When the Cazenovia girls volleyball team arrived at Skaneateles last Thursday night, it did so sporting a three-match win streak, having not lost a set in any of those three matches.
All of that changed in this Lakers clash, starting with the first set, where it mostly went back and forth, but Skaneateles, claiming the early lead, never let go of it and prevailed 25-19.
In the second set, Cazenovia trailed 6-4 before going on an 8-2 run to move in front. That lead held up for a while, but Emma Miller’s serves helped Skaneateles regain the edge at 20-19 and hang on again, 25-22.
Trailing by two sets now, Cazenovia roared out 9-4 in the third set, and mostly held that advantage until it claimed the set 25-22, prolonging the match.
Then, in the fourth set, a 7-1 spurt helped Cazenovia erase a 7-2 deficit. But Maeve Canty’s net dominance helped Skaneateles go back in front before the visitors, down 17-13, came back again to tie it 20-20.
Only now did Skaneateles put it away for good, edging Cazenovia 25-23 to complete the match as Canty had a rare 20-20 showing that included 20 kills and 22 digs. Lily Delasin, had 30 assists, eight digs and three kills, while Kristen Henry earned 11 digs and four kills.
For Cazenovia, Maddie Waite was a wonder on the defensive side, gaining 26 digs. Josie Avery, with her 21 assists to go with three aces, passed it to Helen Hauser (eight kills) and Quinlan Emhoff (seven kills) as Hauser added three aces and six digs. Waite had four kills and Lindsey Clements earned four assists.
Two nights earlier, Cazenovia had gone to LaFayette, long a volleyball power, but here the difference between the two teams was vast as the Lakers smashed the Lancers 25-12, 25-18, 25-12.
Clements and Kylie Fenton set the tone against LaFayette as Clements got seven aces and Fenton adding six aces. Hauser and Emhoff both produced five kills, with Clements adding four kills. Avery earned 20 assists as Hauser got eight digs, Maddie Waite and Natalie Tresco each adding six digs.
Now at 3-2 on the season following the defeat to Skaneateles, Cazenovia faces Hannibal at Buckley Gym on Tuesday and then visits Bishop Ludden Thursday night.
