ONONDAGA COUNTY – Topping 21-0 perfection, along with back-to-back state Division II championships, is a close to impossible task, yet one which the Jamesville-DeWitt boys volleyball team is quick to embrace.
That three-peat quest is made far more difficult by the fact that 10 seniors, including setter Tim Cooper (1,442 career assists) and front-line standouts Luke McQuaid, Aaron Ko, Phoenix McBride and Cam Moynihan (a combined 720 kills), graduated.
All sorts of new faces were in the starting lineup for the Red Rams when it opened the 2024 season Thursday night against Living Word Academy, who like every other J-D opponents will be geared up for the occasion.
Strong at the outset, the Rams sprinted to a 25-17 win in the opening set, but from there nothing proved easy as the Lions had numerous chances in both the second and third sets to catch up or keep the match going.
Somehow, J-D weathered them, winning those sets 29-27 and 27-25 to run its win streak to 31 consecutive matches dating back to the 2022 season.
Avery Kielbasinski,the Rams’ leading returning front-line player, had 12 kills and three blocks. Owen Dougherty stepped up with nine kills as Carsen Kaelin, taking over at setter, earned 24 assists and Kian Sarmast had 11 digs. LWA was led by Jon Mazur’s 30 assists that set up 19 kills from Jeremiah Plewak and 11 kills from Christian Masterleo.
A trio of area high schools play fall girls volleyball, with J-D poised to build upon its 2023 run to the Section III Class A championship and regional finals.
Returning several key players from that sectional title team, the Red Rams were steady and dominant in Wednesday’s season opener against PSLA-Fowler, sweeping the Falcons 25-11, 25-6, 25-12.
More than a full set of points came from 26 aces, eight of them by Amariyah McClinton as Rekha Phoha impressed with seven aces and Ellyana Deng stepped up with six aces.
Phona equaled Yeva Balayan as they each contributed five assists, with Lyla Commandeur earning a team-best three kills and Aaliyah Anderson getting a pair of blocks.
A far tougher match loomed Friday in the home opener against Central Square, as proven by the fact that the Redhawks would prevail in five sets.
Twice, J-D came back, taking a close second set 26-24 after dropping the opener 25-18. Then, after Central Square took the third 25-20, it had several match points in the fourth set but got turned back.
Winning that set 30-28, the Rams got close to taking the match, only to drop that last set 15-13. Balayan earned 35 assists as Anderson got 12 kills, Deng six kills and Merris Kessler eight kills. Hannah Trevisani got 17 digs and Alana Bates had eight digs.
J-D is home next week to face two more city foes, Corcoran and Nottingham, while Fayetteville-Manlius welcomes several local teams to its annual Hornet Pride Tournament Saturday after a showdown with Baldwinsville earlier in the week and Bishop Grimes gets underway, too.
