2019 Coaches All-WNY boys volleyball
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, December 28, 2019

2019 Boys Volleyball Honor Roll: Top teams and stars from across WNY
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, December 28, 2019

Selected by Western New York coaches

ALL-WESTERN NEW YORK

Coach of the Year: Billy Schultz (Grand Island).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Billy Wieberg Grand Island 11
OH Jake Basinski Eden 11
OH Cole Ignaszak W.S. East 11
OH Noah Weislo Canisius 11
OH Joe Nicometo Orchard Park 11
S Teddy Payne Clarence 12
S Ethan Weislo Canisius 11
S Zach Cramer Grand Island 11

SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Kenneth Naples Sweet Home 12
OH Jackson Strong W.S. East 11
OH Jon Austin Bly Clarence 10
MH Noah Petrik W.S. West 10
OH Alex Overhoff Eden 12
OP Connor Booth Canisius 11
S Josh Weissert Wmsv. East 12
L Jake Janus Orchard Park 12
L David Wynne Grand Island 12

ALL-CATHOLIC

Player of the Year: Ethan Weislo-11 (Canisius).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Eric Geisler Canisius 11
OH Jack Rooney St. Francis 12
OH Jacob Sacilowski St. Francis 12
OH Nathan Wojcinski St. Joe’s 12
OP Connor Booth Canisius 11
S Nick Mayer St. Joe’s 11
S Mario Moretti St. Francis 12

SECOND TEAM

CANISIUS: Jackson Mann-11, William Pieroni-11. ST. FRANCIS: Payton Consigli-11, Joshua Quinn. ST. JOE’S: Jack Gugino, Ryan Lane-11. ST. MARY’S: Sean Brown-11.

ECIC I

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Nick Thomas Orchard Park 12
MB Hudson Harris Orchard Park 11
OP Nate Petrik W.S. West 12
Andrew Ratzel Clarence 11
Logan Fish Clarence 11
S Greg Jubulis Orchard Park 12
MB Ian Rauh Orchard Park 11
OH Jake Jackson Frontier 12

SECOND TEAM

CLARENCE: Zach Ciraolo, Matt Sausen. FRONTIER: Liam Duggan-10. LANCASTER: Jackson Jerebko-11, Dallas Gianni-11, Adam Devic-11. WEST SENECA WEST: Aedan Vanegas-10, Jacob Woelfel-10.

ECIC II

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
S Sean Tucci W.S. East 11
Jack Winter Halter Wmsv. East
OH Ian DeWilde Starpoint 11
MB Kyle Lemma Starpoint 12
Marcus Hall Amherst
LH Shawn Romonowski Sweet Home 12
MH Nate Wurl W.S. East 11
Joe Mack Wmsv. East

SECOND TEAM

AMHERST: Sam Greco. STARPOINT: Brad Converse-11, Riley Nesbit. SWEET HOME: Matt Liska. WILLIAMSVILLE EAST: Ryan Szymendera, David Campbell. WILLIAMSVILLE SOUTH: Matt Angello. WEST SENECA EAST: Troy Ignaszak-10.

ECIC III

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Jacob Cantie Iroquois 11
OH Zach Cervola Lake Shore 12
MH Tyler Hassell Lake Shore 12
MB Nick Diello Eden 12
OP Henry McLaughlin East Aurora 12
S Lucas Schlegel Eden 12
S Zach Evans Lake Shore 12
L Alex Wiech East Aurora 9

SECOND TEAM

EAST AURORA: Jason Freed-10, Thomas Zagrobleny-11. EDEN: Noah Brosnick-11, Peyton Koszelak-9. IROQUOIS: Shane Gausteferro, Lucas Mages-11. LAKE SHORE: Bryan Rechin, Spencer Kwilos.

NIAGARA FRONTIER

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Billy Wieberg Grand Island 11
OH Joshua Roy North Tonawanda 12
OH Zach Brydges Niagara Falls 12
OH Tom Shemick Grand Island 12
MH Noah Fox North Tonawanda 12
S Zach Cramer Grand Island 11
L Colin Fragele Lew-Port 12
L Dave Wynne Grand Island 12

SECOND TEAM

GRAND ISLAND: Nick Keller, John Simpson-10. KENMORE WEST: Jonah Tramont-11, Will Hudson. LEW-PORT: Trip Vohland. NIAGARA FALLS: Aaron Kifer-11. NIAGARA WHEATFIELD: Dylon Klidonas-10. NORTH TONAWANDA: Josh Trenchard-11.

THIRD TEAM

GRAND ISLAND: Brett Shickluna, Sean Murry. KENMORE EAST: Alex Simmons. KENMORE WEST: Tyler Barlow. LEW-PORT: Larente Shelton. LOCKPORT: Andrew Mullane-10. NIAGARA WHEATFIELD: Mark Albano. NORTH TONAWANDA: Hayden St. Cyr.

STATE

Class A Sectional All-Star: Teddy Payne.
Class B Sectional All-Star: Billy Wieberg, Grand Island.
New York State Tournament All-Star Team: Dave Wynne, Grand Island; Zach Craemer, Grand Island; Nick Keller, Grand Island; Billy Weiberg, MVP, Grand Island.

2019 Coaches All-WNY girls volleyball
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, December 28, 2019

2019 Girls Volleyball Honor Roll: Top teams and stars from across WNY
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, December 28, 2019

Selected by Western New York coaches

ALL-WESTERN NEW YORK

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Abby Ryan Orchard Park 12
OH Olivia Walczak Clarence 11
OH Kelly Cleversley St. Mary’s 12
OH Destiny Custer Olean 12
OH Madison Popielski Wmsv. South 12
MH Ashley Dogal Orchard Park 12
MH Marie Rhodes St. Mary’s 12
MH Laura Wilhelm Portville 11
MH Kylie Schnars Panama 12
MH Natalie Angeletti Panama 12
S Kylie Blessing Portville 10
S Olivia Alessi East Aurora 12
L Lexi MacDonald Clarence 12
L Jasmine Brundage St. Mary’s 12
L Emma Sutfin Eden 12

ALL-WNY LARGE SCHOOLS

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Abby Ryan Orchard Park 12
OH Olivia Walczak Clarence 11
OH Madison Popielski Wmsv. South 12
OH Samantha Coakley Lockport 12
OH Katie Putney Starpoint 12
OH Megan Vona Lancaster 12
OH Destiny Custer Olean 12
MH Ashley Dogal Orchard Park 12
MH Kyra Wood City Honors 11
S Emily Brochey Nia. Wheatfield 11
L Lexi MacDonald Clarence 12
L Maddie Root City Honors 12

SECOND TEAM

CHEEKTOWAGA: Alisiana Muscoreil. GRAND ISLAND: Grace Carey-11, Rose Meaney-11. HAMBURG: Georgia Farry. HUTCH-TECH: Tooly Paw. KENMORE EAST: Maya MacCagnano. LOCKPORT: Jasmine White, Ashlynn Johnson-11. NIAGARA WHEATFIELD: Kelsey Tylec-10, Elanna Lysiak-10. NORTH TONAWANDA: McCartney Geartz. ORCHARD PARK: Summer Harris-11. WILLIAMSVILLE NORTH: Maia Reed.

ALL-WNY SMALL SCHOOLS
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.

OH Kelly Cleversley St. Mary’s 12
OH Siobhan Ryan Sacred Heart 12
OH Deanne Wilson North Collins 11
OH Tori Unverdorben Portville 9
MH Marie Rhodes St. Mary’s 12
MH Laura Wilhelm Portville 11
MH Natalie Angeletti Panama 12
MH Kylie Schnars Panama 12
MH Isabel Dinse Wilson 12
S Kylie Blessing Portville 10
L Jasmine Brundage St. Mary’s 12
L Emma Sutfin Eden 12

SECOND TEAM

AKRON: Ella Hill-10. ALLEGANY-LIMESTONE: Cameron Riordan. CHAUTAUQUA LAKE: Mollie Meadows. MOUNT MERCY: Katie Ryan-11. NARDIN: Grace McNamara. NORTH COLLINS: MacKenna Williams-11. PANAMA: Maddie Johnson-11. PORTVILLE: Olivia Emley-11. SACRED HEART: Bella Allen-10, Hannah Tudor. ST. MARY’S: Courtney Kurkowiak-10. WILSON: Medelyn Seely-11.

ALL-CATHOLIC

Player of the Year: Kelly Cleversley (St. Mary’s).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Grace McNamara Nardin 12
OH Siobhan Ryan Sacred Heart 12
MH Marie Rhodes St. Mary’s 12
L Samantha Hare Mt. St. Mary 12
L Jasmine Brundage St. Mary’s 12
L Hannah Tudor Sacred Heart 12

SECOND TEAM

MOUNT MERCY: Kate Ryan-11. MOUNT ST. MARY: Morgan Feyko-11. NARDIN: Hannah Obrochta. NICHOLS: Jenna Hafner. SACRED HEART: Isabella Allen-10. ST. MARY’S: Courtney Kurkowiak-10.

ALL-ECIC

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Abby Ryan Orchard Park 12
OH Olivia Walczak Clarence 11
OH Madison Popielski Wmsv. South 12
OH Megan Vona Lancaster 12
OH Katie Putney Starpoint 12
MH Ashley Dogal Orchard Park 12
MH Georgia Farry Hamburg 12
MH Maia Reed Wmsv. North 12
MH Alisiana Muscoreil Cheektowaga 12
OPP Summer Harris Orchard Park 11
L Lexi MacDonald Clarence 12
L Emma Sutfin Eden 12

SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Haley Callahan Orchard Park 12
OH Dayna Edholm Sweet Home 12
OH Eve Musielak Eden 11
OH Dana Bacher Hamburg 12
OH Briana Lelonek Depew 11
MH Erin Megler Wmsv. North 12
MH Lexi Ballard Clarence 12
S Olivia Alessi East Aurora 12
S Ella Wittman Springville 9
S Haley Marchewka Wmsv. South 11
S Izzy Kocz Clarence 11
S Riley Domin Wmsv. South 12

ECIC I

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Marin Collins Frontier 7
OH Taylor Denall Clarence 10
S Vanessa Uteg Lancaster 12
S Sarah Lucas Orchard Park 12
S Haley Gerken Frontier 10
L Emily Lewandowski Lancaster 12
L Brooke Shively Orchard Park 12
L Maddie Farber Wmsv. North 12

SECOND TEAM

FRONTIER: Alison Hansen, Jiana Kresconko. JAMESTOWN: Giovana Calamunci. LANCASTER: Lauren Penska-11, Kayla Maslowski-11. WEST SENECA WEST: Samantha Sigler. WILLIAMSVILLE NORTH: Chloe Hudecki, Mila Blanco.

ECIC II

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Molly McKinnon Wmsv. South 11
OH Madison Smith Wmsv. East 12
MH Cecilia Brooks Wmsv. South 11
MH Madelyn Harrison Hamburg 10
RS Emily Reed Starpoint 12
S Lauren Hubert Sweet Home 9
L Peyton Webb Hamburg 11
S Summer Clarke Wmsv. East 11

SECOND TEAM

AMHERST: Valerie Sullivan. HAMBURG: Kiana Storey, Olivia Bunn. WEST SENECA EAST: Maddie Turton-11, Nicole Planter-10. WILLIAMSVILLE EAST: Juliet Scinta-10, Lilly Muccieia-10. WILLIAMSVILLE SOUTH: Claire Montgomery-11.

ECIC III

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Abby Hanes Lake Shore 11
OH Rachel Stressinger Springville 11
OH Sara Ehlers Springville 11
OH Jazmine Gable Cheektowaga 11
MH Christie McGee-Ross Maryvale 12
MH Morgan Wittenrich East Aurora 11
MH Aaliyah Jones Cheektowaga 11
S Sara Domonowski Cheektowaga 11

SECOND TEAM

CHEEKTOWGA: Natalie Ruhlmann-11. EAST AURORA: Paityn Hill-11. IROQUOIS: Emily Gordan-11, Hayden Grieble-11. LAKE SHORE: Kendal Haberer-11. MARYVALE: Emily LeViness. PIONEER: Coti Owens. SPRINGVILLE: Marinna Heichberger-9.

