CENTRAL NEW YORK – All the good things the Baldwinsville girls volleyball team achieved in an undefeated regular season would only count if it followed up with a Section III Class AA championship.
And judging by last Thursday’s match against Cicero-North Syracuse, all seems fine with the Bees, who wasted little time handling the Northstars in three sets.
With veteran players still remembering its loss to C-NS in the 2021 sectional semifinals, a 25-14 win in the first set was followed by 25-9 romps in each of the next two sets.
Madelyn Diep’s four aces and six digs set the tone, Kyrah Wilbur putting away nine kills as Madison MacKaig gained 18 assists and Sadie Phelps eight digs. Diep, Mallory Ofredi and Nela Loftin had three kills apiece.
Before this, the Bees rolled last Tuesday to a 25-16, 25-9, 25-17 victory over Nottingham to improve to 12-0 overall, with Madalynn Gulich picking up 11 assists.
Phelps and Diep had three aces apiece, while up front Offredi picked up six kills. Amelia Hahn and Ava Wickes had two kills apiece, Wickes adding a pair of aces.
Meanwhile, the B’ville boys volleyball team continued to display just how much it had improved after most early-season opponents had overwhelmed them.
Facing Oswego last Wednesday at the Baker High School gym, the Bees lost each of the first two sets to the Buccaneers by equal 25-19 margins.
Then B’ville battled back, grabbing the third set 25-20 and the fourth set 25-17, leading to a tense final set where both sides had chances to win it, but the Bees ultimately saw Oswego take it 16-14.
Xzavier Vanderstuow had 12 kills and eight digs, with Ethan Davenport adding 10 kills. Brayden Kudarauskas had seven kills as Aidan Delaney and Caleb Way had four kills apiece.
In addition to his four kills, Brendan Micho handed out 30 assists, got two aces and had nine digs, Anthony Hildreth adding six digs and Justin Diep five digs.
On the Bucs’ side, Carson White, with his 47 assists, passed it to a well-balanced front line where Jack Donovan (13 kills), Charlie Chercio (nine kills), Brett Dykas, Aidan Evans (eight kills each) and Braydin Spath (seven kills) all flourished, Nick Besaw adding five aces and 10 digs.
Up against Fayetteville-Manlius Friday night, B’ville again showed toughness, winning the third set 25-23 after losing the first two sets 25-16 and 25-20.
The Hornets did close it out, 25-21, in the fourth, but not before Vanderstuow and Kudarauskas each earned nine kills, Davenport six kills and Cameron Beachel five kills in front of Micho, who got 20 assists. Hildreth added 10 digs.
