ONONDAGA COUNTY – Off to a quick start, East Syracuse Minoa kept it up during last Monday’s match against Central Square.
The Spartans prevailed in four sets as it won the opener 25-16, dropped the second set 25-18 but then ousted the Redhawks 25-21 and 25-22 in competitive third and fourth set.
Alana Day picked up seven aces and 25 assists, helped on the back line by Morgan Ransom, who had 13 digs, and Arianna Constanzo, with five aces. In addition to her team-best nine kills, Laura Sitnik got 10 digs as Emma Talarico had six kills and two blocks. Hannah Hulchanski, Helaina Scolaro and Autumn Stoia got four kills apiece.
Up against Fulton on Thursday, those results reversed, with the Spartans unable to secure the first set and then falling in three sets to the Red Raiders 25-23, 25-15, 25-12.
Sitnik finished with 12 digs, with Day getting six digs to go with her eight assists. Ransom gained nine digs as Stoia and Constanzo both gained four kills and Talarico contributed three blocks.
Then, in Saturday’s match against Cortland, ESM never could quite get on track, dropping the opening set 25-18 and then seeing the Purple Tigers claim the next two sets by 25-13 and 25-20 margins.
Sitnik finished with six kills, one more than Talarico, with Stoia adding four kills. Working hard on the back line, Day gained 13 assists and Ransom picked up 10 digs, Sitnik adding eight digs.
Christian Brothers Academy is a program that, similar to ESM, usually has its season in the winter but, due to “Fall Sports II”, is now competing against opponents who usually have their seasons in the fall.
An example of this was last Tuesday night’s opener against Cazenovia, where the Brothers could not quite keep pace in a 25-19, 25-14, 25-16 loss to the Lakers.
Grace Catalano still stood out with 12 kills, helped on the front line by Bella Roberson, who had five kills and five blocks. Makenna Shultz managed eight assists as Catherine Halstead and Ashley Brown both earned 15 digs and Abby Kambhampaty added seven digs.
On Thursday night, CBA took on Marcellus, and were overwhelmed 25-9 in the first set. Though the Brothers played better in the next two sets, the Mustangs still closed it out 25-18 and 25-16.
Bishop Grimes usually plays a fall schedule but had to move to the early spring in 2020-21, and faced some challenges right away.
Against Bishop Ludden last Tuesday night, the Cobras were handled 25-13 and 25-8 in the opening sets before getting the third set 25-18 and challenging in the fourth, too, before the Gaelic Knights closed it out 25-21.
Avery Burnette posted a team-best four kills, while Natalie Musolino and Josie Schiembri had three kills apiece. Lexi Emmi had eight assists as Ludden’s Kate Ruddy got 21 assists, eight aces and seven kills.
Grimes rebounded to top Manlius-Pebble Hill Thursday, each of the three sets close though the Cobras did sweep the Trojans 26-24, 25-22, 25-20
Tori Sikorski earned nine digs to help out Emmi (eight assists) on the back line. Emmi also had five aces and four kills as Schiembri got five kills and Burnette also had four kills. Nell DeChick contributed a pair of aces. MPH had lost its season opener to Solvay earlier in the week.
