CENTRAL NEW YORK – History was made by the Jordan-Elbridge girls volleyball team when, needing all of its toughness and tenacity, it rallied from a two-set deficit and turned back Weedsport to win the Section III Class C championship.
This sectional final held Saturday at Emerson Dillon School in Phoenix was already a milestone on the Eagles’ part, but what unfolded only made it more so.
Weedsport proved that it was a team vastly improved from the one J-E swept back on Sept. 19. In both the first and second sets the Wolverines asserted itself, taking the opener 25-20 and then dominating the second 25-14.
Staring at this deficit, the Eagles would find its rhythm in the third set and run over Weedsport 25-11. Far more important was a tense fourth set where the Wolverines got close to the title, only to have J-E regain the lead late and pull it out 25-23.
In the final-set race to 15 points the Eagles won it 15-9 as Sydney Parsons worked her total to 16 kills, with Zoie Karcz getting 16 assists, five kills, nine digs and two aces.
Brooke Chiaramonte had a double-double of 10 assists and 14 digs, adding three aces. Brenna Tubbert got five kills and three blocks, with Madison Clochessy recording 10 digs and equaling Abby DelFavero’s total of four kills.
Back in Wednesday’s semifinal it was the Eagles routing Syracuse Academy of Science 25-17, 25-14, 25-8. Zoie Karcz earned 11 assists as Sydney Parsons had five kills and Abby DelFavero four kills, with Claire Brown contributing four digs.
Two sides quite familiar with one another clashed Saturday at Phoenix when West Genesee and Fayetteville-Manlius met with the sectional Class AA championship on the line.
Not only were the Wildcats the defending champions, it had gained that title in 2023 at the expense of the Hornets. Now they were the top two seeds, with WG dropping a pair of four-set decisions to F-M in the regular season.
And this third encounter would also go in the Hornets’ favor as it rolled through the first two sets 25-13 and 25-15 and then took the third 25-18 led by Kalyna Dannenberg’s 16 kills and 15 digs plus 28 assists from Laila Duggal.
On the Wildcats’ side, Norah Emery produced a team-best seven kills. Celia Spicer added four kills, with Eliana Becker picking up 14 assists and matching the five digs from Spicer and Sidney Hamilton.
In the semifinal round last Wednesday WG had no trouble at all with no. 4 seed Central Square sweeping the Redhawks 25-16, 25-19, 25-8.
Getting stronger as the night went on the Wildcats had, on its front line, a lot of depth and balance even getting seven kills from Becker along with 29 assists.
Spicer led with nine kills, Bella Vallely adding seven kills and five blocks. Alaina Dudzinski got six kills, Miley Ginty five kills and Emery four kills as Hollis Pfeiffer (15 digs) and Hamilton (12 digs) led the defense, Becker adding nine digs/
All of this followed last Tuesday’s sectional Class D semifinal where Bishop Ludden again tried to get the best of Bishop Grimes and again could not do so, falling to the top-seeded Cobras in four sets.
They split the first two sets, with the Cobras winning 25-20 before losing the second 25-19. From there, though, it was all Grimes blasting through the third set 25-13 and taking the fourth 25-19.
Kayla Duenkel amassed 19 kills and Riley Abernethy was close behind earning 17 kills. Ava Christodoulou dominated on the back line thanks to her 27 assists and 10 digs.
Ludden, who finished its season 14-6, was led by Tiz’Ariah Billue’s 10 kills and six aces and Abby Reynolds’ eight kills. Sophia Rivera got 14 assists and Natalie Testa added nine assists, with Abby Mossotti adding eight digs and four aces. Grace Hilton’s 11 digs paced the defense and Rivera gained four aces.
