ONONDAGA COUNTY – As they waited to confront one another on Sept. 20, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys volleyball teams still had to navigate through plenty of early challenges.
For the Warriors, it meant starting with three consecutive road matches, including one at Baldiwnsville last Tuesday where it trailed early before topping the Bees in four sets.
Having dropped the opener 25-20, Liverpool settled down to dominate the second set 25-10. A crucial third set went back and forth, but when the Warriors won it 25-23, it took over in the fourth to end it 25-15.
Anthony Pezzino put together 16 kills, five blocks and four aces. Aiden Hunter added four kills and four aces as Jack DeForge fed both of them thanks to his 25 assists, to go with three aces.
Those same Bees then met C-NS on Thursday night, and it wasn’t as close. Strong in every phase, the Northstars swept past B’ville 25-14, 25-17, 25-11.
With his 25 assists, Jack Waite often saw his passes go to the duo of Joe Seliger and Carter King, who each finished with 11 kills. Reece Congel put away seven kills, with Andrew George earning six kills to go with a team-best five aces and four digs.
Liverpool, playing that same night against Oswego, had a far different kind of match.
A long opening set went 29-27 in the Warriors’ favor, with the Buccaneers taking the second 25-20. It was tight in the third set, too, but again Liverpool won it 25-22.
The Bucs rallied for a second time to take a tense fourth set 25-23, but in the fifth-set race to 15 points, the Warriors’ quick start was never answered and it ended 15-8.
Through all of it, DeForge kept adding to his total until he had picked up 41 assists, and Pezzino benefited the most, setting a new career mark with 27 kills, plus five blocks and four aces.
Hunter, with five kills, offered some help, while Sean Frawley picked up three kills and Shah Sahak had 12 digs. Oswego got 38 assists from Carson White, 16 kills from Jack Donovan and 10 kills from Aiden Evans.
