CENTRAL NEW YORK – When it pertains to area high school girls volleyball, no one has approached the winning at every level that Westhill has accomplished.
Many key players, including Ava Baty, Alice Bender, Eva Tarolli and Jocelyn Caputo, are back from a 2023 Warriors side that made it all the way to the state Class B final before getting stopped by Lansing.
Immediately testing itself, Westhill ventured Thursday night to Baldwinsville and never could get going in a three-set defeat to the Bees.
B’ville scored the game’s first four points on Madison MacKaig’s serve and then saw MacKaig serve well again at the end of the set to put away a 25-19 decision. Even more damaging was the 7-0 run on MacKaig’s serve the Bees made late in the second set on the way to a 25-15 win.
Though the Warriors rallied late in the third set to try to extend it, B’ville prevailed 25-20 to end matters. Sophia Johnson had 13 assists, while Baty got 10 assists and five kills, Tarolli posting seven kills as Caputon and Lottie Brudzinski equaled Baty’s five kills.
Back in Tuesday’s season opener, Westhill swept past Indian River 25-8, 25-6, 25-12. Tarolli finished with seven kills, while Caputo and Baty each had five kills, which Brudzinski matched. Bender, on defense, managed six digs, with Johnson picking up 13 assists and Baty contributing 10 assists, equaling their eventual B’ville totals.
Two local sides met on Friday and Skaneateles, in its season opener, went to Jordan-Elbridge, where the Lakers dominated at the outset, but had to thwart a late Eagles comeback to prevail in five sets.
Easy 25-9 and 25-15 wins in the first two sets suggested a quick evening, but J-E caught fire and won the third set 25-16, following it up by winning the fourth 25-19 to take it to a final set.
Sknaeateles did close it out 15-6, regaining its form just in time as it overcame 17 digs from Claire Brown and 14 digs from Isabella Jay, with Sydney Parsons getting six kills and Zoie Karcz earning nine assists.
J-E had opened Wednesday against Cazenovia, taking the second set 25-15 after dropping the opener 25-13, but not quite able to carry it over to the rest of the match as it lost the third (25-17) and fourth (25-18) sets to the Lakers.
Karcz earned 16 assists, helped on the back line by Brown’s 15 digs and Jay’s 13 digs. Abby DelFavero had a team-best four kills as Brooke Chiaramonte had four digs and three assists.
In another close match, Solvay faced Cortland and dropped a five-set battle to the Purple Tigers.
Twice, the Bearcats won close sets, taking the first 27-25 and the third 28-26. Both times, Cortland rallied, rolling through the second 25-17 and earning the fourth 25-21 before a final set where Solvay got within two points but lost it 15-13.
Through it all, Ciara Tongi gave the Bearcats 18 digs, helped on defense by Gianna D’Eredita (10 digs) and Rachel Willsey (nine digs) as Hannah Cintron got 14 assists. Victoria Zappala finished with eight kills and Emma Rutkowski added seven kills.
Marcellus also has plenty of success in its history, but also a lot to work on as evidenced by Tuesday night’s season opener, a 25-12, 25-10, 25-21 defeat to Liverpool.
The Mustangs (9-7 a season ago) were only close in the third set as Harper Camp had seven kills and 12 digs. Maddy Richer added 13 digs and Dorothy McMahon eight digs as Mary Curtin produced eight assists. Maddy Foy gained four kills.
It didn’t get easier Thursday night at Cicero-North Syracuse, where Marcellus fell to the Northstars 25-22, 25-13, 25-19, not quite able to get past a close defeat in the opening set. Foy still had 10 kills and nine digs, with Camp adding seven kills and nine digs as Chloe Kuttruff got 12 assists and Curtin added 10 assists.
Bishop Ludden won its opener last Thursday against Henninger, taking the first two sets 25-20 and 25-19 and, after a 25-19 loss in the third set, closing it out 25–18 in the fourth.
Natalie Testa got 12 assists and Sophia Rivera had 10 assists, passing it to Abigail Mossotti, who had nine kills, and Tiz’Ariah Billue, who got five kills and seven digs. Grace Hilton led the Gaelic Knights’ defense with 10 digs.
