CENTRAL NEW YORK – A single player, in a critical position on the court, can make quite a difference.
Anyone who may doubt this notion need only look at the Liverpool girls volleyball team’s four-set victory over Fayetteville-Manlius last Tuesday night as a clear example.
Three weeks earlier, when Liverpool let a 2-1 lead slip away in a five-set loss at F-M, it did not have top hitter Sophie Sageer in the lineup. She was back now, and the difference was obvious.
A solid 25-18 first set put the Warriors in front, and it did not get discouraged when a 14-8 second-set lead got away and F-M, by a 25-23 margin, pulled even.
Instead, the Warriors were close to perfect in the third set, breaking out of a 4-4 tie and outscoring the Hornets 21-3 the rest of the set in a match-defining 25-7 romp.
It was closer in the fourth, but unlike the first meeting Liverpool stayed out in front and closed out F-M 25-20, Sageer having put away 17 kills to go with 13 digs, two blocks and two aces.
Elliana Vangelov was back, too, earning 12 kills and nine digs as Lauren Poland had seven kills. Addie Tanton (18 assists) split back-line duties with Allyson Crandall, who earned 17 kills and 15 digs. Lily Correll had 19 digs and Madison Ames 11 digs to go with her four kills.
Liverpool did not have a letdown on Thursday night, sweeping Fulton 25-19, 25-20, 25-17 as Sageer put away 15 kills, adding seven digs. Sarah LaTocha added seven kills as Crandall, with 15 assists, and Tanton, with 12 assists, helped Vangelov (nine digs) on the Warriors’ back line.
Cicero-North Syracuse, who pushed Baldwinsville to five sets the last time they met, had less success in the rematch. The Northstars fell to the Bees 25-22, 25-17, 25-10, only close in the opening set.
Sarah Dobbins had 14 assists and Allison Navarra got 16 digs. Grace Murray had a team-best seven kills, Ellie Blumer adding four kills as Piper Adams and Gabby Penizotto had three kills apiece. B’ville got kills from 10 different players, Mallory Offredi leading with eight kills as Maddy Gulich earned 10 assists.
Rebounding two nights later, C-NS swept Central Square, though it included a marathon second sets where a host of set points were squandered before the Northstars, who had won the opener 25-21, pulled it out 33-31.
Demoralized, the Redhawks watched C-NS tear through the third set 25-13 to end it, Murray earning 10 kills and Grace Turrrell stepping up for nine kills. Dobbins got four aces as Navarra earned 22 digs and Kendall Rumble managed 21 assists.
Two big matches await Liverpool this week as it tackles Baldwinsville Tuesday and West Genesee two nights later. C-NS has to travel to F-M Thursday after a Monday-night visit to Marcellus.
