CENTRAL NEW YORK – One of the signature moments of a fine season for the Fayetteville-Manlius girls volleyball team was rallying for a five-set victory over Liverpool on its home court Sept. 20.
But when these two sides met again last Tuesday night, the Warriors, playing at home and far closer to full strength than before, dominated large portions of the match and beat the Hornets in four sets.
Great as it was to win that initial meeting, F-M knew that Liverpool was without one of its top hitters, Sophie Sageer, who was back in action for the rematch and powered the Warriors to a 25-19 win in the opening set.
Trailing 14-8 in the second set, F-M rallied, then held on 25-23 in the second to get even, only to get run over in the third by a Warriors side doing everything well in a 25-7 romp.
Then, falling behind 20-12 in the fourth set, the Hornets could not make up all of it, falling 25-20 as Sageer led her side with 17 kills, adding 13 digs, two aces and two blocks.
F-M saw Rebekah Beasley put away 15 kills, with Malana Noble getting seven kills. Ava Zerrillo earned 29 assists as Kathryn McNany got 20 digs, Beasley 15 digs and Noble and Zerrillo 11 digs apiece.
Recovering well on Thursday night, F-M put away Oswego 25-14 in each of the first two sets and then beat the Bucaneers 25-22 in the third for the sweep.
Earning 20 assists, Zerillo and Kara Evans, who had 10 assists, mostly fed it to Beasley, who again earned 15 kills with help from Gretchen Stoppacher and her six kills. Kathryn McNany and Katrina Noble matched Beasley with 11 digs apiece.
With no rest, F-M now had to go Friday and face a Baldwinsville side it beat in five sets on Sept. 26 and, once again, these two sides would go the limit.
Close sets went 25-21 and 25-23 in the Bees’ favor. Then, in both the third and fourth sets, F-M found itself on the brink of defeat but pushed back from it, winning each of those sets in 26-24 thrillers.
And the fifth set was tight, too, but B’ville was able to end it 15-13, overcoming Zerillo’s 46 assists. Beasley had 17 kills and 18 digs, with Noble getting 23 digs to go with 12 kills and Stoppacher adding 10 kills. McNany equaled Beasley’s 18 digs and Laura Schepp had 12 digs, Alexis Hamilton getting seven kills and four blocks.
Back on Thursday night, Jamesville-DeWitt, in its first match in a full week, took on West Genesee, and the Red Rams could not overcome a 25-14 opening-set defeat, falling in three sets as the Wildcats won the next two 25-20 and 25-21.
Aaliyah Andreson and Claire Trevisani had six kills apiece, Celia Kemmis adding five kills as Cadence Milligan got 19 assists, helped on the back line by Sophia Zoghby (10 digs) and Kanami LaClair (nine digs).
Bishop Grimes met up with Bishop Ludden last Tuesday night and, just like when they first met Sept. 8, the Cobras lost in three sets to the Gaelic Knights.
This 25-12, 25-16, 25-16 decision included 12 aces from Ludden’s Sarah Prowak, accounting for many of her team’s points. Grimes got nine assists from Caroline Bukuru and 10 digs from Elizabeth Cori as Kayla Duenkel had four kills, with Saba Fasama and Chloe Dailey earning three kills apiece.
As a follow-up on Thursday night, Grimes lost to Hamilton 25-14, 25-20, 25-17, the Emerald Knights led by Megan Crowell’s 12 assists and nine digs as Hailee Howe got 13 digs and Cameron Cleveland managed seven kills.
