CENTRAL NEW YORK – Back from its work at the Baldwinsville Invitational on Oct. 2, each of the area’s three girls volleyball teams wanted to build off the competition it faced there.
In the case of Fayetteville-Manlius, it meant returning to Baker High School five days later, armed with a 6-2 record to offer a direct challenge to the undefeated Bees.
And it proved quite a battle, especially in a long second set which ended up pivotal in the Hornets’ four-set loss to the Bees.
After a 25-16 loss in the first set, F-M put itself in position several different times to claim the second set, only to have B’ville finally pull it out 35-33.
This meant that, even though the Hornets were able to win the third set 25-21, B’ville would recover and, by a 25-17 margin, close it out in the fourth set.
Zoe Myint amassed 41 assists and 16 digs. Kaylene Nobel also stood out with 17 kills and 21 digs, plus four aces. Amanda Groesbeck had eight kills, with Rebekah Beasley getting seven kills and nine digs. On the back line, Molly McNany amassed 22 digs, with Hannah Williamson earning five kills and Oksana Dannenberg eight digs.
Prior to that, F-M had swept Henninger 25-8, 25-7, 25-21 last Monday night, getting most of its roster on the court to benefit from Zoe Myint’s 25 assists.
Ten different players had aces, with Ziye Wang’s four aces setting the pace as Beasley had three aces. Kalyna Dannenberg had a team-best six kills as Nobel got four kills and joined Myint, Dannenberg, McNany, and Monique Tadeux, each recording two aces.
Jamesville-DeWitt took on Oswego last Tuesday and breezed through the first two sets 25-17 and 25-11. The Buccanners avoided the sweep with a 25-23 win in the third, but the Red Rams ended it 25-19 in the fourth set.
Aside from her 10 kills, Sophia Ferris served up 10 aces and added nine digs. Elsa Hardt had eight kills, six blocks, five aces and six digs, with Mia Stewart, Sheila Phoha and Emma Saroney adding four kills apiece and Cadence Milligan earning 19 assists as Natalie Goodson got 12 digs.
Playing again on Friday, J-D swept Syracuse City 25-9, 25-11, 25-9. Hardt got eight of the Rams’ 31 aces, with Maci Stewart getting six aces and Ferris five aces as Kanami LaClair had a team-best six kills and Milligan earned eight assists.
Bishop Grimes met Solvay last Tuesday, nearly erasing a two-set deficit to force the match to the limit before falling to the Bearcats 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 25-20.
Josie Schembri and Avery Burnette each picked up six kills and combined for seven aces, with Burnette adding 10 digs. Anna Fritz managed four aces as Tori Coppola earned 15 assists and Ashley Ince recorded 23 digs.
Grimes swept Hannibal on Wednesday night, getting past a 25-22 first set and taking the next two sets 25-12 and 25-9 for the sweep as Burnette got eight aces, five kills and seven digs. Ince got 10 digs, while Coppola had eight assists and four aces, with Schembri also getting four aces.
In Saturday’s match against Living Word Academy, Grimes lost 25-15, 22-25, 25-12, 25-16. Burnette had six kills and three aces, adding 13 digs as Ince had 18 digs and Coppola got eight assists.
