They might prove the three most important points of the season for the Cicero-North Syracuse boys volleyball team.
Tied at one set apiece, and tied late in the third set of last Tuesday’s match with Fayetteville-Manlius, the Northstars worked itself out of danger with a timely run that eventually led to a four-set victory over the Hornets.
Having already gone through one stressful challenge from Baldwinsville, C-NS, going into the match 6-0, knew that 4-0 F-M would be just as difficult to conquer.
Sure enough, in the first set the Hornets went up 16-12 before a 9-2 run by the Northstars led to a 25-22 win. But F-M claimed the second set 25-18 and, in the third set, hung close even though C-NS led most of the way.
Then the Hornets caught up at 22-22. With the match bound to turn either way, the Northstars got back the serve, won three straight points to take that set 25-22, and then picked up the first six points of the fourth set on serve.
Two great service runs by Brandon Millias, who also had 17 assists, helped C-NS close out the match 25-16 as Trent Caviness did it all, from 11 assists to six kills, five blocks, four digs and two aces.
Up front, Jake Den Bleyker produced a team-best 12 kills, helped by Kevin Felasco’s seven kills and Carter Wisely’s five kills. Jon Hendry earned four blocks and Riley Kennedy contributed four digs.
Two nights later, at Jamesville-DeWitt, C-NS would again prevail in four sets, once more taking the first set, dropping the second and pulling out a close third-set battle before closing it out 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17.
Caviness had eight kills, 13 assists and five aces as Den Bleyker also had eight kills. Millias finished with 17 assists as Felasco produced eight kills and Wisely had five kills .Josh Pickard and Dan Seliger each got a pair of aces.
During Saturday’s 25-12, 25-18, 27-25 win over Midlakes, C-NS had Caviness get 15 assists and 11 kills, with Den Bleyker getting nine kills ahead of Felasco (five kills) and Wisely (four kills). Millias finished with 16 assists.
Liverpool had a match against Baldwinsville last Monday and lost in three sets 25-11, 25-22, 25-17, playing again on Thursday night against Central Square and getting swept by the Redhawks 25-17, 25-13, 25-19.
As for the girls volleyball teams at C-NS and Liverpool, they would both have matches against West Genesee during the week, the Northstars going first last Tuesday and sweeping the Wildcat 25-14, 26-24, 25-22.
Kim Barry got 16 assists and Jennifer Carl 15 assists as Barry joined Gracie Gleason, Torie Gleason and Brooke Nicolaos getting five kills apiece. Brooke Segars had seven kills and seven digs, with Adrianna Houston adding six kills and three blocks. Defensively, McKenna LaPorte led the way, amassing 18 digs.
Then, when it was Liverpool’s turn Thursday night, it lost the first set 25-18 and claimed the second set 25-22. Each of the next two sets went long, but the Warriors claimed them 26-24 and 27-25 to claim the match.
Avery Marcy notched 19 assists, with Sydney Caviness adding 16 assists and Morgan Michlovitch gained 13 digs. Up front, Marissa Baskin (12 kills) and Alicia Nash (11 kills) led the way as Sarah Ayling (six kills) and Bryanna McRobbie (five kills) gave the Warriors more options up front.
Before it played WG, Liverpool swept Henninger 25-13, 25-11, 25-13 on Tuesday, 10 different players combining to serve up 16 aces, none more than the three from Marcy, who got seven assists.
Caviness, with 11 assists, led the Warriors’ back line as Veronica Detota contributed nine assists. Ayling got seven kills, with Hayley Feldt getting six kills, Baskin five kills and Nash four kills.
And after it beat West Genesee, C-NS routed Corcoran 25-6, 25-20, 25-24 on Thursday night. Barry and Carl each got four aces, with Barry earning 19 assists asnd Carl 10 assists. Aurora Lesinski earned nine kills as Gracie Gleason got eight kills and Adrianna Houston earned seven kills. Torie Gleason had four kill and Brooke Segars three kills.