ECIC IV

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Emma Wlostowski Alden 12
OH Madison Abbott Alden 11
OH Kara Mendola Depew 12
MH Aqe’lah Douglas Cleveland Hill 12
RS Jenna Lis Depew 8
S Jenna Kersten Alden 10
S Mya Bush Depew 8
S Elisabeth LaCourse Cleveland Hill 11

SECOND TEAM

ALDEN: Sydney Toczek. CLEVELAND HILL: Adrianna Brooks-10, Amanda Duminico. DEPEW: Olivia Thorton. HOLLAND: Megan Armbrust. JFK: MacKennah Struwe-11. LACKAWANNA: Leah Gechell. TONAWANDA: Anna Mouton-7.

NIAGARA FRONTIER

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Grace Carey Grand Island 11
OH Samantha Coakley Lockport 12
MB McCartney Geartz North Tonawanda 12
MB Elanna Lysiak Nia. Wheatfield 10
MB Jasmine White Lockport 12
S Emily Brochey Nia. Wheatfield 11
L Maya Maccagnano Kenmore East 12

SECOND TEAM

GRAND ISLAND: Rose Meaney-11. KENMORE EAST: Gabrielle Sordetto-11. KENMORE WEST: Mikayla Manke. LEW-PORT: Adelaide Buth-11. LOCKPORT: Ashlynn Johnson-11. NIAGARA WHEATFIELD: Kelsey Tylec-10. NORTH TONAWANDA: Paige Book-11.

THIRD TEAM

GRAND ISLAND: Tessie Sorel-10. KENMORE EAST: Hailie Puzzella-11. KENMORE WEST: Rachel Greenwood-11. LEW-PORT: Olivia Kisiel. LOCKPORT: Camri King. NIAGARA FALLS: Chanlar Lamar. NIAGARA WHEATFIELD: Madelyn Emle.

NIAGARA ORLEANS

Player of the Year: Isabel Dinse (Wilson).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Ella Hill Akron 10
MB Isabel Dinse Wilson 12
MB Maddie Clemny Roy-Hart 12
MB Madison Kaczmarek Akron 12
S Madelyn Seeley Wilson 11
S Brenda Johnson Albion 12

SECOND TEAM

AKRON: Elsie Logan-9. MEDINA: Devin Griffith-11, Ellie Gross. ROY-HART: Marissa Scott-10, Jamie Seib. WILSON: Anna Frerichs.

HONORABLE MENTION

AKRON: Jessee Jonathan-11, Sydney Hall-11. ALBION: Logan Conlon-11. NEWFANE: Abby Boyer-10, Alayna Ander-10, Gena Shorter-10. ROY-HART: Samantha Capen-11. WILSON: Anna Stevenson, Megan Musall-11.

CCAA NORTH

Player of the Year: Deanne Wilson-11 (North Collins).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Marleah Stevens Gowanda 12
OH Heidi Williams Cassadaga Valley 12
OH Anna Valone Fredonia 11
OH Kierra Brennan Silver Creek 12
MH Miya Scanlan Gowanda 11
MB Meghan LeBaron Cassadaga Valley 12
MB Nagely Vasquez Fredonia 12
S Makenna Williams North Collins 11

SECOND TEAM

DUNKIRK: Nadara O’Dell. FREDONIA: Clare Kingfield. GOWANDA: Makenzie Carroll. NORTH COLLINS: Morgan Smith, Michaela Rice-10. PINE VALLEY: Sadie Fadale.

HONORABLE MENTION

CASSADAGA VALLEY: Brielle LeBaron-11. DUNKIRK: Paola Rodriguez. FORESTVILLE: Ashley Forbes. WESTFIELD: Tanleigh Bestline-8, Avery Knapp, Keara Kincaid-8.

CCAA CENTRAL

Player of the Year: Natalie Angletti (Panama).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Bre Hill Maple Grove 12
OH Maddy Dubois Southwestern 10
MH Kylie Schnars Panama 12
MH Sophie Woods Chaut. Lake 12
S Mollie Meadows Chaut. Lake 12
S Serena Camarata Falconer 11
S Maddie Johnson Panama 11

SECOND TEAM

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE: Jenna Waters-9, Ava Olson-8. CLYMER: Arden Hepler. FALCONER: Rachael Harper-11, Ava Fenton-10. MAPLE GROVE: Kelsey Tarbrake. PANAMA: Marra Hovey-11. SOUTHWESTERN: Anna Rauh-10.

HONORABLE MENTION

BROCTON: Cheyanna Rivera. CHAUTAUQUA LAKE: Lily Woodis-10. CLYMER: Mikala Einink-10, Emma Woods-11, Justine Kuno. FALCONER: Emily Melquist-10. PANAMA: Ally Finnerty. SHERMAN: Amaya Lewczyk-11, Maggie Meyers, Hayden Fischer-9. SOUTHWESTERN: Lauren Cotter-8, Megan Cotter-10.

CCAA EAST

Player of the Year: Kylie Blessing-10 (Panama).

FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
OH Brynn Pagett Randolph 12
MB Laura Wilhelm Portville 11
MB Adele Dwaileebe Olean 11
S Cameron Riordan All.-Limestone 12
L Destiny Custer Olean 12
L Olivia Emley Portville 11

SECOND TEAM

ALLEGANY-LIMESTONE: Maura Vossler. ELLICOTTVILLE: Heli Kongats. OLEAN: Sophia Renaud. PORTVILLE: Tori Unverdorben-9. RANDOLPH: Jill Stahley, Alyssa Adams-11.

HONORABLE MENTION

ALLEGANY-LIMESTONE: Chloee LaCroix. CATTARAUGUS/LITTLE VALLEY: Lexi Wulf. ELLICOTTVILLE: Makenna Smith. OLEAN: Grace Parr-11. PORTVILLE: Reggie Tkacik-11. RANDOLPH: Sydney Hvizdzak-11.

ALL-STATE

Selected by New York Volleyball coaches association

CLASS AA

Second Team: Abby Ryan (Orchard Park).

Third Team: Ashley Dogal (Orchard Park).

Fourth Team: Lexi MacDonald (Clarence).

Fifth Team: Olivia Walczak-11 (Clarence).

Sixth Team: Megan Vona (Lancaster), Summer Harris-11 (Orchard Park).

CLASS A

Second Team: Madison Popielski (Williamsville South), Haley Marchewka-11 (Williamsville South).

Fourth Team: Georgia Farry (Hamburg), Katie Putney (Starpoint).

Sixth Team: Emily Brochey-11 (Niagara Wheatfield).

CLASS B

Third Team: Destiny Custer (Olean).

Fourth Team: Adele Dwaileebe-10 (Olean).

Fifth Team: Olivia Alessi (East Aurora).

Sixth Team: Maddie Root (City Honors), Alisiana Muscoreil (Cheektowaga).

CLASS C

First Team: Kylie Blessing-10 (Portville), Laura Wilhelm-11 (Portville).

Second Team: Tori Unverdorben-9 (Portville).

Fourth Team: Reggie Tkacik-11 (Portville).

Fifth Team: Emma Sutfin (Eden).

Sixth Team: Cameron Riordan (Allegany-Limestone), Isabel Dinse (Wilson).

CLASS D

First Team: Natalie Angeletti (Panama), Kylie Schnars (Panama).

Second Team: Maddie Johnson-11 (Panama).

Third Team: Deanne Wilson-11 (North Collins).

Fourth Team: Brynn Paget (Randolph).

Fifth Team: Makenna Williams-11 (North Collins), Bre Hill (Maple Grove).

ALL-STATE TOURNAMENT

CLASS C: Kylie Blessing-10 (Portville), Laura Wilhelm-11 (Portville)
CLASS D: Natalie Angeletti (Panama), Kylie Schnars (Panama).

Grand Island's Wieberg, Orchard Park's Ryan are Section VI volleyball players of the year
By Staff, Buffalo News
Monday, December 23, 2019

Grand Island's Billy Wieberg and Orchard Park's Abby Ryan have been named the Section VI players of the year by the New York Volleyball Coaches Association.

Wieberg was named the Most Valuable Player of the Division II state tournament as Vikings won school’s first state crown in a team sport. He had 540 kills on the season and set school career kills record along with 78 aces and 237 aces.

Ryan, a two-time All-Western New York selection who is headed to Robert Morris to play volleyball, set the school record for kills in a season with 510 and holds the career record if 1,426. She had 253 digs, 65 aces and 35 blocks as a senior.

Their respective coaches were named the Section VI coaches of the year by the organization.

Veteran Grand Island coach Bill Schultz led his team to a state title, capturing the Niagara Frontier League, a second consecutive Division II-A title, the Division II crossover title and first regional championship along the way.

Orchard Park's Greg Lardo led the Quakers to a second consecutive Class AA title before his team bowed out in the Far West Regional to Rochester's Our Lady of Mercy, the lone team to take OP to five sets in about a year.

Raising the Barr
One-handed South girls volleyball player inspires others
PATRICK NAGY Sports Reporter, Amherst Bee
Monday, November 25, 2019

Julia Barr always brings her best when she steps onto a volleyball court for Williamsville South, but there is one big difference between her and other players.

The 5-foot-10 junior right-side hitter was born without a right forearm and hand.

The disability did not stop her from becoming one of the best players on South’s roster and helping the Lady Billies win the Section VI Class A title, the program’s first championship since claiming the Class B state crown in 2014 and a 15-5 record. Barr finished the season fourth on the team with 113 kills.

“I don’t feel different from any other player,” Barr said. “Other teams try to, not target me, but try to put the ball where I am because they know I have one arm, but I work around it. It’s like a mental game. If I don’t let it get to me, then I am able to play my game.”

Having the proper mindset has helped the 16-year-old overcome every obstacle and learn to do everything her way all of her life.

Her mother, Jenifer, said she and husband James were surprised to find out that their daughter was going to have a limb deficiency because it never showed up on a sonogram.

They wanted their daughter to live as normal a life as possible and made sure she was able to hit all of the age-appropriate developmental milestones.

She was placed in an early intervention program that consisted of physical therapy and occupational therapy, but the occupational therapy lasted only about a year and a half.

“The occupational therapist called and said they wanted to stop services,” Jenifer Barr said. “I’m thinking the worst and I asked why and she said, ‘There’s nothing I can do that she isn’t figuring out on her own. She’s exactly where she should be for every other 2- or 3-year-old in terms of their developmental milestones. She’s so determined to do things her own way that she doesn’t need us anymore.’”

Before she was 1, Julia Barr was fitted with a prosthetic limb and wore it until kindergarten. She remembers taking the limb off her arm when she got on the bus for her first day of kindergarten because she hated it.

“I didn’t feel like myself,” she said.

“As a parent, I spent so many years worrying because you want to help your child,” Jenifer Barr said. “Her kindergarten teacher said Julia buttoned her coat without her prosthetic on. I never taught her that. Every so often these things come up and I’m like, of course she figured out a way to do it her own way. It’s how she has always been.”

Jenifer and James Barr wanted their daughter to be exposed to sports to see what she liked. When she was 4 or 5, she played soccer, but stopped because she didn’t like running. She was a competitive dancer from age 2 to 15 at Dance Time and Elite Dance Company.

Julia Barr initially gave volleyball a try heading into seventh grade at the request of her best friend, Molly McKinnon.

“Our brothers played on the same baseball team and we would play volleyball during their games in the summer,” said McKinnon, a junior outside hitter. “We went to a camp at Daemen College and I told her she should come to tryouts at South. She said OK.”

Jenifer Barr remembers when her daughter made the decision to play volleyball.

“In the back of my mind, I was thinking, how is this going to work?” she said.

Julia Barr made the modified team as a seventh-grader and the JV team as an eighth-grader.

She admitted that she was not very good when she started, and that it took her about two years to figure out what exactly she needed to do in order to improve.

“When I first started playing, it was definitely hard because I had to learn how to pass and set with one arm,” Julia Barr said. “I’m a hitter, so that didn’t require two hands to do.”

