11 digs as Caroline Sgroi (12 digs) and Mackenzie Winn (11 digs) also made important defensive contributions.
For F-M, Sophie Thomas managed 42 assists, with Juliana Myagkota getting 12 kills, 13 digs and three aces. Rachel Quilty-Koval had 12 kills and 10 digs as Anna Williams added nine kills and Sonja Napolitano earned eight kills. Kendra Broddus put together six kills, 10 digs, two aces and two assists as Nina Avery earned 17 digs and four aces.
Back on Aug. 30, WG dropped its opener at Oswego. The Wildcats dropped the first two sets 25-22 and 25-17 and, though it won the third 25-19, could not quite take it to the wire as it fell 26-24 to the Buccaneers in the fourth.
Zajac, who earned 18 digs, and Rigge had six kills apiece, with Quirk and Allen getting five kills apiece and combining for 11 digs. Arlea Vecchio gained 23 digs as Snyder picked up 11 digs and three kills. For Oswego, Michaela Bradshaw, with 28 assists, fed it to McKinley Thopmson (10 kills) and Caitlin Lilly (eight kills).
Bishop Ludden won its Aug. 29 opener at Hamilton in four sets 25-19, 25-19, 24-26, 25-8. Just missing a sweep, the Gaelic Knights dominated from there as Aurora Deshaies had eight aces and seven kills.
Jayden Burney and Madison Prowak each got six aces, with Prowak and Jasmine Cuffee earning four kills apiece. Sarah Morrell earned eight assists as Emma Catalano earned 11 digs.
Ludden didn’t play again for a week until it faced Bishop Grimes last Wednesday. In that match, the Gaelic Knights split a pair of 25-19 sets, only to have the Cobras take the third set 25-15 and the fourth 25-16.
Deshaies picked up 10 kills, with Cuffee getting four kills. Prowak earned five aces, three kills and five digs as Morrell gained 10 assists and Maylasia Wright had six assists. For Grimes, Raquel McDonald (14 kills, seven aces) and Mara Gutchess (14 assists) led the way.
But Ludden improved to 2-1 on Thursday with a 25-19, 25-12, 25-11 sweep over Institute of Technology Central, with Deshaies picking up five aces to go with six kills. Morrell had four assists as Cuffee got two aces.
This busy stretch concluded Friday as Ludden earned a 25-18, 25-21, 25-8 sweep over Syracuse Academy of Science, Deshaies getting 12 aces and six kills as Wright added five aces. Burney had five kills and Morrell finished with seven assists. Catalano had six digs.
West Genesee earned its first win of the season Saturday by sweeping Elmira 25-22, 25-17, 25-22. Snyder had 11 assists, seven digs and three kills as Zajac produced six kills and Rigge had five kills. Vecchio and Zajac had eight digs apiece, helped by Sgroi (six digs) and Mia Lamanna (three kills, three blocks).
