While it had earned plenty of other victories in 2018, the Bishop Ludden girls volleyball team had to take particular satisfaction in defeating its crosstown private-school rivals from Bishop Grimes Thursday night.
Not only did the Gaelic Knights prevailed, it showed plenty of resilience doing so, twice erasing deficits and then doing just enough to edge the Cobras in five sets.
Grimes won the opening set 25-18, only to get run over by Ludden 25-9 in the second. Even when the Cobras won a hard-fought third set 25-22, the Gaelic Knights rallied again, 25-21, in the fourth.
The final set went back and forth just like the match did, but Ludden got the points in the end to win it, 25-23, seeing Aurora Deshaies put away 24 kills, earn 13 digs and get five aces.
Help for Deshaies up front came from Jayden Burney and Jasmine Cuffee, who each had six kills, and Mary Patrick and Megan Virkler, who got five kills apiece.
On Ludden’s back line, Sarah Morrell earned 38 assists and Emma Catalano produced 17 digs, with Morrell earning eight digs as Madison Prowak had a career-best eight aces to go with four digs.
On Grimes’ side, Raquel McDonald earned 15 kills, six digs and four aces, with Abbey Clapper adding seven kills. Audrey Hathaway finished with 23 assists as she and Mara Gutchess both got five digs and Becca Vinciquerra added seven digs.
Before this, Ludden (11-5) bashed Syracuse Academy of Science 25-5 in the opening set and, after a narrow 25-23 loss in the second, pulled out the third set 25-21 and then romped past the Atoms 25-8 in the fourth.
Deshaies set a career mark with 12 aces, adding six kills. Jasmine Cuffee had eight kills as Sarah Morrell (11 assists) and Kate Ruddy (eight assists) shared back-line duties with Emma Catalano (10 digs). Jayden Burney (three kills) and Mary Patrick (three aces) helped, too.
Yet another five-set battle on Thursday night saw Jordan-Elbridge take on Phoenix, but have a different result as it lost in five sets to the Firebirds.
Here, J-E won the first set 26-24, and then lost the next two sets 25-15 and 25-20. Two points from defeat, the Eagles held off Phoenix with another 26-24 verdict in the fourth set and were close in the final set, too, but the Firebirds held on 25-22.
Mackenzie Kresiler had nine assists for J-E as Cassie Klock got four kills and Megan Bard three kills. Defensively, Emily Bard had 28 digs and Paige Lane 10 digs.
Phoenix got 33 assists, 11 kills and six aces from Caitlin George, with Olivia Thrall adding eight aces as Megan Hess and Sarah Thorn earned six kills apiece.
West Genesee was, again, overwhelmed by Baldwinsville last Wednesday, the Wildcats taking a 25-20, 25-18, 25-10 defeat to the Bees.
Along with six digs, Brynn Zajac earned five assists as Mackenzie Winn matched that total of six digs. Julia Quirk finished with three kills, with Caroline Sgroi getting five digs and two kills.
A day later, WG routed Nottingham 25-8, 25-11, 25-13. Zajac, who had eight assists, added seven digs and three aces as Sgroi also got three aces, plus five kills. Arlea Vecchio earned eight digs as Mia Lamanna had three kills and two aces.
