When October started, it was the Westhill girls volleyball team garnering the attention and accolades, and for good reason.
All the Warriors did on Sept. 29 was go to Baldwinsville’s Fall Swing Tournament and, in the top-flight Gold division, take first place, defeating Section V power Victor in the finals after earlier wins over West Irondequit, Wayne and Rochester Mercy.
Yet by the time Westhill returned to league action last Tuesday, it was Solvay in the spotlight, especially after the Bearcats made a stirring comeback from a two-set deficit to stun Marcellus and end the Mustangs’ seven-match win streak.
Solvay was undefeated until a Sept. 26 five-set defeat to Cazenovia. And things looked to get worse when Marcellus roared through the first set 25-16 and then claimed a close second set 26-24.
Even when the Bearcats won the third set 25-21, the Mustangs got within two points of winning the match in the fourth. When it counted, though, Solvay regained the serve, won that set 26-24, and then in the final set outfought Marcellus 25-23 to win it.
Allie Posnick got 20 digs, and her 34 assists set up Brielle Bagozzi and Myah Platler, who each earned 13 kills. Izzy Lambert had six kills and Genea Kadlubowski five kills as Jordan Bamba (23 digs), Alexa Filicia (14 digs) and Gianna D’Agostino (10 digs) helped the Bearcats on the defensive side.
Marcellus got 18 kills and 12 digs from Sydney French, the passes coming from Bronte Stahl as she earned 20 assists. Michaela Godbold had four kills and seven digs as Anna Fern had four aces and Evelyn Webster had eight digs.
As a follow-up, Solvay beat Mexico in four sets Thursday 25-14, 25-21, 14-25, 25-17. Posnick, with 20 assists, passed it around as Bagozzi had six kills, with Platler and Alyssa Emmi getting five kills apiece. Sophia Guadagnolo gained four aces to match Posnick.
Far from all this, Westhill kept rolling as it played just once last week in advance of this Wednesday’s showdown with Solvay. The Warriors swept Mexico 25-16, 25-21, 26-24 last Tuesday as Mackenzie Martin had six kills, 11 assists and four aces.
Morgan Richardson contributed nine kills, seven digs and four aces. Montanna Gedney had five aces and six kills as Sarah Schwartz produced 13 assists and Megan Redmond earned seven digs.
Bishop Ludden got an impressive win last Tuesday against Hannibal, the Gaelic Knights taking the first set 25-23 and losing the second 25-20, but then getting all of the important points to beat the Warriors 25-23 and 26-24 in the third and fourth sets.
Aurora Deshaies piled up 18 kills and seven aces, with Mary Patrick getting eight kills and three aces. Jayden Burney had six kills as Jasmine Cuffee and Megan Virkler got five kills apiece.
Sarah Morrell earned 34 assists and nine digs, with Emma Catalano getting 12 digs. Also helping on the defensive side, Madison Prowak and Maylasia Wright had five digs apiece.
Against LaFayette on Thursday night, Ludden won the first set 25-23, but the Lancers claimed the second set 25-22 and then fought off the Gaelic Knights 25-19 and 25-20 to prevail in four.
Morrell piled up 33 assists as Deshaies got 16 kills and nine digs, with Burney adding seven kills. Alexis Pietrowski also had seven kills, joining Prowak as they each gained four aces. Cuffee and Mary Patrick each got four kills as Catalano earned 10 digs.
Ludden swept Institute of Technology Central 25-15, 25-20, 25-5 on Friday, with six aces from Prowak as Cuffee earned six kills.
Jordan-Elbridge got its own big win against Hannibal on Thursday night, dropping the first set 25-20, but then handling the second set 25-12 as the Eagles then edged the Warriors 25-22 in the third and fourth sets to win it.
Mackenzie Kreisler finished with 21 assists as Cassie Klock earned eight kills. Ashlee Eaton had seven kills, four aces and five digs as Ranait McGuire got seven aces, 11 digs and four kills. Emily Bard (15 digs) and Paige Lane (eight digs) helped on the defensive side.
West Genesee beat Henninger 25-11, 25-21, 25-13 last Tuesday as Holly Onoff had five aces and 20 assists, with Arlea Vecchio getting 12 digs and Brynn Zajac seven digs. Julia Quirk, Sarah Rigge and Caroline Sgroi had three kills apiece.
A night later, though, the Wildcats lost to Jamesville-DeWitt, taking the first set 25-23, but then falling in the next three sets to the Red Rams 25-20, 26-24, 25-14.
Onoff still managed 17 assists, with Zajac and Sgroi getting five kills apiece. Defensively, Vecchio led with 13 digs as Mackenzie Winn got 12 digs, while Sgroi and Madelyn Tibbetts had 11 digs apiece.
Then WG lost Friday to Fayetteville-Manlius, unable to recover from a 26-24 defeat in the first set as the Hornets took the next two sets 25-14 and 25-15. Winn had 13 digs, with Zajac getting four assists and four blocks as Lamanna had three kills and three blocks.
