ONONDAGA COUNTY – Having worked so hard just to have some kind of season, the Baldwinsville girls volleyball team cherished and enjoyed each second of it, from February to April.
Even if the usual undefeated run through the Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division was interrupted for the first time in eight years by Fayetteville-Manlius, the Bees dominated everyone else, ultimately winning 11 of its 12 matches.
For a closing act, B’ville faced Corcoran last Tuesday night, and only dropped a handful of points to the Cougars on the way to a 25-9, 25-4, 25-6 victory.
The entire roster got a turn by match’s end, including Jayda Pyle and Katelyn Brecht, who set the tone by each producing five aces as Brooke Clute added four aces to go with four assists.
Kyrah Wilbur again led the front line, earning seven kills. Pyle added five kills, with Madelyn Diep getting four kills. May, Rachel Ferris, Sydney Aiello and Katie Naprawa had three kills apiece.
Maddie McKaig got her turn as the setter for most of the match, finishing with a career-best 23 assists as Jenna Garvey, the setter most of the season, had nine assists.
Garvey, Clute, Aiello, Naprawa, Emma LeGault and Mattison Phinney are the graduating seniors for B’ville, with Wilbur, Pyle, Brecht, Ferris, May and Catherine Iven set to lead the Bees when it returns to a fall schedule later this year.
Meanwhile, the boys volleyball Bees put up quite a fight in last Wednesday’s season finale against Fayetteville-Manlius.
After dropping the first set 25-16, B’ville won the second set 25-23 to pull even. The Hornets won another 25-16 decision in the third set and, though the fourth set was closer, the Bees were defeated 25-20.
Still, James Brussel and John Morrissey each picked up 13 kills, with Ben Stisser getting six kills and Adam Lobdell adding four kills. Passing to all of them, Carter Healey finished with 36 assists. On F-M’s side, Cyrus Felton led the way with 20 kills as Aidan Liddell got 34 assists.
B’ville’s season concluded at 4-9 as seven seniors – Brussel, Healey, Lobdell, Morrissey, Stisser, Zach Szymendera and Andrew Coleman – graduate.
