ONONDAGA COUNTY – Few would have guessed before the season that the Fayetteville-Manlius girls volleyball team’s match against West Genesee on Wednesday night would be for first place in the SCAC Metro division.
Yet that’s where the two league rival stood after last Wednesday night’s exciting battle where the Hornets knocked off previously unbeaten Liverpool in five sets, rallying to do so.
Though F-M won the first set 25-19, Liverpool appeared to get control when it emerged from a close second set 25-22 and controlled the third 25-18 to move out in front.
Only a few points from victory, though, the Warriors could not grab it. Instead, F-M pulled out the fourth 25-23 and would take the final-set race to 15 points in a narrow 15-13 decision.
Kalyna Dannenberg amassed 22 kills, five blocks and 14 digs. Rebekah Beasley, with 12 kills, five aces and 14 digs, helped out on the front line as Malana Noble had nine kills and Mia Knuth five kills.
Ava Zerrillo fed all of them, amassing 49 assists, one of he r best career totals. Knuth finished with 15 kills and Nobble earned 12 digs.
Liverpool lost despite 22 assists from Addie Tanton and 16 assists from Allyson Crandall. Lauren Poland put up 12 kills, Elliana Vangelov had 11 kills and Madison Ames got 10 kills to go with her 20 digs. Sarah Daniel managed 30 digs and Lily Correll 13 digs.
Not having a letdown 24 hours later, F-M swept a strong Fulton side 25-12, 25-16, 28-26, struggling only in the third set to put the match away.
Dannenberg stood out, her 13 kills, four aces and eight digs aided by Beasley’s eight kills and eight digs. Noble had six kills and served up six aces as Zerrillo finished with 33 assists.
Bishop Grimes also returned to action last Wednesday night, splitting the first two sets with Syracuse Academy of Science but then taking over in the third set on the way to a 25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 25-22 win over the Atoms.
Just avoiding a fifth set with SAS, the Cobras saw Kayla Duenkel pile up 18 kills, helped on the back line by Saba Fasama and her eight kills. Chloe Dailey added five kills and four aces as Ava Christodoulou earned 32 assists, adding four kills. Olivia Vitale and Caroline Bukuru had three aces apiece.
Then the Cobras swept Syracuse OnTech 25-12, 25-6, 25-13 on Friday night to improve to 4-4. Duenkel and Mia Reed each had seven aces as Dailey and Bukuru both earned six aces. Gianna DiNiro finished with four aces.
