CENTRAL NEW YORK – After a tough stretch of matches during the pre-Easter school break, the Cazenovia girls volleyball team looked for some improvement once classes resumed.
Immediately, it was shown in last Monday’s match, a clash of Lakers sides where Cazenovia got the best of Skaneateles in a five-set battle.
Having won the opening set 25-18, Cazenovia dropped a long 30-28 second set to Skaneateles, and were pushed beyond the limit in the third set, too, but got a 26-24 win.
That was needed, since Skaneateles won a tight fourth set 25-22 to prolong the match before Cazenovia took charge in the final set, taking it by a more comfortable 25-16 margin.
Helen Hausser finished with 14 kills and four aces, while Anastasiya Yavorska earned eight kills. Kylie Fenton picked up four aces, added four blocks and matched Caryn Gagnon and Eliza Gurney with four kills apiece.
The back-liine work was split up well, Carleigh Szalach earning 14 assists with help from Gagnon’s eight assists and Maren Smith’s seven assists. Maddie Waite finished with five aces and two kills.
It didn’t take as long for Cazenovia to find success against Christian Brothers Academy in its next match, the Lakers taking just three sets to put away the Brothers 25-20, 25-14, 25-19.
Hausser put up seven aces and Julia Ketcham managed six assists on the back line. Up front, Smith had six blocks, with Szalach and Fenton getting six kills apiece and Gurney gaining four kills.
Cazenovia faced Homer last Friday in advance of a busy final week that was set to include four matches, from a rematch with Skaneateles to clashes with three other tough opponents – Westhill, Marcellus and Solvay, all at Buckley Gym.
And the Lakers proved successful against the Trojans, taking the first set 25-20 and, after getting routed 25-13 in the second, roaring back to take the next two sets 25-18 and 25-22 to win the match.
Fenton produced eight kills and five aces to lead the way. Lindsey Clements earned 11 assists, three aces and two kills, while Hausser contributed three kills.
Chittenango carried a 4-1 record into last Tuesday’s match against LaFayette, only to fall in four sets to the Lancers.
Normally a fall team, LaFayette was a new opponent for the Bears, promptly winning a close first set 25-22 and a lopsided second set 25-9. Though Chittenango won the third 25-17, the Lancers rebounded to take the fourth set by that same score to end the match.
Lily Callahan still had 17 assists and 11 digs, with Camryn Kackison getting 11 assists and 13 digs. Mary Tassone (10 digs) and Julianne Kent (nine digs) helped on the defensive side as Libby Matthews had a team-best seven kills, ahead of Tassone’s five kills and Callahan’s four kills. Layla Isaacs (10 kills) and Keeley Jocko (18 assists) paced LaFayette.
In back-to-back matches late in the week, Chittenango first faced Faith Heritage and took just three sets to put away the Saints 25-15, 25-21, 25-20.
Kackison gained 15 assists as Callahan, along with her eight assists, produced a team-best seven kills. Toni Neveldine added four kills, with Julia Tassone getting three kills. Kent led the defense, earning eight digs.
Then, against Fabius-Poimpey a night later, the Bears won the first two sets 25-19 and 25-13. The Falcons pulled out the third set 25-22 and nearly got even, but by a slim 25-23 margin in the fourth Chittenango ended the match.
With Callahan’s 19 assists and Kackison’s 15 assists, the Bears were well-fortified on the back line, even more so by Tassone getting 24 digs to go with six kills and Kent adding 14 digs.
As part of a deep front line, Gilbert gained seven kills and Callahan earned six kills. Neveldine and Madison Wagner helped further with four kills apiece.
