ONONDAGA COUNTY – Through eight matches, no one has proven able to keep up with the Solvay girls volleyball team as it inched closer to an undefeated season.
The Bearcats wasted little time dismissing Syracuse Academy of Science last Tuesday, the 25-7, 25-7, 25-2 sweep featuring 21 aces, seven of them by Alicia Granger, with Jordan Bamba adding five aces.
Margaret Kemp put away nine kills for the Bearcats, helped on the front line by Genea Kadlulbowski, who had five kills, and Ryleigh Bidwell, who got four kills. Toni Sardo picked up 12 assists and Brielle Bagozzi finished with 10 assists.
Then Solvay handled Institute of Technology Central 25-10, 25-14, 25-17 on Thursday night to make it eight victories in a row with matches left against Bishop Grimes and Bishop Ludden this week.
Though other teams were intent on preserving undefeated marks, Skaneateles welcomed any kind of victory and truly earned one last Monday when it edged Christian Brothers Academy in five sets.
Each of the close sets would go in the Lakers’ favor, whether it was a 25-23 opener or a 28-26 third-set battle in between the Brothers claiming the second 25-17.
Then, having lost the fourth set 25-14, Skaneateles fought through a long final set with multiple match points before finally taking out CBA 27-25 to improve to 2-6 overall.
Stella Zang, with 13 kills, and Grace Congel, with 11 kills, led the Lakers’ front line, with help from Kate Raddant, who had seven kills and three blocks.
Rory Comer roamed the back line and picked up 32 assists, helped by Erin Guthrie (six assists, seven digs). Defensively, Emma Miller got 16 digs and Alex Csemez added 11 digs. Mila Miller and Ireland Walker had five digs apiece.
West Genesee was coming off back-to-back wins when it challenged powerful Baldwinsville last Monday night and nearly won the first set from the Bees.
However, the Wildcats fell 25-23, and the Bees took the next two sets 25-12 and 25-20, overcoming Izzy Allen’s 12 kills and Phoebe Anderson’s seven kills. Olivia Snyder gained 23 assists and seven digs. Cami Zajac earned 10 digs.
A 25-7, 25-18, 25-13 defeat to Fayetteville-Manlius followed on Wednesday night, where Zajac again finished with 10 digs, Snyder earned seven assists and Cameron Rosenthal led WG with five kills. No one else had more than two kills.
In Friday’s 25-11, 25-14, 22-25, 25-17 defeat to Cicero-North Syracuse, the Wildcats were able to snare the third set, but no more as it fell to 4-8 overall.
Bishop Ludden got a three-set sweep of Institute of Technology Central last Tuesday, topping the Eagles 25-19 in each of the first two sets and 25-13 in the third.
Jasmine Cuffee put away 10 kills for the Gaelic Knights. Rachel Sherwood had four aces, matching Allison Bradley’s total of four kills as Jordyn Howard stepped up on the back line with 21 assists.
After a close first set Thursday against Manlius-Pebble Hill, Ludden went on to dominate the Trojans the rest of the way, winning 29-27, 25-15, 25-12 over the Trojans.
Kate Ruddy returned and got 11 aces to go with 19 assists. Amelia Adams nailed 10 aces as Cuffee earned nine kills and Sarah Fink got 10 digs. Bradley and Paige Smith had four kills apiece.
