ONONDAGA COUNTY – A whole lot of big matches marked the long-awaited return of high school girls volleyball to an area full of successful and historic programs.
No one has done better in recent years than Westhill, winners of the 2018 and 2019 state Class B championships, though COVID-19 denied the Warriors a shot at a Section III and state three-peat.
Westhill honored its three seniors – Katie Culligan, Morgan Richardson and Jaida Welch – prior to last Tuesday night’s season opener against Homer.
Then, in the match, the Warriors breezed through the first two sets 25-17 and 25-11 before the Trojans won the third 25-16 and then got close in the fourth.
Westhill pulled out that fourth set 25-23 to end the match as Culligan recorded 10 kills to match teammate Kate Heinrich, adding four digs.
Richardson earned six kills and five digs, with Welch getting seven digs. Hannah Schmitz, the team’s new sophomore setter, earned 27 assists.
As that went on, two rivals, Marcellus and Skaneateles, went at it, and the Mustangs got the upper hand, sweeping past the Lakers.
Having already won the first set 25-15, Marcellus endured a tougher second set, but once that was put away 25-20, it dominated the third set 25-6.
For the Mustangs, Jenna Mattison put together a night that included 18 assists and seven aces, while Bronte Stahl gained eight kills, five aces and six digs.
Brook Finarty also had eight kills, with Anna Fern getting four aces and Sarah Louer picking up eight digs. For Skaneateles, Rory Comer had nine digs and Emma Miller eight digs as Libby Raymond had three assists.
Then Westhill took its turn against Skaneateles Thursday night, with the Warriors steadily working its way to a 25-12, 25-17, 25-14 sweep of the Lakers.
Schmitz finished with 20 assists, her passes often going to Heinrich, who earned 11 kills. Alison Lancette had four kills and two blocks as Tori Militi featured with 13 digs, helped by Welch (nine digs) and Charlotte Formica (six digs).
Marcellus went from its match with Skaneateles to handling Christian Brothers Academy two nights later, rolling through the first set 25-9 before taking the next two sets 25-18 and 25-16.
Stahl, with 11 kills, paced the Mustangs’ front line, with Finnarty and Elaine Grattan both adding six kills. Fern got four kills and two blocks as Mattison passed to all of them with 28 assists. Louer had eight digs and Grattan seven digs, ahead of Finnarty’s six digs and Stahl’s five digs.
