ONONDAGA COUNTY – Even as it climbed to the top of the SCAC Metro division standings the Liverpool boys volleyball team still had in mind the hope that it could be the team to break the 39-match win streak of Jamesville-DeWitt.
But when the Warriors got that opportunity Tuesday night it could not keep up with the Red Rams, who prevailed in three sets that all ended up in similar places.
Both the first and third sets were 25-19 decisions and the second set was 25-18, J-D leaning heavily on Avery Kielbasinski, who piled up 22 kills mostly fed by Carsen Kaelin and his 37 assists.
Kellen Conway managed 20 assists for Liverpool, with Sean Frawley getting 10 kills but no one else more than Amaree Burton’s four kills. James Kelly added three kills and Shahidullah Sahak had eight digs.
Given this result, few expected anything from Cicero-North Syracuse when it faced J-D Friday night, but in the first two sets the inspired Northstars ignored its 2-6 record and, by gaining all the important points late, won a pair of 25-22 decisions.
Yet C-NS could not finish it off, for in the next two sets J-D found its customary form, claimed thoe sets by equal 25-11 margins and then ignored the pressure of maintaining its long win streak to win the final set 15-8.
Before all this, C-NS’s struggles continued last Tuesday against Living Word Academy, who needed just three sets to defeat the Northstars 25-21, 25-19, 25-23.
It seemed all of the important points when in the Lions’ favor as most of Jonathan Mazur’s 29 assists went to Jeremiah Plewak, who picked up 17 kills, and Christian Masterleo, who had nine kills.
On C-NS’s side Philip Greer led with seven kills and Joey Lukasiewicz earned four kills to go with six digs. On the back line Grady Kennedy earned 11 assists and Dylan Fournier got seven assists.
