CENTRAL NEW YORK – With three victories in a six-day span over Skaneateles, Christian Brothers Academy and Homer, the Cazenovia girls volleyball team improved its mark to 4-3.
Tougher matches followed, though, including last Monday’s battle with Westhill at Buckley Gym where the Warriors swept the Lakers in three sets.
A week earlier, Westhill’s 44-match win streak ended with a five-set defeat to Marcellus, but here the Warriors were in top form, only threatened by Cazenovia in a 25-22 second set but taking the other two sets 25-12.
Lindsey Clements finished with eight assists as Helen Hausser and Anastasiya Yavorska each got three kills. Maddie Waite, Carleigh Szalach and Kylie Fenton had two kills apiece. To lead the Warriors, Hannah Schmitz had 26 assists and 15 digs, with Kate Heinrich earning 12 kills.
Against undefeated Marcellus Thursday night, the Lakers lost 25-12, 25-13, 25-15 to the Mustangs, who got 27 assists from Jenna Mattison and 25 digs from Elaine Grattan. Bronte Stahl had 10 kills, four aces, four assists and seven digs.
Chittenango rebounded from an April 9 defeat to Fabius-Pompey in last Monday’s match against Onondaga, and did so, taking four sets to top the Tigers 25-19, 12-25, 25-13, 25-21.
Aside from that second set, the Bears were consistent and effective, Lily Callahan getting 11 kills and nine assists as Mary Tassone added seven kills and 14 digs. Madison Wagner had five kills and five digs, Julianne Kent adding six digs.
It all led to Wednesday’s showdown with undefeated Tully, who had just survived a five-set battle with LaFayette two nights earlier to go to 9-0.
Despite the possible fatigue, the Black Knights made it 10 in a row by sweeping the Bears 25-8, 25-19, 25-20, led by Emma Byrne’s 18 kills and 13 digs, plus Alexa Shay’s 25 assists.
Tassone would amass 20 digs to go with six kills as Callahan produced 11 digs, four kills and five assists. Kackison got 10 assists and eight digs, with Wagner adding six digs. Kent and Rachel Gilbert both had five digs.
Without any rest, the Bears faced Living Word Academy on Thursday and returned to winning form, dropping the first set 26-24, but then taking out the Lions 25-10 and 25-12 before surviving a 27-25 fourth set to end it.
Callahan led with 11 aces and 11 digs, plus nine assists and four kills. Gilbert had eight kills, four blocks and four digs as Kackison got eight assists, six aces and three digs. Kent contributed seven digs, with Tassone getting 12 digs as she and Wagner had four kills apiece.
The season ended for Chittenango Friday against LaFayette, and it proved quite memorable.
After a 25-20 win in the first set, the Bears lost the next two sets to the Lancers 25-14 and 25-21, and were close to defeat before it pulled out the fourth set 25-23 and, in the final set, Chittenango grabbed it 25-20.
Aside from her 17 assists, Callahan produced 10 kills as Kackison had a team-best 19 assists. Julia Graham got 12 digs and four aces, while Tassone had11 digs as she gained seven kills. Olivia Fawcett finished with five kills, with Tori Neveldine getting four kills and Kent earning eight digs.
This was also the week where Chittenango’s boys volleyball team ended its season with a split of its remaining matches.
The Bears swept Central Square 25-14, 25-18, 25-11 last Monday night in its first match since March 29, with Evan Edwards at the forefront thanks to his 17 assists.
Nate Dziedzic had five kills, five aces and nine digs as Alek Reymond got eight kills, five blocks and six digs. William Bailey added seven kills, three digs and two blocks.
All that was left was Friday’s match against East Syracuse Minoa, a first-year program who continued to flourish by putting away the Bears 25-15, 25-16, 25-20.
Simmons got 10 assists, five digs and three kills. Bailey and Reymond both earned four kills as Dziedzic, Josh Boulter and Aiden Adams got six digs apiece.
