CENTRAL NEW YORK – Fresh off a week where it stopped red-hot Christian Brothers Academy and gave Camden its first defeat of the season, the East Syracuse Minoa girls volleyball team remained in top form.
And it culminated with last Saturday’s match where the Spartans, going head-to-head with the Brothers, prevailed in four sets, exactly what it did when the two sides first met 11 days earlier.
Here, the first set was a 25-13 ESM romp, but CBA recovered to take the second 25-19. With the third set pivotal, the Spartans pulled it out 25-19 and went on, in the fourth set, to close out the match 25-21.
Balanced on its back line, ESM saw Brooke Kirkpatrick earn 17 assists and Kristina Levkovich 16 assists, each of them passing to Akuot Kuany, who put away 18 kills as, defensively, Leah Rehm piled up 40 digs. Katelyn Davis got six kills, with Morgan Palmer adding five kills. Erin Murnane joined Rehm earning four kills.
CBA, in defeat, got 22 assists from Josie Lachut as Carleah Morgia produced 12 kills, Julie Zdep six kills and Naveah Bacheyie five kills in front of Josie DePalma, who equaled Morgia’s 11 digs.
Before all this, ESM and CBA both managed wins over Chittenango.
Despite its 10-2 record going into the match with the Spartans, the Bears could not keep up with an ESM side talented enough that, during one rally, Rehm kept a rally alive with a backwards kick, fitting given her stardom in soccer.
The 25-10, 25-20, 25-17 score reflected this dominance, Rehm earning 17 digs and Levkovich leading with nine assists to go with three aces and five digs.
Kirkpatrick wasn’t quiet, either, getting seven assists and four digs, while up front Kuany earned 10 kills, four blocks and two aces, Davis adding four blocks.
The Spartans met up with Whitesboro last Monday night and earned a sweep for the second time this winter, rolling through the first set 25-15 and taking each of the next two sets by equal 25-17 margins.
Kirkpatrick dominated on the back line, not only earning 19 assists, but amassing 17 digs as Levkovich earned eight assists and Rehm gained 32 digs. Kuany continued to put away points with her 13 kills, adding four aces and 12 digs. Murnane gained six kills and Davis contributed five kills as Palmer and Alena Mesic had four kills apiece.
Then it was the turn of CBA against Chittenango on Thursday night, and for the second time this season the Brothers beat the Bears.
A 25-19 opening set was followed by a tense second set that CBA pulled out 28-26, which allowed it absorb a 25-17 loss in the third set and, in a close fourth set, finish out the match 25-22.
Morgia earned more than a set’s worth of points from her 28 kills, adding 11 digs. Bacheyie got 10 kills as Lachut fed both of them with her 43 assists and DePalma had 22 digs. Zdep added five kills and 12 digs.
Manlius Pebble Hill found itself in yet another five-set match last Wednesday night and, once again, prevailed in it, defeating Port Byron for its fourth win in its last five outings.
Having lost the opening set 25-18, the Trojans were in danger in the second, too, only to endure several set points and take it 28-26 before routing the Panthers 25-14 in the third.
A 25-17 loss in the fourth set followed, but MPH closed it out 15-10 in the final set anchored by Laura Kinane, who finished with 22 assists and 15 digs.
Caroline Bernazzani, who had 10 kills and 10 digs, led a balanced Trojans front line where Emily Fadda-Conrey had eight kills and Mira Fadda-Conrey managed six kills. Defensively, India Clarry-Sohriakoff earned 36 digs, with Darby Gardner’s 11 digs equaling that of Emily Fadda-Conrey.
Then, facing Tully Thursday night, MPH got close in the second set, but ended up taking a 25-9, 27-25, 25-18 defeat to the Black Knights.
