Though it only required a single post-season match, the Skaneateles girls volleyball team knew how hard it had worked all season to earn the Section III Class C championship.
The Lakers lay claim to its first sectional title in six years Friday night at Fayetteville-Manlius, putting away Hannibal in straight sets.
Doreen Doctor was still the head coach in 2012 when Skaneateles last won a sectional banner. Now, the work done by Doctor’s successor, Dan Mulroy, has paid off with a return to the top.
For most of the season, Skaneateles had tested itself against Class B competition and had built a 14-4 record. This had included sweeps over Hannibal on Sept. 26 and Oct. 16, so the Lakers had full confidence that it could handle the Warriors again.
Showing no nerves about playing in a championship match, Skaneateles jumped out 10-4 on Hannibal in the opening set and did not let up, Jessica Patalino’s kill completing a 25-16 romp through the set.
It got even more lopsided as the Lakers earned a 25-13 victory in the second set. And even when the Warriors briefly went in front 4-3 in the third, Skaneateles answered with eight straight points off Patalino’s serve, which made the difference in a 25-18 decision.
The power from Patalino and Maeve Canty proved too much as Patalino finished with 13 kills, six aces and 11 digs, with Canty contributing 11 kills and 13 digs.
Setting a tone with her serves all night, Hannah Blowers had a career-best 11 aces, with Lily Delasin adding six aces to go with her 23 assists and five digs.
That put Delasin past 500 career assists on the same night that Patalino recorded her 500th career kill as Lily Simmons had six digs and Zoe Franciamone got four digs.
All this brings Skaneateles back into the state tournament, but the assignment is a tough one as it will face the Section VI (Western New York) champions next Wednesday at Daemen College in Buffalo. Either Eden or Portville, the Lakers’ opponents, have won each of the last seven state titles.
