CENTRAL NEW YORK – All through its first five wins this season, each of them a sweep, the Chittenango boys volleyball team paid attention to the similar start put together by Vernon-Verona-Sherrill.
And when these two sides clashed for first place last Tuesday night, it was the Bears getting the best of it, outlasting the Red Devils in four sets in their first encounter since last March’s Section III final.
For the first time this winter, Chittenango had to deal with real adversity, VVS able to snare a close opening set 25-22 and then threaten to win again in the second.
However, the Bears pulled it out, 25-23, and similarly won a nervous third set 25-22 before a fourth set where everything clicked and Chittenango closed it out 25-15.
With Cole Thomas earning 33 assists and Lawson Pagorek getting 14 digs, a deep front line could function well as Landon Parks led with 11 kills.
Close behind Parks, Micah Alpuerto earned nine kills, with Thomas earning seven kills and Kyle Peryer getting six kills. Trevor Cole and Roger Mulholland had five kills apiece as the pair combined for 13 digs.
To lead VVS, Ryan Mumford had 18 assists and six kills, with Ryan Mitchell adding 10 assists and Nolan Robinson producing 13 kills. The Red Devils meet Chittenango again on Feb. 14.
Meanwhile, the Bears made it seven in a row Friday by sweeping Central Valley Academy as Thomas had 21 assists, four kills and three aces, while Alpuerto had six kills and four aces. Parks also got four kills as Quinn O’Brien earned three kills.
A Saturday-afternoon match with Little Falls resulted in a 25-14, 25-8, 25-7 romp over the Mounties. Mulholland had five aces as Parks got eight kills. Thomas earned 19 assists, five kills and two aces as Pagorek amassed 14 digs.
Two nights after this happened, Chittenango’s girls volleyball team suffered its second defeat in as many weeks, falling in five sets to East Syracuse Minoa.
After winning a close opening set 25-21, the Bears were in position to go up 2-0, only to have the Spartans pull out the second set 27-25 and then win a tight third set 25-22.
Even though Chittenango was able, by that same 25-22 margin, to win the fourth, in the final-set race to 15 points the Spartans put itself out in front and held on, 15-11, for the win, led by 44 assists from Natalie Peterson as Margaret Mading, Camille Mitchell (14 kills apiece) and Akuot Kuany (11 kills) worked in front.
