CENTRAL NEW YORK – Once again the Section III boys volleyball playoffs are here, with Jamesville-DeWitt out for a second consecutive state Division II championship and Fayetteville-Manlius favored again in Section III Division I.
Both are top seeds, with J-D playing the Division II semifinal Thursday against Central Square or Living Word Academy while F-M, in the same spot in Division I, awaits Liverpool or Baldwinsvlile in its semifinal match.
Still feeling confident after its hard-fought four-set win over the Hornets on Oct. 20, the Red Rams returned to dominant form last Tuesday night in a 25-14, 25-22, 25-16 sweep of Liverpool.
Tim Cooper directed his 39 assists to a nearly perfectly balanced front line. Luke McQuaid led with 12 kills, but Aaron Ko and Avery Kielbasinski each got nine kills, Phoenix McBride had eight kills and Cam Moynihan stepped up with seven kills. McQuaid (11 digs) and Cooper (seven digs) led the defense.
Then J-D faced Oswego two nights later and, for the first time all season, fell behind a sectional opponent when it lost the opening set 25-18 to the Buccaneers.
But then the Rams won the second by that same 25-18 margin and then, in a pivotal third set, pulled it out 25-22 before putting away Oswego 25-17 in the fourth to move to 17-0.
McQuaid and Ko equaled each other with 14 kills and 15 digs. McBride put up 11 kills, with Kielbasinski adding 10 kills and Moynihan eight kills. Cooper finished with 48 assists as Owen Dougherty stepped up with eight digs.
F-M closed its regular season by facing Baldwinsville. All three sets followed a similar pattern, with the Bees staying within range, but the Hornets maintaining control and prevailing 25-20, 25-21, 25-19.
Mike McAndrew’s 10 kills paced F-M’s front line. Charles Addonizio and Charlie Schroeder had six kills apiece, with Chris Cleary and Guy Juran each getting four kills. Connor Sugar had 29 assists as Addonizio matched Sean Kellish’s total of six digs.
East Syracuse Minoa returned to the court last Thursday to face Living Word Academy, with the Spartans needing just three sets to put away the Lions, though the first two sets were both 25-22 battles.
A 25-18 third set closed out the sweep, ESM seeing Ryan Sullivan and Austin Betts each earn 10 kills, helped by Jacob McGuigan’s seven kills, Tyler Quarry’s six kills and Jayce Domres’ five kills. On the back line, Donovan Randall earned 30 assists and Tommy Clonan gained 11 digs.
Given the no. 3 seed in Division II, the Spartans would have to beat no. 2 seed Oswego in Thursday’s semifinal if it wanted a chance to host the sectional final at 2 p.m. this Saturday, most likely against J-D.