She initially played on JV as a passer in eighth and ninth grade, but did not start until she was moved to right-side hitter as a sophomore. She was also named a team captain.

The one person who never lost faith in her ability was former South JV coach Mary McIntyre, who coached her as an eighth-grader and ninth-grader.

“She was the first person to have faith in me and see me as a person who can grow and improve, and become a good volleyball player, which I think is part of the reason why she took me on her JV team,” Julia Barr said. “She wanted me to make varsity and worked with me no matter what it took to get me there.”

“When Julia came to the team, we talked a lot about having balance, which is so important to the game,” McIntyre said. “With only having one arm, we had to adjust her play a lot. We worked a lot on getting her arm more in front of her body and not being over to the side. That really helped her because it made her a little bit more confident that she would be able to get the ball passed up. Serving was never an issue with her because she could throw the ball up with one hand and hit. When she blocked, she had to be more aware of where the hitter’s shoulders were so that she could get her arm and hand in the right position. She worked on that repeatedly.”

Any time Julia Barr started to struggle, McIntyre pulled her off the court and had a long talk about where she was on the court and how she was feeling.

“There were times when she told me, ‘This is hard’ and ‘I don’t know if I can do it,’ and I said there is no reason why you can’t perform at your highest level possible,” McIntyre said. “It was just going to be different. I told her that you can’t let someone else tell you how to play because we don’t have one arm, so your whole mental outlook is different. She was so open to anything that I suggested. She is a special young lady.”

Julia Barr liked playing volleyball so much that she stopped being a competitive dancer in order to focus her attention on playing club volleyball, making Niagara County Volleyball Club’s Black team, an elite travel squad.

Her hard work carried over into her in junior year at South as she not only made the varsity team, but started the entire season at right-side hitter.

“When I was told I had gotten a starting spot, I was surprised and really happy about it because it was a big accomplishment,” she said.

“She’s definitely one of our hardest-working kids and has the same expectations as any other player on the team,” South coach Tom Sproull said. “She expects when we are doing drills that we treat her the same way. She’s harder on herself, even more than I can be on her. Her growth in volleyball between last year on JV to the start of the season was exponential. She went to club for the first time and put in a ton of work by going to as many camps as she could. She’s aggressive with her swings and puts pressure on the defense with her hits. Her care for her teammates and the sport is top notch.”

“It’s so cool because she’s getting better and better,” McKinnon said.

Julia Barr played a major role in South’s five-set comeback win over Hamburg in the section final, recording a career-high 11 kills.

“We lost the first two sets, but after that, we picked it up,” Barr said. “I was switched to the other setter, which was different, and I adjusted and kept doing what I do. It was really stressful. If you lost, you were out.”

Julia Barr has never really given much thought about playing collegiate volleyball, but would play if given the opportunity.

“I could see her playing Division III,” McIntyre said.

She doesn’t consider herself as a role model, but said that anything is possible.

“I feel like if you want to do something, you just need to go for it no matter what it is,” she said. “There is no reason not to. You shouldn’t give up on yourself, especially when you have people around who will support you.”

“My heart is with her all of the time,” McIntyre said. “I think the world of her. She’s a rock star in my book.”

Portville loss ends Section VI streak in girls volleyball state final
By Will Springstead, Special to the News, Buffalo News
Monday, November 25, 2019

Portville volleyball players watch as Valhalla receives its first-place medals. (Jenn March/Special to The News)

GLENS FALLS – Portville had a lot going right in its first set against Valhalla on Sunday, but it just seemed to awaken a sleeping giant.

After losing the first set, the Vikings from Section I rallied to win the next three and earn the New York State Public High School Athletic Association title in Class C at Cool Insuring Arena. Game scores were 17-25, 25-22, 25-16 and 25-13.

Valhalla became the first non-Section VI school to win a Class C state title since Byron-Bergen of Section V in 2006. Portville was the two-time defending state Class C champion.

“Just good volleyball, I think,” Portville coach Kelly Unverdorben said of Valhalla’s win. “We’re young with a freshman, sophomore and an eighth grader on the court. (Valhalla) is pretty senior-dominant.

"I had a senior-dominant team last year, I know what that’s like. Sometimes with seniors, they just know they’re not going to let their season end. I don’t know that my team will ever let that happen again, either.”

With Valhalla leading 4-3 in the first set, Portville scored 13 of the next 15 points and held on for a comfortable win.

“I think the first set we just came out a little bit too pumped,” Valhalla coach Trish Ward said. “We just needed to relax and play our game, and once we did that, we proved what we could do.”

Portville rarely held a lead for the rest of the day, the last time being a 5-4 advantage in the second set. Valhalla got out to a 20-10 lead that set before Portville rallied and closed it to 24-22 before the Vikings closed it out.

Besides Class C tournament MVP Jasmine Grant’s all-out kills – she had 30 in total – the West Point-bound middle hitter scored a fair number of points for the Vikings on soft touches when Portville made sure to try to block her at the net.

“We all talked about that, and she and Steph (Sicilian), our setter, talked about it, too, really just focusing on finding the holes,” Ward said. “We knew Jasmine was probably going to get triple-blocked today, so there had to be some spots open.”

“We knew that,” Unverdorben said. “For some odd reason, we just could not get under that ball, and boy, we practice that an awful lot. Some days it’s just not there.”

Making the all-tournament team for Portville were setter Kylie Blessing (39 assists) and Olivia Cook (11 kills). Olivia Emley added 20 digs, while Laura Wilhelm and Tori Unverdorben had 13 and 10 kills, respectively.

“It’s OK,” Unverdorben said. “My team played so hard today, I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Panama girls volleyball ends with loss in Class D state title game
By Will Springstead, Special to the News, Buffalo News
Monday, November 25, 2019

Panama's Kylie Schnars hits the ball past Candor's Shelby Swartz (9) and Jennah
Kareem (10) during the Class D state title game (Jenn March/Special to The News)

GLENS FALLS – The Class D girls volleyball final came down to depth, and Candor had more than Panama.

The Indians swept Panama with set scores of 25-11, 25-20, 25-13 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association title game Sunday at Cool Insuring Arena. It was the third consecutive state final loss for Panama, the 2016 Class D champion.

Not only did Candor – which won its first state title since 2003 – put three players on the Class D all-tournament team, it had a fourth who did her fair share of damage.

“All their hitters were a problem,” Panama coach Tammy Hosier said. “They have three hitters up in the front, we have one strong one. They definitely out-attacked us.”

The Panthers’ two middle blockers, seniors Kylie Schnars and Natalie Angeletti, each had eight kills and made the all-tournament team. But Panama didn’t have an answer for Candor’s all-tournament team selections Megan Henry, Jennah Kareem and tournament MVP and setter Braelyn Hornick.

Along with that group, Candor sophomore outside hitter Shelby Swartz had multiple kills and blocks in the first set.

“All of them are such strong hitters, and we knew that coming into the game,” Angeletti said. “We didn’t play our best and they really hit well.

“We were not playing defense well and they were doing great on offense. We were just really struggling to get their hits up.”

Panama tended to play better early in the sets and held leads in the first two. While it rallied to close the leads, it could never earn the big point that would have produced a tie score when needed.

“We just eventually sort of fell apart,” Angeletti said. “We went on our own small, little runs. They were kinda short-lived.”

“We’d have some great hits and they were digging them,” Hosier said. “What got us here is we’re more of an offensive team and we ended up on the defensive side. They hit straight down at us.”

As for digs, Marra Hovey and Ally Finnerty each had six for Panama, with Mandy Brink adding five. Offensively, setter Maddie Johnson finished with 15 assists.

Angeletti is grateful for the run Panama has had over her career and now turns her attention to basketball. She has signed to play basketball at Daemen College.

“Just to be a part of this team and go so far,” she said, “we’re so blessed to have each other.”

Portville, Panama fall in girls volleyball state finals
By Staff,Buffalo News
Sunday, November 24, 2019

Section VI's hold on the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C title has ended.

Section I champion Valhalla beat Portville on Sunday at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls to become the first non-Section VI team to win the championship since 2007.

Valhalla downed Portville, the two-time defending state champion in four, 17-25, 25-22, 25-16 and 25-13.

After taking the first set, Portville got down early in the second to the Vikings, who won their first title in their first state tournament appearance. Portville trailed 20-10, but rallied to cut the lead to 24-20. The Vikings were able to close the set out.

n Class D, Panama lost in the state final for the third consecutive year, falling to Section VI's Candor.

Game scores were 25-11, 25-20, 25-13.

This story will be updated.

Grand Island wins boys state volleyball championship
By Peter Holehan, Special to the News, Buffalo News
Sunday, November 24, 2019

Grand Island poses after winning the boys state volleyball championships (Peter Holeran)

ALBANY — Billy Weiberg couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. The junior outside hitter hopped up and down with glee to match all the jumping and spiking he did in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II boys volleyball championship at the Capital Center on Saturday.

Making its first appearance in the state tournament in program history under coach Bill Schultz, Grand Island looked the part of a seasoned championship team in dispatching Section III champion Jamesville-DeWitt, 3-0. Game scores were 25-12, 25-16, 25-11.

It marks the first state championship for any sport for the Vikings, who became the second team in three years to win the state title from Section VI (Eden in 2017).

“It’s blown my mind,” said Wieberg, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “I can’t get over the fact that we won state. It’s so big that it’s crazy."

From the onset of the final, Grand Island carried comfortable leads in all three sets, spurting out to a 14-8 lead in the first set, winning the opening six points of the second set and then raced out to a 7-1 advantage in set three.

The Zach Cramer to Wieberg connection turned into an unsolvable duo for the Red Rams (16-5), who had difficulty defending the hard spikes from Wieberg and quick sets from Cramer.

Toward the end of the second set, fans in the blue Grand Island section began chanting “Feed the Beast” in support of Wieberg, as they have often. Wieberg rolled to 18 kills, six digs and two aces. Cramer led with a game-high 33 assists and six digs, and senior Tom Shemik chipped in six kills and nine digs.

“I’ve had a lot of heartbreak and frustration in 19 years of coaching,” Schultz said. "Losing and losing bad. A couple years ago, I had a team that I thought could go really far. And it hurt because we lost as a No. 1 seed to the No. 8 seed. It almost made me retire because it was so gut-wrenching. But, it means 19 years of coming in every day and keeping these guys focused. It was worth it.”

The Vikings pushed through adversity all season, most notably in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory against West Seneca West after dropping the opening two sets. It also went through perennial power Eden, a team that had been a thorn in their side.

"In the beginning of the season, we beat some good Division I teams in the Clarence tournament and I thought this team was special," Wieberg said. "I love this so much. It’s my favorite sport. My favorite school. I just can’t explain how excited I am.”

In morning pool play, Grand Island rallied back from a 5-1 deficit against Section XI champion Westhampton to take the first set 25-21 and then stormed out to a 13-2 start in the second set before holding off a late push to win 25-20.

Grand Island lost both matches to J-D in pool play 25-18 and 25-17, but Schultz elected to rest his usual starters because the results had no bearing on reaching the final. Westhampton had already been eliminated from losing to each team two sets to none.

When it was all on the line, the Vikings delivered.

“I think it was a culture aspect and there was a lot of experience on this team,” Cramer said. “If somebody was off, we picked them up and we continued to win games. We played a lot of beach (volleyball) over the summer together to get the chemistry up. I think it was a lot of hard work and on of the first day of practice, we were ready to go.

"It’s going to be an awesome bus ride back to Buffalo.”

Portville, Panama move to girls volleyball state finals
By Will Springstead, Special to the News, Buffalo News
Sunday, November 24, 2019

Portville volleyball players celebrate a point against Pierson-Bridgehampton 
during semifinal pool play. (Jenn March, Special to the Buffalo News)

GLENS FALLS – The Portville girls volleyball team is back in familiar territory and hopes to again leave as the New York State Public High School Athletic Association champions.

The two-time defending champion Panthers started the day with a relatively easy 25-13, 25-14 win against Section XI champion Pierson-Bridgehampton, followed by a 25-12, 25-21 win against Section II champion Lake George, with the second set being more challenging than anything to that point.

