Through a pair of matches this season, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls volleyball team has already shown that it handle tense situations and long matches that test both skill and endurance.
The Hornets, who on Sept. 5 pulled out a five-set decision over West Genesee, found itself taken to that same situation by Oswego last Tuesday night, but defeated the Buccaneers, too.
It was Oswego winning the first set 25-22, but F-M pulled out the second set by that same margin and then, in the third set, flattened the Bucs 25-10, seemingly taking control.
Perhaps the Hornets relaxed – and Oswego roared back, taking the fourth set 25-21. The final set was close, too, but F-M again earned the key points and, by a 25-20 margin, claimed the match.
Sophie Thomas earned 39 assists, passing to a variety of front-line Hornets players, including Juliana Myagkota, who had 16 kills, plus four aces and nine digs.
Rachel Quilty-Koval had nine kills, six aces and nine digs, while Anna Williams and Sonja Napolitano each got seven kills. Kendra Broddus added five kills and Nina Avery produced 12 digs. Michaela Bradshaw (35 assists) and McKinley Thompson (13 kills, seven digs) paced Oswego.
F-M had an easier time of it a night later against Corcoran, moving to 4-0 with a 25-7, 25-16, 25-6 sweep of the Cougars.
The Hornets recorded 22 aces, five each by Quilty-Koval and Madeline Tadeux. Broddus had three aces to go with eight kills, with Nina Avery adding three aces and four kills. Thomas got seven assists. Lauren Avery had four digs and Quilty-Koval got three kills
Jamesville-DeWitt followed a 25-22 win in the first set of last Tuesday’s match with PSLA-Fowler by romping past the Falcons 25-8 and 25-4 in the next two sets for its first win of the season following an 0-2 start.
Madeline Ferris notched 22 assists, plus five aces, three kills and three digs. Linda Shen had five digs and six aces as Cara Glazier, Amber Hamernik and Fiona McNeil earned five kills apiece. Alexis LeClair and Erica Schwades both earned four digs.
At home Friday to face fast-starting Marcellus, J-D did recover from a 25-19 loss in the first set to take the second 25-22, only to have the Mustangs take the next two sets by margins of 25-15 and 25-20.
Still an all-around star, Ferris had 24 assists, nine digs, five kills and five blocks as LeClair amassed 31 digs. Skylar Hardt had 12 kills and seven digs, with Shen getting eight kills, eight digs and three aces. McNeil gained seven digs and Glazier notched six digs.
Bishop Grimes had back-to-back wins last week. First, the Cobras went to Institute of Technology Central and put together a 25-15, 25-14, 25-10 sweep of the Eagles.
Raquel McDonald earned four aces to go with 10 kills and three blocks. Becca Vinciquerra and Bella D’Andrea had three aces apiece as Ajak Ater got six kills. Mara Gutchess earned eight assists and Audrey Hathaway contributed five assists.
Then, at Hannibal 24 hours later, Grimes lost the first set 25-19, but then rolled through the second set 25-11 and, in close third and fourth sets, held off the Warriors 25-23 and 27-25 to take it.
Most of Hathaway’s 24 assists went to McDonald, who had a season-best 23 kills and six digs. Ater got seven kills, with D’Andrea earning six kills as Gutchess picked up eight assists and five digs.
