A wild, exciting and historic season for the Cazenovia girls volleyball team did not result in the same kind of post-season glory attained when it won the Section III Class B title and reached its first-ever state final four in 2017.
Yet it wasn’t because the Lakers had a poor team, or didn’t improve as the season went along. It was just that it ran into a far better opponent.
Cazenovia, the no. 4 seed, fell in three sets to top-seeded, undefeated Westhill in Tuesday night’s sectional semifinal, ending a 10-match win streak that had followed a 3-4 start.
And that had included the Lakers’ opening-round sectional match last Friday at Buckley Gym, where it faced no. 5 seed Homer and prevailed in three sets, a stark contrast to the five-set battle it claimed against the Trojans earlier in the month.
After a 25-20 win in the opening set, Cazenovia controlled the second set 25-17 and then, in a close third set, held off Homer 25-23 to complete the sweep.
Lindsey Lawson put away 18 kills, adding five blocks and five digs. Mackenzie Waite added six kills and five digs as Josie Avery produced 29 assists, also earning five digs.
Defensively, Hope King led with nine digs, with Laura Clements contributing eight digs as Fatih King earned five digs and three kills. Homer featured Delaney Hartnett (14 assists, 14 digs), Karly Roos (20 digs) and Kaia Hubbard (12 kills, three aces).
None of this would make it easier for the Lakers at Westhill, who was the last team to beat Cazenovia head-to-head on Sept. 17 before the win streak started.
Unable to get much going, the Lakers saw the Warriors put them away 25-11, 25-13, 25-10 as Avery only got four assists and four digs, while Lawson was held to two kills.
In control all the way, Westhill had Mackenzie Martin earn 10 kills, eight assists and seven digs, with Sara Galante adding 11 kills, Sarah Schwartz earning 11 assists and Montanna Gedney gaining 10 digs.
As Westhill advanced to face Solvay (who beat Marcellus) in the sectional final, Cazenovia finished a 13-5 season where coach Brian Ellithorpe got his 400th win.
Five seniors graduate – Faith King, Hope King, Alexis Sherwood, Laura Clements and Taylor Mapstone. However, Lawson, Waite and Avery lead the returning cast for 2019.