It ended with a 25-22, 25-18 loss to Section I champion Valhalla, but Portville's 4-2 record was good enough to get the two-time defending Class C state champion into Sunday’s final at Cool Insuring Arena at noon against Valhalla, which finished pool play 6-0.

Portville coach Kelly Unverdorben said she and the team had a relaxed frame of mind for the match against Valhalla, as both teams knew they’d be meeting again Sunday.

“We said, ‘You don’t have anything to lose. Just go out and play, and whatever happens, happens,’ ” Unverdorben said.

Unverdorben said the Panthers had seen Valhalla in person and also had some film on the Vikings, who jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first game before Portville rallied, later tying it at 11 and 12. From there, Valhalla regained the lead and hung on.

In the second game, Portville took a 2-1 lead, but the Panthers never led again, though they did tie it at 9.

“They played fantastic,” Unverdorben said of Valhalla. “The best I’ve seen them. But we kind of laid an egg; we didn’t serve well.”

Against Lake George, Unverdorben said the Warriors seemed to start slowly because they had just come off a 2-0 loss to Valhalla, but found their rhythm in the second game. Lake George closed a three-point lead to tie it at 21, but Portville finished with the last four points.

For the day, sophomore setter Kylie Blessing had 59 assists, 17 kills and seven aces. Junior middle blocker Laura Wilhelm had 26 kills and seven blocks. Eighth-grader middle blocker Olivia Cook had 17 kills and five aces, while junior libero Olivia Emley finished with 28 digs and six aces.

Panama's Kylie Schnars bumps the ball during semifinal pool play against Candor (Jenn March, Special to the News)

Panama sweats it out

Panama endured an extra set against Section I champion Haldane, 25-18, to advance to Sunday’s Class D final at noon against Section IV champion Candor.

The Panthers and Haldane each finished pool play with 3-3 records after they split their match. Panama won the first set, 25-21, but lost the second, 31-29.

The Panthers scored the first eight points of the match en route to the tiebreaking win.

“I just told (my girls), ‘Other than you giving me a heart attack like 552 times, great job,’ ” Panama coach Tammy Hosier said.

“We came out strong the first game and then just let them play their game,” Hosier added about the Haldane match. “I said, ‘Just how bad do you want this? If you want to play volleyball (Sunday), you’ve got to come out strong and play our game.’ ”

Earlier, Candor swept Panama, 29-27 and 25-22, with Candor rallying in the first game. The Panthers followed with a sweep of Section II Galway, 25-15 and 27-25, in which Galway rallied in the second game to make what looked like a sure win into a battle.

While senior middle blockers Kylie Schnars and Natalie Angeletti had their share of kills Saturday, Panama got a lot of contributions from different players when it mattered.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries, so we had different people step up,” Hosier said. “It’s great to see our outsides move and adjust to that.”

Hosier said she was leaning toward a team-bonding experience Saturday night – something different than she has done in the past.

Panama was in Glens Falls in this same situation a year ago, in advance of a Sunday final. The Panthers lost in three sets to Bainbridge-Guilford.

“Just have fun together and not think about volleyball,” she said. “Sometimes you start thinking about that big game, you just stress out about it and don’t play well.”

Beast mode: Billy Wieberg powers Grand Island's pursuit of volleyball state title
By Jonah Bronstein, Buffalo News
Saturday, November 23, 2019

Grand Island's Bill Wieberg puts up a block against Eden. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News)

Billy Wieberg has elevated his game and exhibited a killer instinct for a Grand Island boys volleyball team on its way to the state championship tournament for the first time in school history.

With Wieberg’s dominance on display during Grand Island’s regional playoff victory last weekend, the Vikings’ Blue Crew student section bellowed:

Feed the beast!

Feed the beast!

“That was something new. It actually made me laugh on the court,” recalled Wieberg, a 6-foot-4-inch junior outside hitter in his third varsity season. “I heard it and I was just feeling good and going with it. I hope it becomes a tradition because it’s amazing.”

Zach Cramer, the Vikings’ junior setter, was sure to give the group of 60-plus Grand Island students who made the two-hour bus trip to Clifton Springs what they hungered for.

“The crowd hypes Billy up and makes him a better player,” Cramer said. “You can see that he’s playing great and you want to keep setting him.”

“It was awesome,” coach Bill Schultz said. “It got to the point where I was like, 'Yeah, keep giving him the ball. Let’s get this game and go to states.' ”

Wieberg finished the match with 33 kills and three service aces, accounting for more than a third of the Vikings’ points in a four-set win against Churchville-Chili. He had 36 kills in the Section VI Division II A final against West Seneca West and 23 kills in helping Grand Island defeat perennial power Eden for its first overall sectional title.

“Billy’s got that gene that you look for,” said Schultz, a 19-year coaching veteran. “They want to win and are going to do whatever it takes to win. They want the ball in a tight situation. Some kids can’t handle that pressure. He does. He wants it.”

Wieberg has 496 kills, 54 fewer than 6-foot-8-inch Jonas Stalyga’s school record, and a sterling .438 hitting percentage as the 21-0 Vikings — along with another Blue Crew bus — head to Albany on Saturday for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II state championship tournament.

“It’s so exciting,” Wieberg said. “We’ve never made it this far and to accomplish that is amazing.”

Grand Island won its first sectional crown last season before losing against Eden in the Division II crossover match. Wieberg received All-Western New York second-team recognition as a sophomore.

The Vikings showed they would be title contenders again by winning the Clarence tournament to start the season.

“When we won that Clarence tournament, I think it surprised a lot of people in Western New York,” said Cramer, whose 1,110 assists this season are a school record. “But in our gym, we knew we had the talent to win that tournament. And it put a target on our back from the start that has motivated us.”

In addition to winning the Orchard Park tournament and its own invitational, Grand Island went undefeated in Niagara Frontier League play for just the second time in school history. Senior libero David Wynne and senior outside hitter Tom Shemick joined Wieberg and Cramer as all-league selections.

Playing together on the sand courts at Wynne’s home over the summer helped the Vikings develop their skill and camaraderie, Wieberg said.

“Our chemistry is really good,” Cramer said. “Everyone gets along on the court and the culture aspect of our team has propelled us to do very well in the playoffs.”

Wieberg has led the way in raising his level of play to match the higher stakes in the postseason.

“Late in the year, he’s been getting more and more confident that he can’t be stopped,” Schultz said. “He’s further ahead than I would’ve thought as a junior. You would expect this kind of play more from a senior.”

Wieberg also plays for the Vikings’ ice hockey team and that was his favored sport before he started playing modified volleyball in seventh grade.

“My mom forced me to try out, and when I made it, I wasn’t too happy,” Wieberg said. “But I ended up loving the sport, and I’m so grateful she forced me to play.”

Wieberg went on to play with the Lockport Volleyball Club and, more recently, the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Juniors. He’s been selected to participate at a USA Volleyball training camp next month in California and aspires to play Division I college volleyball.

“He’s got real potential for the next level,” Schultz said. “He’s a little undersized for Division I, but if he can build up his vertical he can make up for it. He’s a side-out machine. He sees the block, sees the defense and he’s putting the ball away almost at a college rate.”

Not yet ready to schedule any official recruiting visits, Wieberg has his mind set on bringing a state title back to Grand Island.

“We need to go in focused,” he said. “Eat right, drink a lot of water, be healthy so we can play our best.”

In other words, keep feeding the beast.

Quinnipiac Spoils Volleyball’s Comeback in Semifinals
gogriffs.com
Saturday, November 23, 2019

Despite an incredible comeback attempt that included a season-high 22 total blocks, the Canisius volleyball team fell in five sets to No. 6 Quinnipiac in the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship on Saturday evening at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Conn. The No. 2 Golden Griffins dropped the first two sets to the Bobcats by scores of 23-25 and 15-25, but rebounded by taking the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-20, before losing the deciding set by a 15-12 score.

With the loss, the Blue and Gold close the season at a 15-16 record, while Quinnipiac (14-15) moves on to face their rival Fairfield in the MAAC Championship match on Sunday.

In the first set, Canisius was able to jump out to a 14-8 lead thanks in part to a pair of service aces from Hannah Nelson, as the sophomore matched Somer Sharpstone's Canisius single-season record with her 54th and 55th aces of the year. But Quinnipiac took nine of the next 11 points to pull ahead and eventually won the set, 25-23. The second set saw Canisius claw back several times to keep it close with the Bobcats, but Quinnipiac finished off the stanza with an 8-0 surge that put the Griffs into a 0-2 hole going into the intermission.

The Griffs used a 6-0 run midway through the third set to turn a one-point lead at 15-14 into a seven-point cushion. Canisius then weathered a quick rally from Quinnipiac to get the final four points of the frame, highlighted by the season-high 19th block of the night on set-point. Canisius had 10 blocks as a team in the third set, while freshman Ella Loussia pounded down six kill during the frame. Canisius had to fight out off an early hole in the fourth frame after Quinnipiac jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but six-straight points by the Griffs later on gave them a 14-10 advantage they would hold on to. The Bobcats made it interesting by bring the match to 20-19, but Nelson connected on a kill and then proceeded to make history by tallying her 56th and 57th service aces of the season on the next two points, as Canisius finished out the set, 25-20.

Taking the first three points of deciding set, Canisius then surrendered a 6-0 run to the Bobcats. The Griffs pulled the fifth frame even at 9-9 but Quinnipiac rattled off six of the final nine points to win the match.

Canisius was led by Camila Vazquez's 13 kills, as the sophomore posted a .344 hitting percentage and added on seven block assists. Nelson and Loussua both notched 12 kills, as Nelson recorded a double-double with 13 digs, while Loussia racked up a career-high nine blocks and two aces. Senior Leah Simmons closed out her final season with a career-high 12 blocks in addition to eight kills, and freshman Camille Vanleer also tallied a career-best 10 blocks. Registering her 20th double-double of the season, senior Cassidy Ceriani posted 41 assists and 12 digs, and freshman libero Bree Long finished the match with a career-high 37 digs.

Quinnipiac's Olga Zampati led all players with 24 kills, while Georgia Tselepi and Morgan Sherwin tallied 16 and 10 kills, respectively. Aryanah Diaz tallied 26 assists and 18 digs, and Alejandra Rodriguez paced the Bobcats with 26 digs.

Head Coach Lenika Vaquez's Postgame Comments

"Today was bittersweet, mostly because my team played very well, we some very phenomenal and amazing things. We just had a slow start and a couple that did not go our way, that made the match go in Quinnipiac's favor.

"I think that this year, the team has shown a lot of resiliency and passion for the game. They have also really leaned on each other to make a lot of things happen. I have a lot of pride in them as a group."

Game Notes

• Canisius moves to 14-5 all-time against Quinnipiac, holding a 1-1 record with the Bobcats in postseason meetings.
• The Griffs ended the match with 22 total blocks, while the Bobcats posted 9.5 blocks.
• The 22 blocks are the most by the Griffs in match under Vazquez, and the first time Canisius has record 20-plus total blocks in a match since Nov. 5, 2006 against Siena.
• Ceriani moved into second all-time in Canisius history with 3,729 career assists, passing Janelle Davis.
• Ceriani's 1,035 assists on the season are also the seventh-most by a Canisius player in a season, surpassing her total from 2018.
• With 12 digs on the day, Ceriani moved into eighth in program history with 1,118 career digs.
• Long's 558 digs on the season is the most ever by a Canisius freshman and is the seventh-most by any Griff in a single-season.
• The 37 digs by Long are the most by a Canisius player since Emily Litwin totaled 27 in a MAAC Championship consolation match on Nov. 22, 2014 against Niagara.
• Vanleer's 10 blocks are the most by Canisius freshman in a single match since Simmons posted one solo block and nine block assists at Marist on Sept. 17, 2019.
• Ceriani's double-double was the 56th of her career, while Nelson tallied her 13th career double-double.

Bulls Fall To Bowling Green In MAC Quarterfinals
ubbulls.com
Friday, November 22, 2019

BOWLING GREEN, OH – The University at Buffalo volleyball team saw their 2019 season come to an end Friday night as the Bulls lost 3-0 to third-seeded Bowling Green in the MAC Quarterfinals.

