Maybe the biggest issue for the Jamesville-DeWitt girls volleyball team was that it didn’t have much time to savor regaining the Section III Class A championship.
A mere three days after toppling the Oswego side that beat them in the 2017 sectional final, the Red Rams found itself in the state tournament, dealing with the toughest possible foe in less-than-ideal circumstances.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the Section II champions, met J-D in last Tuesday’s regional playoffs. The Spartans brought along a daunting resume that included five state titles in the millennium, the most recent in 2015.
Also, the match was on Burnt Hills’ home court, adding to the degree of difficulty.
As it turned out, Burnt Hills was just too much, easily taking the match as it topped the Red Rams 25-7 and 25-9 in the first two sets. J-D did make the third set a bit closer, but fell 25-16 to the Spartans.
It wasn’t until week’s end that Bishop Grimes, who swept Living Word Academy for its second consecutive sectional title, made its state tournament appearance.
At Tioga High School, the Cobras faced Bainbridge-Guilford, the same team that knocked them out of the regional round a year ago. And this match had the same result.
Bainbridge-Guilford did not waste much time, claiming the first set 25-9 and the second set 25-12. Grimes did play better in the third set, but still took a 25-18 defeat as its season ended.
Audrey Hathaway finished with eight assists as Raquel McDonald finished with five kills. Abbey Clapper added two kills as, defensively, Becca Vinciquerra produced six digs, with Bella D’Andrea and Mara Gutchess each getting three digs.
