CENTRAL NEW YORK – Up against a great program and a coaching legend, the Chittenango girls volleyball team counted on surprising everyone when it faced top seed Canastota in last Wednesday’s Section III Class B semifinal.
And the Bears almost pulled it off, twice coming from behind and pushing it to a fifth set before, by a narrow margin, the Raiders pulled it out
At stake was a berth in the sectional finals against Holland Patent, who a night earlier beat South Jefferson in the other semifinal in four sets, with Chittenango up against a Canastota side whose coach, Marcia Laidlaw, has won more than 900 matches.
As it turned out, the opening set was quite important. Both sides had set points but Canastota took it 26-24, which allowed it to not get too worried after the Bears pulled out the second 25-22.
They were close again in the third set and, again, the Raiders did just enough to win it 25-23. After all this tension, the fourth set was a bit of a breather, Chittenango dominating it 25-8 but Canastota able to put it aside in time for the final set.
Much like the first three sets the fifth would go back and forth, the Raiders inching in front and, despite every Bears push, hanging on 15-13 to end Chittenango’s season.
Teagan Hopkins led Canastota with 43 assists, her passes going to Mackenzi Stevens (19 kills) and Ava Rizzo (10 kills) as they both joined Morgan Fusillo and Schuyler Bennett with 10 digs apiece, Hopkins adding nine digs and Rizzo eight digs.
Over in boys volleyball Chittenango found itself bouncing back again after a second defeat to Central Valley Academy on Feb. 8.
The Bears faced a 9-1 Sauquoit Valley side last Monday night and, after winning the opening set 25-19, found itself pushed hard in the second set but, after several set points, won it 27-25.
This allowed Chittenango to absorb a 25-23 defeat in the third set and, with the fourth set just as close, pull it out 25-22 to end the match as Jackson Blaszkow piled up 22 kills and added seven digs.
Ryan Thousand helped with 11 kills and six digs. Jacob Wagner and Logan Mills each managed eight kills and Gavin Karwoski six kills plus a team-best 13 digs as Logan Bronner dished out 45 assists and Seth Boulter earned 10 digs.
Three scheduled road matches followed, first at Canastota where the Bears won 25-8, 25-21, 25-6. Bronner got 26 assists as Thousand put up 10 kills and three aces, Mills and Wagner each picking up seven kills. Blaszkow earned seven digs to go with five kills as Karwoski and Gavin Schiralli had six digs apiece.
At Little Falls on Thursday night it was just as lopsided, Chittenango rolling past the Mounties 25-7, 25-14, 25-15. Thousand had 11 kills, with Blaszkow taking a turn as setter and earning five assists along with six kills.
Bronner saw more time up front, his five kills complementing 22 assists. Mills and Boulter also earned five kills, while Matt Huckabee stepped up to earn five aces.
Friday night’s match with Rome Free Academy was snowed out and would get made up on Tuesday before Friday’s regular-season finale at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill and a tournament at that same VVS gym on Saturday.