The Falcons took the match 25-16, 25-21, 25-16 as BG hit .236 for the contest.

UB struggled from the service line as it had six errors and no aces in the match, while Bowling Green finished with 10 aces.

In her final collegiate match senior Polina Prokudina had a team-high 13 kills and just one error as she hit .462 for the night. Both Lexi Nordmann and Monika Simkova finished with six kills, while senior Rachel Sanks added five.

In her final match, senior Scout McLerran added 24 assists. Defensively, sophomore Paige Beck led Buffalo with 11 digs. The Bulls had 7.0 blocks, led by five from Simkova and four from Kristina Nieves.

The Bulls finish the season 13-17 winning six of the final nine contests. The match was the final one for Buffalo's five seniors: Rachel Sanks, Hannah Watson, Kristina Nieves, Scout McLerran, and Polina Prokudina.

Purple Eagles Fall To Red Foxes In MAAC Tournament
purpleeagles.com
Friday, November 22, 2019

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The No. 5 Purple Eagles fell to the No. 5 Marist Red Foxes, 3-0, in the first round of the MAAC Championships on Friday.

Match Summary

First Set
The first set went back and forth between the Purple Eagles and the Red Foxes. The score was tied 13 times over the course of the set.

With the Red Foxes up by two points, 10-8, Niagara went on a 6-0 run, including a kill from Cameron Maris and two block assists from both Maris and Mary Redl, to take a 14-10 lead.

The Purple Eagles were ahead, 15-12, but Marist came back to tie things up at 15 points apiece.

Niagara and Marist traded points and, with the Red Foxes up by two, 21-19, back-to-back kills from Caroline Leitch tied the score once again, 21-21.

The Red Foxes got ahead by two again, 23-21, but kills from Leitch and Jaycie Roberts evened the score, 23-23. Marist, however, scored the final two points, taking set one narrowly, 25-23.

Second Set
The Purple Eagles and the Red Foxes kept things close to begin the second set, with the score tied 4-4 early, bur Marist quickly pulled away, going on a 4-0 run to take an 8-4 lead.

A kill from Leitch and a block by Leitch and Taylor Allen left NU trailing by just five points, 14-9, but Marist dominated the rest of the set, allowing the Purple Eagles only two more points.

Third Set
The Purple Eagles jumped out to a quick lead in the third set, with two kills from Roberts and one from Leitch helping NU get ahead, 9-3.

After a kill from Grace Hetterscheidt, Niagara led, 12-8, but Marist scored three straight points to come within one point of NU's lead, 12-11.

The Purple Eagles answered with a 3-0 run of their own to extend their lead, 15-11.

Kills from Leitch and Maris helped Niagara to a 17-14 lead, but Marist gained momentum, going on a 6-0 run to claim the lead, 20-17.

Despite Niagara coming back within one point of Marist multiple times, the Red Foxes held onto the lead, winning the set 25-23 to sweep the match.

Eagle's Eye On…

Roberts was just short of a double-double with nine kills and a team-high 10 digs. Roberts finished the season with a team-high 18 double-doubles.

Leitch also added nine kills to finish her career with 1,038 kills, which is the sixth-most in Niagara volleyball history.

Jessica Streuer led Niagara in assists with 26.

Cameron Maris led the Purple Eagles in blocking with five total blocks.

Emillie Wright added nine digs and Hetterscheidt had five kills.

Wildcats Fall To Bridgeport In ECC Tournament Semifinals
Daemen Finishes The Year With 16-12 Overall Record
Tom McDermott, Sports Information Consultant, daemenwildcats.com
Friday, November 22, 2019

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. - Third-seeded Daemen College suffered a 3-1 loss to second-seeded University of Bridgeport here tonight during the semifinals of the 2019 East Coast Conference Women's Volleyball Championship. Bridgeport improved to 24-6 with the win and advances to face top-seeded and tournament host Molloy College in the championship match tomorrow. Molloy advanced to the finals with a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded Mercy College. Daemen, the defending ECC Tournament champion, closes out the year with a 16-12 record.

Daemen opened the match with a 25-19 win in set one, before the Purple Knights outlasted the Wildcats in sets two (25-19), three (25-20) and four (28-26) to claim the match. It marked UB's third victory over Daemen this season. The Purple Knights posted a 3-0 win in Bridgeport and a 3-2 win at DC's Lumsden Gymnasium 12 days ago.

HIGHLIGHTS

Set one was tied at 8-8 when the Wildcats put together an 8-3 run that gave Daemen a 16-11 lead. The Purple Knights scored the next point to make it 16-12, but Daemen answered with four unanswered points and took its largest lead of the set, 20-12, following a UB ball handling error. The Daemen lead was still eight points, 23-15, when the Purple Knights put together one last rally and cut the lead to five points, 24-19. A UB attack error gave Daemen the 25-19 win.

An 11-1 run by Bridgeport turned out to be the difference in set two. Daemen took a 9-5 lead following a kill by junior Allison Post (Windsor, Calif.), but the Purple Knights regrouped following a time out and put together the decisive 11-1 run. Nine of the 11 points during the run came as a result of a Daemen error. UB held a 16-10 lead following the run and the Wildcats came no closer than five points (23-18) the rest of the way.

Bridgeport jumped out to a 6-1 lead in set three and maintained the lead throughout. Daemen cut the lead to three points twice after that, the second time at 12-9, but UB responded with a 6-2 run and opened up an 18-11 lead. The teams traded points the rest of the set and Bridgeport went on to a 25-20 win.

Daemen erased a 13-10 deficit in set four and took a 19-14 lead following a 9-1 run. UB scored the next four points and later took a 21-20 lead following back-to-back service aces by sophomore Carly Killorin. Daemen later had set points at 24-23, 25-24 and 26-25, but the Wildcats could not secure the winning point. UB closed out the set and the match with three unanswered points for a 28-26 win.

Sophomore Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) paced a balanced Daemen attack with 15 kills, while Post and fellow junior Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) each registered 14 kills. Post also contributed 12 digs.

Sophomore Hannah McKee (East Highland, Calf.) handed out 48 assists and also chipped in eight digs, while junior Georgia Wicker (Woodstock, Ill.) recorded a team-high 26 digs. Junior Ali Greenwood (North Aurora, Ill.) helped the Daemen defensive effort with 13 digs.

Seniors Courtney Bernard (Lancaster, Ohio) and Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y.), who both collected all-conference honors earlier today, closed out their four-year careers tonight. Bernard totaled nine kills, while Ballou added four kills and two blocks.

Ballou appeared in 114 of a possible 120 matches over her four-year career and has led the Wildcats to a 73-47 record over that stretch. She totaled 912 kills, 498 digs and 164 blocks over her career. Bernard, who sat out the 2017 season recovering from injury, has appeared in 94 of a possible 122 matches over her four-year career. She totaled 567 career kills and 158 career blocks.

Sophomore Amanda Keller totaled 12 kills and four blocks for Bridgeport, while senior Morgan Knight added 11 kills. Killorin finished with five service aces and also dished out 17 assists, while senior Amanda Hennemann registered a team-high 21 digs. 

HEAD COACH STEPHANIE ALBANO POST-GAME COMMENTS

"Tough to end the season with a loss, however the grit we showed was impressive. We battled and fought until the end. We will miss our seniors Meg and Courtney, and we thank them for their dedication to the program."

GAME NOTES

Daemen held a 60-46 advantage in total kills, but the Wildcats committed 32 attack errors—compared to just 14 attack errors for UB. The Wildcats also held an advantage in total assists (56-42) and total digs (78-57), while the Purple Knights posted a 10-5 edge in total blocks.

Daemen was making its third appearance in the ECC Tournament over the past four years.

Post and Heritz both finished with a team-high 241 kills for the year. McKee finished as the team-leader in assists (528), while Logan registered a team-high 33 service aces. Greenwood led the team in digs (404), while Heritz and junior Tirzah Peters (Amherst, N.Y.) both recorded a team-high 50 blocks.

Clarence clips Quakers in boys volleyball final
by BRYAN JACKSON, Reporter, Orchard Park Bee
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Orchard Park and Clarence were the class of Division I boys volleyball all season.

Each team came into the Nov. 14 sectional title game with just one league loss, with both coming at the hands of the other. Orchard Park beat Clarence in early September, 3-0, and then Clarence got revenge about a month later, besting Orchard Park, 3-2.

The Red Devils broke the tie and took the championship at Lackawanna High School, taking down the Quakers, 3-1.

It was a back-and-forth match throughout. Despite the two-game win for Clarence, the Red Devils’ total margin of victory in their three winning games was just six points, and over the course of the season, the two teams finished knotted at 6-6 in total games won.

Orchard Park’s uncharacteristic errors loomed large, in a contest as closely matched as the final.

“The big thing was, when you’re a team that is a real aggressive serving team, and you’re not on your A-game, we went back and we had 24 errors on the baseline in the four games, 24 errors is just too many to make up for,” Orchard Park head coach Ricky Albano said.

Despite the at-times lackluster serving, Albano said the Quaker attack was strong and kept them in the match. Clarence senior setter Teddy Payne was a thorn in Orchard Park’s side, however, turning balls that would ordinarily set the Quakers up for attacking chances into scoring opportunities for the Red Devils.

“He played out of his mind,” Albano said. “He took a lot of balls that most setters in Western New York would run down and bring back into play but his job as a setter is to create hittable opportunities, keeping things consistent for his team, and he just did that the whole night. He really stressed out our [blockers].”

Orchard Park did not let Clarence get out in front by much in any of the games, and Albano said his team had opportunities to win. If a few serves found their way in play or a bounced the other way, the Quakers could have easily found themselves flipping the script for a 3-1 win, he said.

Although the Quakers’ sea- son is over, Albano said the year was more than a success.

“I probably don’t tell the kids enough, but you won a division title, you go 11-1 in a real aggressive [Erie County Interscholastic Conference Division I], you do a lot of cool things in that division, we had a really strong nonleague schedule and were real successful there,” he said. “We defended our home court. We were 10-0 at home. We did a lot of cool things, and a lot of our guys [against Clarence] had the best game of their seasons. Joe Nicometo, our outside, had 20-plus kills. Hudson Harris and Ian Rauh, both our middles, hit well about their season averages.”

The Quakers finished the season 17-3 overall and, including the championship, 11-2 against ECIC I opponents.

Lady Quakers fall to Mercy in girls volleyball regionals
by BRYAN JACKSON, Reporter, Orchard Park Bee
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Two of New York’s top girls’ volleyball teams squared off in the Far West Regional on Sunday, with Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, the Section V representative, beating Orchard Park, the Section VI qualifier, to advance to the next round of the state tournament.

Orchard Park came into the match 32-3, while Mercy sported a 30-10-10 record.

The Lady Quakers fell behind after the first game, with Mercy jumping out to a 25-23 win in game No. 1. Orchard Park came roaring back with two straight wins, taking the second game 25-23 and the third 25-21, and looked to be in position to capture the match.

“We played a really great match and probably served the best we have all year,” Greg Lardo, the Lady Quakers’ head coach, said. “We probably had more digs than we have had in any other match.”

The Lady Quakers had powered their way through most of their 2019 schedule, and Lardo said Sunday’s five-game match was the team’s first in around a year. Whether the Lady Quakers ran out of gas or Mercy simply made more plays, the match shifted after the third game. The Section V champions brushed off the deficit and took the next two games by scores of 25-22 and 25-17 to earn a victory, 3-2.

“There were runs where we had it going, and you think we were going to keep going, but Mercy was solid and would get themselves out of problems,” Lardo said. “We’re used to teams taking maybe a 7-2 run, which just didn’t happen. We knew it was going to be a battle.”

Abby Ryan led Orchard Park with 22 kills. She added 13 digs, two blocks and three aces.

Ashley Dogal had nine kills, eight digs, two blocks and five aces, while Summer Harris added eight kills and Haley Callahan had seven kills and 21 digs.

Sarah Lucas led the way for the Lady Quakers with 44 assists and added 10 digs, one kill, one block and one ace to her stat line.

