BALDWINSVILLE – What the Baldwinsville girls volleyball team experienced on the first Monday night of April was something it had not gone through in more than seven years.
The Bees were defeated in four sets by Fayetteville-Manlius at Baker High School, the first time any Section III team had pulled this off in a head-to-head match since Liverpool did so in September 2003.
But it wasn’t a complete surprise. When these teams first met in the March 19 season opener, F-M had erased a two-set deficit against the Bees, dragging it to a fifth set before B’ville pulled it out 25-21.
At first, the rematch went in the same direction as the Bees handled the opening set 25-15, but here F-M quickly turned it around, controlling the second set by a 25-16 margin.
Just as important was the Hornets following it up with a 25-20 victory in the third set. Now in front, F-M maintained its poise and had an answer every time the Bees charged in the fourth set.
In another 25-20 decision, F-M closed it out, with Morgan Napier the constant focal point thanks to her 37 assists as she added eight digs and served up three aces.
Up front, there was much-needed balance and depth. Harper Stoppacher and Amanda Groesbeck both produced 12 kills, Groesbeck adding three blocks and Stoppacher getting a pair of blocks plus five digs.
It went further, too, thanks to Kaylene Nobel’s six kills and three blocks, plus Ijeoma Okoh earning five kills.
On the defensive side, Molly McNany was a steady presence, earning 17 digs, with Nina Avery adding nine digs and Zoe Myint getting eight digs to go with three aces.
B’ville, in defeat, got 10 kills apiece from Kyrah Wilbur and Sophia Ianno, with Gianna May adding seven kills and Brooke Clute held to five kills to go with 12 digs. Jenna Garvey produced 23 assists as Catherine Iven had four aces and six digs.
Now the Bees would find out how it handled regular-season adversity – quite well, as iturned out, judging by its three-set sweep of Cicero-North Syracuse two days after the F-M loss.
Against a Northstars side it needed four sets to subdue on March 23, B’ville got through the first set 25-19 and then, surviving serious challenges in the next two sets, pulled them out 25-22 and 25-23.
Garvey’s 26 assists and six digs set up points for Wilbur, who had 15 kills, three blocks and eight digs, and Clute, who gained 13 kills, two blocks and 10 digs.
Catherine Iven led the Bees’ defense, finishing the match with 15 digs. Garvey added six digs as Katie Naprawa had three kills and three blocks. For C-NS, Cassidy Ormond had 18 assists and 17 digs, with Brooke Segars (seven kills, 10 digs) and McKenna Johnston (eight kills) pacing the front line.
Four matches remained for the Bees, three of them this week against West Genesee, Henninger and Liverpool before facing Corcoran April 20.
