CENTRAL NEW YORK – Three area high school winter girls volleyball teams spread out into three separate Section III playoff brackets late last week, but only one of them would get to the semifinal round.
Christian Brothers Academy landed the no. 2 seed in Class B, but almost found itself ousted in Friday’s quarterfinal against no. 7 seed South Jefferson before surviving to beat the Spartans in five sets.
Beset by injuries (Grace Catalano and Abby Uryniak were out) and calling players up from the JV ranks, the Brothers were routed 25-11 in the first set.
But in close second and third sets, CBA won them both, 25-21 and 25-23, and nearly ended it in the fourth before South Jefferson pulled it out in another 25-23 decision.
Both sides had chances to win it in a close, back-and-forth final set, but at 16-16 CBA got back the serve and, earning the match point, won the match 18-16 to advance to the semifinals against no. 3 seed Camden.
Most of Georgia Brown’s 34 assists went to Carleah Morgia, who put away 25 kills. Julie Zdep added seven kills as Josie DePalma, with 25 digs, led the defense and Morgia got 15 digs.
This followed last Monday’s match at eventual top seed Chittenango where, run over 25-7 in the opening set, the Brothers roared back to win the second 25-20, but then dropped the next two sets to the Bears 25-17 and 25-15.
Brown, with 21 assists, fed it to Morgia (nine kills) and Catalano (seven kills) on the front line, Brown and Catalano each earning 10 digs as DePalma had 12 digs and Morgia eight digs.
Up in Class A, East Syracuse Minoa had closed the regular season by facing Whitesboro last Monday and won the second set 27-25 to get even after the Warriors won the opener 25-20.
However, the Spartans lost the third and fourth sets 25-19 and 25-21 to drop the match, even as Natalie Peterson piled up 40 assists and 10 digs, adding four aces.
Akuot Kuany put away 16 kills, with Camille Mitchell earning 12 kills. Margaret Mading mixed in eight kills and 20 digs as Brooke Kirkpatrick got 21 digs. Skylar Merkel matched Emily Murnane, each earning 15 digs.
Eight teams were in the sectional playoffs and ESM, the no. 5 seed, would try to, in last Friday’s quarterfinals, avenge two regular-season losses to no. 4 seed Rome Free Academy.
It was the Black Knights claiming the first two sets 25-19 and 25-16. The Spartans prolonged the match by winning the third 25-22, but by a 25-17 margin RFA won the fourth.
For ESM, whose season ended with a 9-9 mark, Kuany put away 19 kills and Mading had 15 kills. Peterson finished with 36 assists/
Finally, there was Manlius Pebble Hill in Class D, drawing the no. 7 seed in a 14-team field and, in last Wednesday’s opening round, facing no. 10 seed DeRuyter.
The Trojans took out the Rockets 25-16, 25-17, 26-24, led by Lyb Brudin’s 18 kills and 14 digs. Kate Chaffee had 31 assists to go with four aces and four kills as Emily Fadda-Conrey had seven kills. Gianna Rinaldi and Maggie Stokes-Rees had four kills apiece.
Moving to the quarterfinals, MPH faced no. 2 seed Cincinnatus a night later and saw its season end with a 25-19, 25-22, 25-18 loss to the Lions. The Trojans would close with a 10-7 overall record.
