CENTRAL NEW YORK – Every single time it looked for crucial points, the Cazenovia girls volleyball team would earn them.
That was what made the difference in last Wednesday night’s match at Buckley Gym, where the Lakers were able to defeat Solvay in four sets and improve to 5-1 on the season.
Having lost the opening set 25-22, Cazenovia handled the Bearcats 25-14 in the second, but then the real drama started.
Five different times in the third set, possible set points were turned back before the Lakers, at 27-27, claimed the serve and earned the point to win 29-27.
Even with this, Solvay nearly extended the match in the fourth, but by a 25-23 margin Cazenovia clinched a victory as Maren Smith led the way with nine kills, 11 digs and two aces.
Sophie Reger and Ashley Lordon had five kills apiece, while Zoe McLean earned four kills. Becca Ziemba, with 14 assists and 13 digs, led the back line as Lucy Bliss got seven assists, eight digs, three aces and two kills.
On Solvay’s side, Ashley Filicia had 17 assists and four aces. Nevaeh Baker and Tayler Kadlubowski also had four aces as Hannah Haase got six kills and four aces, with Carly Overend adding five kills. Defensively, Baker amassed 27 digs and Haase had four digs.
It wasn’t as dramatic in Friday’s match against Cato-Meridian, where the Lakers needed just three sets to put away the Blue Devils, even if the scores were 25-19, 25-21 and 25-22.
Abby Falso’s four assists aided Bliss, who had three aces to go with her eight assists. Ziemba got five assists as, up front, Smith had five kills, Mya Skeele got four kills and Lordon notched three kills and three blocks. Anna Bjork finished with five assists and five digs.
A tough match awaited Monday night, Cazenovia visiting Sknaeateles, before it was home Friday to face Jordan-Elbridge.
