CAZENOVIA – Having split its first four matches of the season, the Cazenovia girls volleyball team was dead-set on getting back above the .500 mark for good – but it did a whole lot more.
In fact, it’s doubtful the Lakers will find, in the rest of the regular season, a result as satisfying and rewarding as Thursday night’s five-set victory over previously unbeaten LaFayette at Buckley Gym.
This match required patience, for after Cazenovia won the opening set 25-18, it had a good chance to move further ahead, but saw the Lancers pull out the second set 25-22.
The third set was just as close, but this time the Lakers earned the key late points, winning 25-23, only to again have LaFayette battle back in a tense fourth set to pull even, 25-22.
In a final-set race to 15 points, Cazenovia made its way in front and held on 15-13, putting an end to the Lancers’ perfect run as it had started the season with eight wins in a row.
On an active back line, Becca Ziemba led with 12 assists and 24 digs, with Lucy Bliss doing it all, from 15 assists and 13 digs to four kills, six aces and two blocks.
Olivia Prykl augumented her team-best 11 kills with 14 digs as Mya Skeele got seven kills and 11 digs. Sophie Reger had three kills.
For LaFayette, Amie Shute put up 12 kills and five blocks, helped by Aubrie Jones (eight kills) and Shayla Benedict (seven kills) as Chylure Bucktooth got 26 assists, Mackenzie Loughlin had 36 digs and Elle McElhannon had 24 digs.
Before this, the Lakes met Homer Tuesday night and immediately found itself trailing, but rallied to beat the Trojans in four sets.
Instead of letting a close 25-23 defeat in that opening set discourage them, Cazenovia rolled to a win in the second set 25-17 and then went back-and-forth in a tense third set.
Once the Lakers pulled out that set 25-23, it did the same in the fourth, hanging on 25-22 to close out the match as Prykl earned 21 digs. Skeele had 14 digs, with Ziemba earning 12 digs to go with 10 assists and Bliss getting 11 digs and seven assists.
Balanced up front, the Lakers saw Skeele get six kills, just ahead of Prykl and Alyssa Wardell with five kills apiece. Homer was led by Lily Sorenson’s 18 kills and Mackenzie Hubbard’s 12 assists and 16 digs.
Not having a letdown after the LaFayette epic, Cazenovia managed to get a 25-10, 26-24, 25-13 victory over Solvay on Friday to make it three straight wins led by Bliss, who amassed 11 assists, five aces and six digs.
Matches against Cortland and Marcellus loom this week, the latter of them the kickoff to Cazenovia High School’s Homecoming festivities.
