ONONDAGA COUNTY – With a 4-3 record, the Fayetteville-Manlius boys volleyball team did not seem like it would be the side that would knock Cicero-North Syracuse from the unbeaten ranks.
Yet that’s exactly what took place last Wednesday night as the Hornets, on its home court, surrendered a two-set advantage but played well down the stretch to beat the Northstars in five.
Like anyone else trying to catch C-NS in recent years, F-M always brought its best effort, but this time it translated to getting all of the important points in the first two sets as it won by scores of 25-22 and 25-21.
But the Northstars had erased a two-set deficit to beat Liverpool on Sept. 21 and now tried to do so again, pulling out a tense third set 25-22 and carrying that momentum over into a 25-14 romp in the fourth.
Somehow, F-M regrouped and, in the final-set race to 15 points, went out in front early and stayed here, ultimately winning 15-8.
With 10 kills, Andrew Li paced a well-balanced Hornets front line as Chris Cleary had nine kills and Davin Woolridge added six kills. Jaden Duggal dished out 28 assists, adding three blocks, with James Addonizio earning 10 digs.
Seeing all this happen, Jamesville-DeWitt, who had just lost its first match of the season to Liverpool, took its shot at C-NS a night later and won its own five-set battle.
Like F-M, the Red Rams won the first two sets, by 25-20 and 25-22 margins, and like the Hornets, J-D surrendered that advantage, the Northstars dominating the third set 25-12 and holding on 25-21 in the fourth.
Both sides had chances in the final set, but it was J-D pulling it out 17-15, with Matt Keeler getting 19 assists and Aidan Bates adding 11 assists. Ty Parker got nine kills and four blocks, with Avery Tyson getting eight kills and four blocks as Aaron Ko managed six kills.
Wins in its first six matches had given J-D plenty of momentum and confidence – until it faced Liverpool. The Warriors claimed a 25-20 first set and then taking the next two sets by margins of 25-17 and 25-11.
Bates had seven assists and three kills, with Ko getting a team-best five kills and four digs. Parker had four kills and Tyson three kills. Liverpool’s Elliott DeForge pounded seven aces and six kills, with Anthony Pezzino earning 11 kills as Nolan Feidt got 19 assists and Jackson Furr gained 12 digs.
Just before it met C-NS, F-M was handling Baldwinsville last Tuesday night, the Hornets putting together a 25-21, 25-16, 25-10 sweep of the Bees.
Improving as the match went along, F-M saw Duggal pick up 20 assists. Li, Cleary and Addonizio each got five kills. Woolridge added three kills and two aces as Max Danaher earned four aces.
And as the Hornets were upending the Northstars, ESM lost to Liverpool 25-16, 25-14, 25-13. Ben Clappin led the Spartans with eight kills as Cole Thomas got seven kills and Aiden Betts five kills in front of Jacob Franklin, who earned 18 assists. Jacob Sehn contributed seven digs.
But the Spartans turned it around against B’ville on Thursday night, sweeping the Bees 25-18, 25-12, 25-15 to improve to 3-5 overall.
And F-M didn’t have a letdown after the C-NS match, beating Oswego 25-11, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20 on Friday night as it moved to 6-3 overall.
