CENTRAL NEW YORK- Newly confident after a sweep of Tully on Dec. 7, the East Syracuse Minoa girls volleyball team carried that success over into matches the following week.
The Spartans went up against Whitesboro last Monday and earned a 25-8, 25-18, 25-8 sweep, with Erin Murnane setting the tone thanks to her four aces to go with nine digs and three kills.
Akuot Kuany led the front line with nine kills and four blocks, with Anela Mesic, Camille Mitchell and Katelyn Davis each gaining four kills. Leah Rehm led the defense with 16 digs and Brooke Kirkpatrick earned 15 assists, helped on the back line by Kristina Levkovich, who had nine assists.
This was in the midst of a stretch of five consecutive road matches, with the fourth of them Thursday night at Central Valley Academy that again resulted in an impressive Spartans victory.
Rolling past the Thunder 25-11 in both of the first two sets and 25-17 in the third, ESM got 12 kills from Kuany, helped by Mitchell’s six kills and Morgan Palmer’s five kills. Kirkpatrick managed six aces, 14 assists and five digs, Levkovich contributing six assists and Rehm having 11 digs to go with three aces.
Christian Brothers Academy had more time at home than ESM did, and it remained in winning form last Tuesday night against Port Byron, the Brothers sweeping past the Panthers 25-14, 25-15, 25-13 to improve to 4-1 overall.
Josie Lachut’s 23 assists and Josie DePalma’s 22 digs anchored the CBA back line. Carleigh Morgia added 12 digs to go with eight kills as Neveah Bacheyie had seven kills and five blocks. Julie Zdep added five kills and eight digs.
A far bigger match appeared to loom Friday against traditional power Chittneango, but CBA would see that match postponed, to get made up on Jan. 12.
Manlius Pebble Hill, who went into the week 1-2, faced Weedsport last Monday and, for a brief moment, was even in the match, taking a close second set 25-23 after dropping the opener 25-21.
Each of the next two sets was tight, too, but Weedsport won them both, 25-22 and 25-23, to deny the Trojans its first win of the winter, Weedsport led by Olivia Quinn’s nine kills and Megan House’s 23 assists.
MPH then swept Onondaga 25-13, 25-21, 25-18 on Wednesday night, with Emily Fadda-Conrey setting the tone as she finished the match with 10 kills and five digs.
Caroline Bernazzani and Mira Fadda-Conrey (who got five aces) had five kills apiece, with Bernazzani adding three blocks and six digs. Working the back line, Laura Kinane’s seven assists set the tone as she added 18 assists. Darby Gardner got five aces.
Up against Tully on Thursday night, MPH managed, for a moment, to stay with the Black Knights, taking a close second set 25-23 after losing the opener 25-16.
Tully then rolled through the third set 25-13 and, in a tense fourth set, pulled it out to drop the Trojans’ record to 2-4 as Samantha Garback got 11 kills and Anna Lund dished out 28 assists.