Brooke Shively paced Orchard Park with 25 digs.

The Lady Quakers ended the season with a 32-4.

East boys volleyball team’s best effort in years ended by Eden in Division II-B final
JASON NADOLINSKI, Sports Reporter, West Seneca Bee
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The bad news for West Seneca East’s boys volleyball team is that its best season in quite some time came up just short of the ultimate goal of winning a Section VI Division II-B championship.

The bad news is much worse for the Trojans’ divisional and playoff foes, though: East will return every single player, including three who had a hand in resetting six different program records this year, from a squad that took the regular-season title for the first time in close to two decades and made its first appearance in the sectional championship round since the 1970s.

“Without a doubt every single kid should be very proud of what they accomplished this year,” coach Dave Kutina said. “I couldn’t be any prouder of what they did – and I couldn’t be any more excited than I am to have this exact same group coming back next year. They’re all just great people who were really fun and a privilege to work with. And since success tends to breed success, my hope is that the younger players in our program look at what we did this year and want to be a part of something similar by the time they’re juniors and seniors.”

The only thing standing between the Trojans and a sectional championship this fall was perennial powerhouse Eden, which took the title in a match held Nov. 12 at Lackawanna by 25-15, 25-17, 29-31, 25-21 marks. Going into the match Eden had yielded just four sets all season, including a sweep by Canisius, so Kutina was extremely proud of his club’s ability to take the third set from the Raiders.

A slow start to the match prevented East from dealing out even more damage, as Kutina conceded that it took the Trojans the better part of the first two sets to “finally play the way we needed to play.”

“That third set, especially after we found our footing late in the second, was just as close of a game as the score indicates,” Kutina said. “And we hung in there with them in game four, but I the end they had just a little more power than we could handle. They’re just an absolute machine.”

Jackson Strong led the way for East with 17 kills, with Cole Ignaszak not far behind with 15 kills.

Sean Tucci dished out 28 assists on the night for East, which reached the title round after taking down Lake Shore in the semifinals by 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23 marks on Nov. 9.

Kutina called his squad’s effort against the Eagles “one of our top two performances of the year” and marveled at the Trojans’ complete emphasis on teamwork. Ignaszak broke his single-match kills record – which he set earlier this season – by finishing off 27 of his attempts, while Tucci came just one assist shy of his own single match record when he dished out 42 helpers.

Nate Wurl, meanwhile, “had a great day with his serve receive, passing nails all day that really made a difference and just allowed us to run our offense so smoothly,” Kutina said.

“The guys just played really strong and stuck to the plan, supporting each other really well all the while,” Kutina said. “There was high energy on the floor the entire match, and our ability to stay focused, stick to the game plan and give 110% the entire game was key. When we really are playing our game, you see a really impressive level of cooperation, communication and support out on the floor.”

Strong had 17 kills, 16 digs and three aces to help the Trojans’ cause, while Troy Ignaszak had 10 digs that helped him to pass with an efficiency that “really made a difference in the match,” Kutina said. Cole Ignaszak also had 11 digs and three aces for East, whose playoff odyssey began Nov. 5 with a 25-15, 25-13, 25-14 triumph over East Aurora on Nov. 5.

The Blue Devils put up a strong effort and showed improvement from the teams’ regular-season clash, but East was prepared to do some damage after having plenty of time to prepare for the contest due to its bye into the quarterfinal round. East wasted little time implementing the improvements to its game that Kutina had installed, and the results were nearly instantaneous.

“There were aspects of our defensive play that needed to be fine tuned, as well as a few serve receive situations in certain rotations of the offense that we tweaked,” Kutina said. “This late in the season, you’re not going to make big fundamental changes to what you’re doing. All season long we’d been talking about fixing our mistakes once we’d identified them, and then not making those mistakes again. Fortunately we had some time to implement some fixes to the mistakes we’d been making during that layoff before playoffs started.

“We had been struggling with tip coverage and out-of-system passes, so we hyper focused on those areas for a couple of days during our break between the regular season and playoffs,” Kutina continued. “Our ability to cover our blockers defensively and offensively cover our hitters let us take away any easy points other teams had been scoring, and that really made a difference. And offensively, we were able to move the ball around and get lots of people involved, which was great.”

Cole Ignaszak had 15 kills, five aces and four digs for the victors, while Strong added 11 kills, six aces and four digs. The pair was named the team’s co-MVPs during the team’s annual banquet that took place after the team’s run ended.

Tucci dished out 23 assists, while Kaden Strong served up seven aces for East, which went 15-6 overall this fall. Along the way, Strong set records for most aces in a match (12) and season (107), Tucci set records for most assists in a match (43) and season (560), and Cole Ignaszak also had 303 kills for the year to go along with his single-match mark for kills. Strong also surpassed the old mark for most kills in a season, finishing with more than 200.

West boys volleyball season ends in Division II-A semifinal
West Seneca Bee
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

West Seneca West’s boys volleyball coach Brett Widman and his squad had their goal of claiming a sectional championship derailed by eventual Division II-A winner Grand Island, but Widman still called the Nov. 9 meeting with the Vikings “a spectacular ending to the end of our season.”

West, which gave the Vikings all they could handle, ultimately dropped a 25-23, 30-28, 24-26, 26-28, 8-15 decision to Grand Island in the semifinal round.

Nick Szablicki dished out 47 assists over the course of the match, with Nathan Petrik putting down 20 kills on the night. Middle hitter Noah Petrik had 12 kills — “ridiculous for a middle,” Widman said — and Jacob Woelfel added nine kills.

Aeden Vanegas added seven kills, three blocks and two aces, while Joseph Wesley notched four kills. Duncan Tenhagen collected seven digs and James Kibler “played very well as a back row sub, with very solid serve receive” for West, Widman noted.

West reached the semifinal round by topping quarterfinal round foe Williamsville East by 21-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-18 marks on Nov. 5. Vanegas had 12 kills and Petrik had 11 for the Indians, who lose six seniors from a squad that finished 9-10 overall this fall.

High School Extra: Prep Talk AOW's are Wieberg, Blessing
By Staff, Buffalo News
Friday, November 22, 2019

Prep Talk AOW

Grand Island volleyball player Billy Wieberg and Portville volleyball player Kylie Blessing have been named the Prep Talk Athletes of the Week, sponsored by Sgroi Financial, in voting done by visitors to BuffaloNews.com.

Wieberg led the Vikings to the NYSPHSAA Division 2 championship tournament for the first time in school history with 33 kills and three aces in regional victory against Churchville-Chili. He received 49% of the vote.

Blessing, a sophomore setter, helped the Panthers return to the NYSPHSAA Class C championship tournament with 30 assists and 10 service aces in a regional win over Skaneateles. She tallied 37 assists, seven kills and two aces in a sub-regional win over Byron-Bergen. She received 48% of the vote.

Voting is conducted on BuffaloNews.com, beginning each Monday. The voting concludes Thursdays at noon. To nominate an athlete, send an email to sports@buffnews.com.

Bulls Sweep Akron in First Round of MAC Tournament
ubbulls.com
Thursday, November 21, 2019

BOWLING GREEN, OH – The University at Buffalo volleyball team swept Akron, 3-0, in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at the Stroh Center on Thursday night. It was the Bulls' first MAC Tournament victory since 2009.

Buffalo set the tone early, cruising to a 25-15 first-set victory. The Bulls went on to win the second set, 25-20, and the third set, 25-21. 

With the Bulls leading 13-11 in the first set, a kill by Rachel Sanks sparked a 5-0 UB run to extend the lead to 18-11 and the Bulls never looked back.

In the second set, Jenna Sonnenberg served up an ace to put the Bulls ahead, 6-5, and they never trailed again. Akron cut the UB lead to 15-14, but the Bulls responded with an 8-2 run to take a 23-16 lead and ice the set.

The Bulls had to rally to win the third set after trailing 19-16. Following an Akron error, UB got three straight kills by Sanks, Scout McLerran and Paige Beck, respectively, to put the Bulls ahead, 20-19, and deflate the Zips. Monika Simkova provided the dagger with a kill to end it for Buffalo.

"I'm excited about getting the win in three straight," head coach Scott Smith said. "We've been taking five sets all season, so it's a really good time to take care of business in three sets."

Sanks had 13 kills and McClearan had 28 assists to lead UB.

The seventh-seeded Bulls will next face third-seeded Bowling Green tomorrow night.

Knights Fall in Five-Setter to Top-Ranked Emory in NCAA Quarterfinals
clarksonathletics.com
Thursday, November 21, 2019

Cedar Rapids, IA – Giving the top-ranked team in the country all it could handle, the Clarkson University Volleyball team sent Emory University to the brink in the first game of the NCAA Quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon, but the Golden Knights came up just short in their attempt to advance, falling 25-22, 22-25 25-12, 22-25, 15-11 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

The Golden Knights concluded their season at 28-6 overall while Emory moved to 33-2 and lived to fight another day in the defense of its national title from a year ago.

CLARKSON PRESS CONFERENCE

In the first set, Emory came out strong by winning four of the first five points, but the Golden Knights rallied, eventually coming all the way back to tie the set at 15-15 thanks to a kill from Rachel Reusch. The Eagles rattled off three straight points, forcing the Knights to take a timeout and the strategy worked as Clarkson picked up four of the next five on kills from Gillian Kurtic and Maddie Bredehoeft and miscues by Emory. The next point appeared to be in favor of the Knights on a tremendous dig by Kristin Werdine, but the play was challenged and after a delay of several minutes, the point was reversed for Emory as the ball short-hopped Werdine's hand. Clarkson recovered to tie the set and took the lead twice on kills from Reusch, but Emory closed out the set with four straight points, including two consecutive kills from Morgan McKnight, for a 25-22 win.

The second set saw Clarkson roll out with points in seven of the first 10 serves, but Emory knotted the match up at 11-11. Later in the set, Emory gained a 20-19 lead on an attack error and was in position to take a 2-0 lead. Werdine and Reusch had other ideas for Clarkson, with Werdine putting a ball down to tie the set and Rachel Reusch sandwiching kills around an Isabelle Crow kill. Werdine then snuck an ace inside the end line to complete the set for Clarkson, tying the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 victory.

Clarkson doubled up Emory in the first handful of points in the third set (4-2), but Emory scored six straight before the Knights could end the run on a kill from Reusch. That point, and another kill from Maddie Bredehoeft, turned out to be nothing but a reprieve from Emory's roll, as the Eagles pushed their advantage to 15-6. Although Clarkson briefly pulled within six (16-10) on an ace from Werdine, the Eagles won eight of the final nine points to claim a lopsided win in the third set, 25-12. Emory hit .360 in the third set while the Knights were in the negative for that game.

Three kills in the first eight points by Bredehoeft put the Knights up 5-3 in the early going of the fourth set. Emory gathered points in the next four serves to take the lead and did its best to pull away, but Clarkson always had an answer and tied the set six times without ever taking the lead. Emory scored three straight on kills and an ace for a 17-14 lead, forcing the Knights to take a timeout, but a hitting error, ace by Kate Isaksen, and kill from Werdine tied the game a ninth time and put the Eagles into a situation where they needed a quick break to alter the momentum. It didn't work, as the Knights gained an 18-17 lead on a hitting error and picked up another point by winning a joust at the net. Emory eventually tied the set at 21-21, but Reusch sent a kill down in the middle of the court and a deep attack error put the margin back to two points, forcing a second Emory timeout. The Eagles picked up one point out of the break, but Werdine put a kill down with a roll shot from the back row and 
Bredehoeft and Kurtic combined for a block on the outside to finish off the set, 25-22, sending the match to a deciding fifth set.

The final set saw Clarkson score the first three points but Emory tallied the next four and changed the momentum to its advantage. The Eagles led by two at the bench switch and then delivered a kill to make the Knights call a timeout. An ace for Emory out of the break pushed the margin to four, but a service error and block assists from Bredehoeft and Kurtic made it 10-8. Emory rattled off three more, with Clarkson picking up two points to make it 13-10. A kill by Maggie Rimmel put Emory a single point away from the win, but Kurtic blasted a ball down to keep Clarkson's hopes alive. That would be it, however, as a deflected ball hit the deck for the Eagles to end the match.

