ONONDAGA COUNTY – Just when it looked like the Baldwinsville girls volleyball team might have some company atop the area Class AA ranks, it reminded everyone who was still in charge.
The Bees absorbed the best shot of visiting Cicero-North Syracuse last Monday night and, regaining control, eventually prevailed in four sets over the Northstars in a clash of the top two SCAC Metro division sides.
Both sides were undefeated going into the match – C-NS at 6-0, B’ville at 5-0, and in the opening set it was the Northstars who seized the lead and never let go of it, prevailing 25-19.
A long second set proved pivotal. The Northstars had a chance to double its lead, but after several set points the Bees pulled it out 28-26, and followed it up with a 25-21 win in the third set.
As the match ended with a 25-19 loss in the fourth set, C-NS could take comfort from seeing Natalie Tice, with her 31 assists, set up a well-balanced front line.
Kyrah Wilbur earned nearly a full set’s worth of points at the net due to her 24 kills, Wilbur adding 12 digs as Madelyn Diep got seven kills, Madison MacKaig earn 37 assists and Kathryn AuClair add 16 digs. Sadie Phelps managed nine digs, four kills and three aces.
C-NS’s Madison Roche had 11 kills and 12 digs, with Maddy Howell adding nine kills and Carly Overend six kills to go with four aces and eight digs. Alita Carey-Santangelo got five kills as Karley Eymer and Maddy Manz had 13 digs apiece.
Then B’ville swept Nottingham 25-17, 25-12, 25-6 last Wednesday, with Katelyn Brecht earning seven aces and Diep adding four aces. MacKaig got 11 assists as Erin Gregoire put up a team-best four kills.
And next was the annual invitational tournament on Saturday, with B’ville welcoming a large, talented field that included C-NS and Liverpool, along with many other top area teams plus sides from Sections II, IV and V.
B’ville was in the Gold division, where it reached the semifinals before getting eliminated by Shenendehowa (Section II). Shen dropped the final to Section V’s Victor.
Other division titles went to Westhill in the Silver division and Owego in the Copper division.
Far away from all this, B’ville’s boys volleyball team continued to seek its first win of the 2021 season and, on the eighth try, finally got it last Friday against Central Square.
Having lost the first two sets 25-22 and 25-20, the Bees roared back, taking the third set 25-17 and then withstanding all kinds of twists and turns in the fourth set to pull it out 30-28.
In the fifth-set race to 15, B’ville won it 15-8, seeing Liam Ramsey earn 13 kills and four aces as Zach Treichler and Gibson Boudov had eight kills apiece. Aidan Delaney had five aces and four kills and Brayden Kudarauskas got 12 digs as Brendan Micho dished out a season-best 36 assists, adding four aces.
This followed two losses earlier in the week. Fayetteville-Manlius swept the Bees 25-21, 25-15, 25-10 last Tuesday as Micho earned eight assists, two aces and two digs. Ramsey got four kills and Kudarauskas led on defense with seven digs.
Then B’ville lost 25-18, 25-12, 25-16 to East Syracuse Minoa on Thursday night, though Ramsey picked up eight kills, Kudarauskas again had eight digs and Micho got 12 assists.
