ONONDAGA COUNTY – What’s become clear for the Baldwinsville girls volleyball team is that reaching its usual position of league and Section III champions will take all kinds of work.
To some degree, the regular season peaks this week as the Bees welcome the challenge of SCAC Metro division leader Liverpool and then welcomes a host of teams to Baker High School for Saturday’s Fall Fling Tournament.
Already, B’ville has played three league matches to five sets, including last Tuesday’s battle with Cicero-North Syracuse where it rallied twice and got past the Northstars.
Both the first and third sets belonged to C-NS by impressive 25-15 margins. Each time, though, the Bees quickly turned it around, winning the seconds 25-19 and the fourth 25-16.
What was more, in the decisive set and its race to 15 points, it didn’t last long. B’ville gained the serve and kept earning points until it had won 15-4.
Earning 21 assists, Maddy Gulich often passed it to Amelia Hahn, who put away 11 kills, nine digs and four aces. Natalie Dauphinias earned four kills, Ava Wickes adding three kills and six aces. Ally Dixon matched Hahn’s nine digs.
The Bees overcame 17 assists from Northstars teammates Kendall Rumble and Ellie Blumer as Rumble added 11 digs and Piper Adams 10 digs to go with eight kills. Grace Murray had nine kills and nine digs and Allison Navarra amassed 28 digs.
At home to face Jamesville-DeWitt Thursday night, B’ville rolled through the first two sets 25-16 and 25-18, lost the third 25-19 and was pushed in the fourth set, too, but held off the Red Rams 25-23 to claim victory.
Amelia Hahn’s 11 kills paced the Bees’ front line as she added nine digs and four aces. Natalie Dauphinias got four kills, with Maddy Gulich and Ava Wickes earning three kills apiece as Gulich dished out 21 assists.
In boys volleyball, B’ville found itself in a thriller with Living Word Academy, winning that tight match over the Lions in four sets.
Both of the first two sets went beyond the point limit and were split, the Bees winning the opener 27-25 and LWA the second 28-26. in both the third and fourth sets, B’ville showed poise and won them by equal 25-22 margins.
Brayden Kudarauskas managed 19 kills, with Xzavier Vanderstuow adding 11 kills and Ethan Davenport eight kills. Nate Meeker had 23 assists and Brendan Micho 10 assists to go with three aces. Justin Diep’s six digs only trailed the seven-dig outings from Kudarauskas and Vanderstuow.
In Friday night’s match against Oswego, B’ville lost in three sets 25-20, 25-21, 25-17. Mekker had 16 assists and Micho got eight assists as Davenport amassed 14 kills, but none of his teammates had more than three kills from Vanderstuow and Logan Rodriquez.