Kristin Werdine struck for 15 kills and added 12 digs and a pair of aces in the match while Rachel Reusch delivered 14 kills and three blocks and Maddie Bredehoeft contributed 12 kills and three blocks. Isabelle Crow delivered 50 assists, Kate Isaksen picked up 23 more digs, and Gillian Kurtic added four blocks and eight kills for the Knights. Isaksen surpassed 3200 digs in her career, pushing her career total to 3217, the seventh-highest figures in NCAA Division III history, and easily the most for any player that has participated entirely in the 25-points per set era.

For Emory, Morgan McKnight struck for 22 kills, Tara Martin added 18 kills and four blocks, and Leah Saunders had 16 kills and 14 digs. Cassie Srb produced 57 assists and Elyse Thompson led the defense with 18 digs.

South girls volleyball falls in Far West Regional
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter, Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Williamsville South’s girls volleyball team has had a habit of starting slow in matches at times this season and the trend continued in the Class A Far West Regional.

The Lady Billies, who dropped the first two sets before winning the next three to beat Hamburg for the Section VI Class A title, played sloppy against Section V’s West Irondequoit, losing 20-25, 18-25, 13-25, Sunday at Daemen College.

“It was not the start we were looking for, especially when you are playing a good team like that,” South coach Tom Sproull said. “Our serving wasn’t there for the whole match. Kids who normally hit certain spots were not even hitting them in. All of the little details were not good enough against a team of that caliber.”

Sproull said West Irondequoit did not over- power his team like he knew they were capable of but their hitters hit hard and his team’s connectivity was not there.

“We were off,” Sproull said. “I don’t know how many balls just hit the floor that had nothing to do with what they were doing. We had way more unforced errors than we’ve ever had. I thought we were up to the task but didn’t execute the way we had been working.”

“We didn’t communicate enough and did not execute enough on what we worked in practice,” senior Maddy Popielski said. “We did not play up to our potential.”

The farthest South had a lead was 9-8 in the first set. South cut the deficit to 24-20 on an ace by junior Claire Montgomery but West Irondequoit answered with a kill to close out the set.

The Lady Billies fell behind 6-2 in the second set and Irondequoit held a five to six-point lead the rest of the way before scoring the final three points.

South trailed 7-2 in the third set and the deficit grew to as many as 13.

Popielski led South with nine kills and seven digs. Junior Molly McKinnon added six kills and 13 digs. Junior Ceci Brooks tallied six kills and five digs. Montgomery added two aces and 15 digs.

South finished with a 15-5 record, a great accomplishment despite losing four key players from last year’s sectional runner-up.

“They were kind of the underdog coming into the season, but became the favorite halfway through because they worked so hard and brought their best every day,” Sproull said. “They have nothing to hang their heads on.”

Four seniors graduate, led by captains Popielski and Riley Domin, as well as Lucy Angrisano and Sarah Foster.

“Maddy and Riley’s leadership was unbelievable this year,” Sproull said.

“I think being part of this team you’re kind of automatically thrown into the mix and we’ve never had a team that worked like this before,” Popielski said.

North girls volleyball named all-stars
Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Williamsville North senior girl volleyball players Maia Reed and Erin Mergler have been named to the All-ECIC First Team.

Reed, a middle hitter, led the Lady Spartans with 317 kills. Mergler, also a middle hitter, was second in kills with 297.

Senior libero Maddie Farber, who recorded 1,077 career digs, and senior outside hitter Chloe Hudecki, were named to the ECIC Division I First Team. Farber also received the sportsmanship award for ECIC I.

Senior setter Mila Blanco and junior outside hitter Maddie Hannon were named ECIC I Second Team all-stars.

Clarence Boys volleyball tops OP in sectional final
JASON NADOLINSKI Sports Reporter, Clarence Bee
Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Clarence’s boys volleyball team was hoping to win a tournament during the regular season, and when it didn’t it entered the playoffs feeling a slight bit of disappointment of falling short of one of its preseason goals.

Fortunately for the Red Devils the Section VI Division I bracket counts as a tournament, which means they accomplished all of their preseason goals after all thanks to Thursday’s 26-24, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23 victory over rival Orchard Park in a match played at Lackawanna.

It was Clarence’s second Section VI championship in four years.

“The boys really wanted Orchard Park, and they gave us a really competitive final,” coach David Hill said. “They swept us at their place in the regular season, but when we hosted them it played out more like the final did. We were just really fortunate to win the first set on Thursday, as it set the tone for the rest of the night. If we had given them the first set they would’ve had a great deal of momentum, and with them if they have the momentum they become really tough to stop.”

Clarence went through a rough patch during the middle of the match in terms of its serve receiving and passing, and though those deficiencies did eventually cost the Red Devils the third set they ultimately weren’t enough to derail them from their ultimate goal.

“We got off track a little bit in the second set, but we picked it up in the third and fourth games and got the job done,” Hill said. “This group of guys worked their tails off all season long in order to be in contention to win a league title and have a shot at winning a sectional title, so it’s no exaggeration to say this group of guys really earned it. It’s really an unbelievable feeling, being sectional champions.”

Teddy Payne (2 kills, 2 blocks) dished out 35 assists over the course of the match, with many of them going to Johnny Bly (14 kills), Andrew Ratzel (9 kills) and Logan Fish (7 kills, 7 blocks). Zach Ciraolo chipped in with six kills, while Matt Sausen added three kills, three digs and two blocks.

Clarence’s play against Orchard Park very nearly propelled it to an upset over perennial Section V powerhouse McQuaid in Saturday’s Far West Regional, but in the end the four-time state champions had just enough left in the tank to persevere in what was a hard-fought 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-27, 15-7 victory over the Red Devils.

Clarence knew what it was getting itself into Saturday having played McQuaid earlier this season in the Eden Tournament, and with Mc- Quaid bringing an undefeated record into the contest the stakes were even higher. In the end, after battling throughout the first four games, Clarence found itself in just too deep of a hole early in the decisive fifth game to have a shot at pulling out the upset.

“McQuaid is a very sound, very tough, very talented team that really hadn’t gotten pushed to their limit all season long, so we knew we were in for a tough match,” Hill said. “Rochester teams are always a lot better than Buffalo teams on defense and serve receive, since that’s where they focus the most, but our guys just left everything on the floor. I couldn’t have asked for anything more out of them.

“It was a little bit of a moral victory for us by us pushing them to their limit – my guys have nothing to hang their heads over after playing their hearts out – but it’s easy to see why they’ve won a ton of league, sectional and even state titles. Their coach afterwards had a lot of nice things to say about what we did, and he told me they were expecting to be playing us in the regional.”

Payne led the way for Clarence by dishing out 39 assists and collecting four kills himself. Bly finished with 16 kills, while Ratzel added 12 kills. Fish chipped in with 11 kills, while Ciraolo added seven kills.

Clarence’s playoff run began Nov. 8 with a 26-24, 25-8, 25-19 win over Frontier. After shaking off the rust that accumulated from a nearly two-week long gap between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason, Clarence got down to business and cruised to the victory. Frontier threw very few new wrinkles at the Red Devils, Hill said, which helped the secure the win.

“Our first set was a little shaky due to the break in the action that we had, but after that things got back to normal to where this was ultimately a good way for us to kick off our playoff run,” Hill said. “Getting to scout them in the quarterfinal round without having to worry about coaching in the match really helped, as I was able to find some additional holes in their defense.”

Payne dished out 30 assists to go along with his five kills on the night, with both Bly and Ratzel collecting 12 kills. Ciraolo added six kills, while Fish finished with four kills and six blocks for the Red Devils, who lose three starters – including Payne, who signed his national letter of intent to continue his career collegiately at NCAA Division I Sacred Heart University on Tuesday morning – off a squad that finished 17-2 overall this fall.

“I’m just happy for all of the guys, but especially for the seniors, that they’re walking off the court this season as sectional champions,” Hill said. “I’m just super proud of the guys. They fought all year long and worked hard every single day, leaving everything on the court.”

email: jnadolinski@beenews.com

North Tonawanda falls to Grand Island at the Section VI Division 2A Final
Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Panama volleyball moves on to Glens Falls; Orchard Park and Williamsville South fall
By Dave Ricci, Buffalo News
Sunday, November 17, 2019

Orchard Park's Ashley Dogal puts the ball past Rochester Mercy's Makenna Casper in the
Class AA Far West Regional match at Daemen College Sunday. (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News)

Panama has been on a mission for the past year. On Sunday, they got one step closer to their ultimate goal of being state volleyball champs.

The Section VI Panthers downed Section V's Harley Allendale Columbia in three straight sets to cap off the Far West Regional triple header that was held at Daemen College.

Winning by scores of 25-14, 25-20 and 25-22, the Class D Panthers now advance to the NYSPHSAA tourney at the Glens Falls Civic Center this coming weekend.

“We’re hungry. We’re so hungry,” senior captain Kylie Schnars said.

“We lost two years in a row at states to the same team. We want to get back there and we want to win this time. We’ve been working hard all season long. We just want to get it done.”

After winning states in 2016, the Panthers have fallen in the Class D championship the last two seasons. Both times to Section IV’s Bainbridge-Guilford. Those losses have the Panthers wanting to reclaim the title.

“Definitely. They’re very hungry to get back to states and not be the Class D runner-up,” said Panama coach Tammy Hosier.

The offense was once again led by junior setter Maddie Johnson who had 30 assists as she did a great job of running the floor and distributing the ball to her teammates.

Senior captain Natalie Angeletti (18 kills, 9 digs) also came up big.

The Wolves had spurts in the third set that tested the Panthers, but ultimately Panama’s team ball mentality made the difference.

“They’re just a good team,” Hosier said. “They work together and they get people back into it. We have Kylie and Natalie who are our big hitters but everybody else has their roles that they play and that’s our thing. Everybody has their role and it works for us.”

The rest of the news wasn’t as good for Section VI as both Orchard Park (AA) and Williamsville South (A) saw their seasons come to a close.

Class AA

It was out of your seat, jaw-dropping action but the Quakers were unable to close it out as they dropped a five-set match to Section V’s Our Lady of Mercy: 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 22-25 and 17-25.

All five sets featured short runs. It was a case of the Monarchs just being able to execute a little bit better and be in the right spot a fraction of a second sooner than Orchard Park.

“They did a little bit better job of taking care of the ball and serving, passing,” Orchard Park coach Greg Lardo said. “But it wasn’t a huge difference. They were a little bit better. You go five games and a lot of those were deuce games. ... At that level of volleyball it’s a small margin of error.”

Seeing the end come in the same spot in back-to-back seasons is certainly a difficult thing for the Lady Quakers to digest, but Lardo said he hopes the departing seniors will know they did something special.

Class A

There would be no breathtaking comeback for the Billies this time around.

Section V’s West Irondequoit beat Will South in three sets 25-20, 25-18 and 25-13 to capture the Class A title.

Facing an Eagles squad that had won its third consecutive sectional title and FWR runners-up last year, Will South knew that it had a tall task. Ironically the Billies were their own worst enemy as unforced errors and uncharacteristic sloppy play were their undoing.

“They didn’t overpower us in the court like I knew they were capable of. They’ve got big hitters, they definitely hit a lot harder,” said Billies coach Tom Sproull. “Our connectivity today wasn’t there. We were off. I don’t know how many balls just hit the floor that has nothing to do with what they’re doing. We had way more unforced errors then we’ve ever had.”

The Billies did win the Class A title after falling in the sectional title game last year.

“I think being part of this team you’re kind of automatically thrown into the mix and we’ve never had a team that worked like this before,” senior Maddy Popielski said.

Knights Win Five-Set Thriller Over Ithaca in Potsdam Regional Final
clarksonathletics.com
Sunday, November 17, 2019

Potsdam, NY – Freshman Kristin Werdine blasted a ball for one kill and then tipped one over the top of the block for the match-winner as the Clarkson University Volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a five-set victory over Ithaca College in the Potsdam Regional Final on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights return to the NCAA's "Elite 8," their fifth time in the NCAA Quarterfinals and the first trip since 2015. The Green and Gold improved to 28-5 on the season with their seventh straight win, improving to 17-0 at home in 2019. Ithaca finished its season at 20-11.

