ONONDAGA COUNTY – Among the area’s top girls volleyball teams, the close competition was reflected by Marcellus sporting an undefeated mark, with Skaneateles close behind.
How close would get measured last Tuesday night, when the two long-time rivals would collide and the Mustangs would prevail in four sets to improve its record to 9-0.
A tight first set went 25-20 in Marcellus’ favor, but the Lakers took the second set 25-18. That only seemed to provoke the Mustangs to its best form as it took each of the next two sets by comfortable 25-16 and 25-17 margins.
Three different Marcellus players – Carly Hopper, Brooklyn Finnarty and Bryn Goldsworthy – got 10 kills apiece, with Finnarty adding 12 digs and Goldsworthy eight digs. Miranda Stewart had eight kills, seven blocks, three aces and 10 digs.
Feeding all of them, Jenna Mattison earned 34 assists, adding six aces and six digs, with Elaine Grattan getting 25 digs Maddy Bender earned 16 assists for Skaneateles as Rory Comer got seven kills and 11 digs to help the Lakers.Laci Gadis managed 18 digs. Maddie Wright and Ayla Pas’cal had four kills apiece.l
Marcellus went from there to a 25-8, 25-16, 25-10 sweep of Institute of Technology Central on Thursday, where Mattison’s 19 assists went to Finarty (eight kills), Goldsworthy (seven kills) and Hopper (six kills).
Skaneateles had swept ITC 25-4, 25-15, 25-6 right before it faced Marcellus. Bender, who had seven assists, and Libby Raymond each got five aces as Alice Bender got nine aces. Comer and Kate Raddant had three kills apiece. Gaddis managed six digs.
Solvay has to wait until Oct. 21 for its own match against Marcellus, but would play three times last week, starting with a 25-15, 25-13, 25-20 sweep of Jordan-Elbridge.
Then both sides won on Tuesday, Solvay needing four sets to get past Bishop Grimes 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 25-20 as J-E lost two 25-23 sets to Syracuse Academy of Science, but won the other three sets by equal 25-8 margins.
Gabby Smart, when she was on the court, racked up a career-best 20 aces to go with four kills and seven digs.. Sarah Lane nearly got a quadruple-double with nine aces, eight kills, 10 assists and 11 digs, withTaylor Eaton adding 10 digs.
While beating Grimes, Solvay got 15 kills from Alicia Granger, plus 11 digs and five aces. Maggie Kemp added nine kills as Toni Sardo (16 assists, four aces, seven digs) and Brayla Bagozzi (15 assists, 12 digs) worked the back line.
In four sets on Thursday, Solvay turned back Cazenovia. It lost the second set 25-12 after taking a 25-20 opener, but then pulled out a tense 26-24 third set and then dominating the fourth 25-11.
Bagozzi had 16 assists, 11 digs and seven aces, with Sardo adding 13 assists and five aces. Granger piled up 16 kills, adding nine digs and six aces as Gianna D’Eredita had seven kills.
J-E, playing again on Thursday, swept Phoenix 25-21, 25-12, 25-20, with Smart picking up 10 kills and nine aces. Sydney Parsons earned five aces and seven digs as Lane got 12 assists.
Far from all this, West Genesee swept past Nottingham 25-13, 25-16, 25-10 last Tuesday night, led by Sonya Dunham’s 16 assists and Cameron Rosenthal’s nine kills. Celia Spicer got five aces and seven digs.
But the Wildcats lost in four sets to Cicero-North Syracuse 25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17. Rosenthal and Cami Zajac both had nine kills, with Claire DeVore adding seven kills. Olivia Snyder earned five kills and 17 digs as Rosenthal amassed 19 digs, Zajac had 10 digs and Dunham earned 30 assists.
Westhill swept Mexico 25-13, 25-14, 25-18 last Tuesday night, with Tori Militi earning 10 aces and 10 digs as Kate Heinrich got six kills and Ava Baty earned nine assists.
Bishop Ludden rolled past Institute of Technology Central 25-19, 25-20, 27-25 last Thursday, seeing Amelia Adams pick up 21 assists, three aces and three kills as Bridget Dunham added seven aces and seven kills.