The two teams were meeting for the third time in 24 days, all of which resulted in Clarkson wins. However, none of the matches were easy, as last week's Liberty League Championship required close to 30 extra points to be played with three sets going beyond the necessary tally. That only happened once on Sunday, though it was in the decisive fifth set.

In the first set, Clarkson played well in every aspect of the game, hitting .341 (16-2-41) and doing its normal stellar job on defense. The two teams were tied at 13-13, but Clarkson gained a four-point edge thanks to two attack errors and kills from Maddie Bredehoeft and Rachel Reusch. Though Ithaca would trim the margin to two on a couple of occasions, the Knights always seemed to have an answer to keep the Bombers at bay, and Clarkson picked up a 25-21 win in the first game.

Game two was a similar animal, as the teams were tied 12-12 before the Knights took advance of a Rachel Reusch kill and two attack errors to pick up a three-point lead. Ithaca would stop the rally and pull back within one on block assists from Alison Lipton and Jennifer Pitts, but the Knights responded with six straight points, with a Kristin Werdine ace making it 21-14. The Bombers were too far down to mount a legitimate comeback and Clarkson pushed its advantage to 2-0 with a six-point win.

The third set was All Ithaca, as the Bombers hit .286 and Clarkson's defense began to struggle to make consistent passes on serve receive. The fourth set was anyone's game, with Ithaca jumping out to a 5-1 but Clarkson tying it four points later. It would be the second of many ties in the set as the two teams exchanged points regularly. Ithaca led 17-14 late only to see the Knights score three straight for a ninth tie in the set. The teams tied again at 18, 19, 20, 21 and 23, but kills from Pitts and Reagan Stone evened the match at 2-2.

The fifth set appeared to be in Clarkson's hands near the midway point, as the Knights tallied five times in a six-point stretch for a 10-5 lead. Ithaca chipped away, tying the set at 11-11 and then again at 12-12. A kill from Maddie Bredehoeft and a solo block from Gillian Kurtic put Clarkson on the brink of another win, but kills from Stone and Lipton tied the game at 14-14. On the next serve, Clarkson handled the reception easily and put the ball to the pin for Kristin Werdine, who knocked down a kill off the block and into the net on Ithaca's side. With another match point, a long rally again went Clarkson's way, as Emma Baxter controlled an attack with an incredible dig and pass to the setter, with Werdine trying a softer shot off a set from Isabelle Crow, tipping it off the block and down for the match-winner.

Kate Isaksen was chosen as the Potsdam Regional's Most Outstanding Player, recording 37 of the team's 87 digs. Rachel Reusch knocked down 16 kills and both Gillian Kurtic and Kristin Werdine added 12 kills. Reusch also had five blocks and Werdine scored four aces. Isabelle Crow ran the offense with aplomb, assisting on 49 kills. Emma Baxter and Celestial Barrera-Lopez were also big in the back row with 14 and 12 digs, respectively.

For Ithaca, Reagan Stone notched 28 kills, Alison Lipton added 17 kills and Jennifer Pitts produced 11 kills with four blocks. Caitlyn Floyd found her hitters frequently, scoring 57 assists to go along with nine digs. Jordyn Lyn Hayashi added 30 digs and three aces.

Canisius Volleyball Clinches Second Seed with Sweep of Quinnipiac
gogriffs.com
Sunday, November 17, 2019

Sophomore Camila Vazquez pounded down 14 kills to go with three blocks and freshman Ella Loussia added 12 kills to help lead the Canisius volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Quinnipiac in MAAC action Sunday afternoon in the Koessler Athletic Center. Picking up their first win in straight sets since Oct. 27, the Golden Griffins won by set scores of 25-20, 25-10, 25-20.

With the win, the Griffs closed out the 2019 regular season with an overall record of 15-15 to go with a 12-6 mark in MAAC action. Canisius' win over Quinnipiac, coupled with Fairfield's 3-0 sweep of Niagara on Sunday, gives Canisius the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinal round for next weekend's MAAC Volleyball Championship.

Canisius fired on all cylinders Sunday, as the Blue and Gold hit .430 as a team while also recording eight total blocks en route to the victory. In the first set, Canisius led by as many as seven points early, but the Bobcats (12-15, 8-10 MAAC) battled back and trailed by just two points at 22-20 in the later stages of the opening frame. However, a pair of Quinnipiac attack errors and a kill from Loussia ended the opening stanza in Canisius' favor.

The second set was all Canisius, as the Blue and Gold turned a four-point lead at 12-8 into the 25-10 win after closing the match by scoring 13 of the final 15 points of the frame. The third set saw the Griffs hit .630 with 18 kills on 27 swings against just one attack error.

Vazquez ended the day by hitting .875, after her 14 kills came on 16 swings with no attack errors. Loussia was not far behind, collecting a .500 hitting clip after committing only one error on 22 attempts. Senior Cassidy Ceriani ended her playing career in the Koessler Athletic Center with a full stat sheet, as she posted 34 assists, nine digs, seven kills, five block assists and a service ace in the victory. Fellow senior Leah Simmons also had five block assists for the Griffs and she added four kills, two digs and an assist. Freshman libero Bree Long tallied 15 digs and sophomore Hannah Nelson added 11 more digs in the win, as the Canisius defense held Quinnipiac to a team hitting percentage of .136 on the day.

Quinnipiac was led by seven kills apiece from Kaleigh Oates and Morgan Sherwin, while libero Alejandra Rodriguez registered 10 digs.

Head Coach Lenika Vaquez's Postgame Comments

"I think that our defense was stellar. We were very focused in on our blocking scheme and I think that helped us two-fold. In the first line of defense, we got a lot more blocks than we usually get, and in the second line of defense, we were really able to set up and read a little bit easier than we have been sometimes. I had to take my hat off to the team for really executing the game-plan.

"We will take the next couple of practices and be really focused. Then, we'll enjoy it (the MAAC Championship) once we get there, that's the key. You have to enjoy the moment, and that's what I want for them."

Game Notes

• With Sunday's win, Canisius improves to 14-4 all-time against Quinnipiac, including straight-set wins in three of the last four meetings.
• This will be the second-straight season that the Griffs enter the conference tournament with the second seed, claiming second place in the standings outright last year.
• Last season's win that clinched the No. 2 seed also happened to be a sweep of Quinnipiac.
• Loussia has tallied 10-plus kills in three-straight contests and in five of her last six.
• Vazquez has posted three-or-more blocks in 14-straight matches, and has notched eight-plus kills in her last eight contests.
• Ceriani is now just 20 assists away (3,688 career assists) from tying Janelle Davis (3,708 assists) for second in program history. At 1,106 career digs, she also four digs shy of passing Sarah Podlesh for eighth in the school's record book.
• Simmons now holds sole possession of sixth all-time with 243 block assists, while also moving into 10th all-time at 280 total blocks, passing former Griff Roxanne Hernandez in both categories.
• The 2010-12 Griffs were the last stretch where Canisius picked up back-to-back winning seasons in conference play. That was also the last time the Griffs appeared in the MAAC Championship in consecutive seasons.

Up Next

As the No. 2 seed in next weekend's MAAC Volleyball Championship, Canisius will return to action in the second semifinal game of the tournament, set for Saturday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m., in Fairfield's Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Conn. The opponent will be the winner of Friday's First Round match between No. 3. Rider and No. 6 Quinnipiac. The Griffs' semifinal game will be broadcast live on either ESPN3 or ESPN+, with a full broadcast schedule set to be released by the MAAC office later in the week.

Niagara Falls To Fairfield In Regular Season Finale
purpleeagles.com
Sunday, November 17, 2019

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purples Eagles fell to Fairfield in straight sets on Sunday in their regular season finale.

Match Summary

First Set
The Purple Eagles and the Stags went back and forth in the first set. The score was tied eight times over the course of the set.

Niagara trailed by one, 12-11, but the Stags scored four straight points to extend their lead, 16-11.

Fairfield was ahead, 23-19, but Niagara went on a 3-0 run, including back-to-back aces from Emillie Wright, to cut the Stags' lead, 23-22. Fairfield however, came away with the set, 25-23.

Second Set
The second set was another close one between the Purple Eagles and the Stags. Fairfield led, 6-4, but Niagara scored three straight points to take a 7-6 lead.

The Purple Eagles led by one, 8-7, but Fairfield reclaimed the lead, scoring three consecutive points to get ahead, 10-8.

The Stags extended their lead, 13-9, but Niagara went on a 3-0 run, including kills from Caroline Leitch and Christina Cowsert, and trailed by just one point, 13-12.

Fairfield got back ahead by two, 15-13, but NU came back to tie the score, 15-15.

Niagara trailed by one, 17-16, before the Stags scored three straight points to take a 20-16 lead over the Purple Eagles.

With Fairfield leading, 24-18, four straight points from the Purple Eagles put them back within two, 24-22, but the Stags scored the set point to take set tw0, 25-22.

Third Set
The third set played out much like the first two, with the Purple Eagles and Stags exchanging points and keeping things close. The score was tied 13 times during the set.

The Stags led by one, 10-9, but a kill from Grace Hetterscheidt tied things up, 10-10. Fairfield reclaimed the lead, 13-11, but two errors from the Stags left NU and Fairfield tied again, 13-13.

Niagara trailed by one, 18-17, but a Stags error and an ace from Cameron Maris put NU in the lead, 19-18. Fairfield got back ahead, 20-19, but another kill from Hetterscheidt knotted the score at 20-20.

The Stags began to pull away, going on a 4-0 run to take a 24-20 lead over the Purple Eagles. Niagara scored one more point on a kill from Jessica Streuer, but Fairfield won the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-0.

Eagle's Eye On…

Leitch led the Purple Eagles with nine kills. Jaycie Roberts added seven kills.

Roberts and Streuer each had a team-best seven digs.

Steruer led the team in assists with 24.

Maris and Taylor Allen led the Purple Eagles in blocking with four total blocks each.

Up Next

The Purple Eagles have clinched the fifth seed in the MAAC Tournament and will face No. 4 Marist on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8:00 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN3/ESPN+.

Portville girls volleyball seeks to add another state title to its collection
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, November 16, 2019

Section VI has owned the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C girls volleyball championship for the last 12 years and Portville will go for No. 13 next weekend at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.

Coach Kelly Unverdorben’s Panthers advanced to the final four by sweeping three sets from Section III’s Skaneateles on Saturday at Jamesville-DeWitt. The set scores were 25-12, 25-16 and 25-10 over the Lakers.

Portville has won five state championships, three in Class D (2008, 2014-15) and the last two in Class C.

Portville went through round-robin pool play then defeated Millbrook (Section I) to capture the Class C state title the last two seasons. Prior to that, Eden (2007, 2011-16) and Salamanca (2008) and City Honors (2009) have brought home the class title to Western New York.

Orchard Park in Class A, Williamsville South in Class B, and Panama in Class D will join Portville if they can survive their regional matches against Section V opponents today at Daemen College’s Lumsden Gymnasium.

Orchard Park will face Our Lady of Mercy (V) at 11 a.m.; Williamsville South will face Irondequoit (V) at 1 p.m., and Panama will meet Hammondsport (V) at 3 p.m. in the regionals.

The winner of each match will move on to Glens Falls next weekend.

Portville is 29-6-1 in matches this season, with all the losses and the time from outside Section VI. The Panthers seldom lose a set. Their set record is 81-10.

Pool play begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. The Class C finals are Sunday at noon.

Grand Island boys volleyball reaches state tourney for first time, Clarence falls
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Grand Island boys volleyball has advanced to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association state tournament for the first time in school history.

Grand Island beat Section V champion Churchville Chili in four games Saturday. Game scores were 21-25, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-12.

In the first game, the teams were tied at 19-19 before Churchville scored three consecutive points and eventually won the game. But the tide shifted from there. Leading two games to one, Grand Island roared to a 14-6 lead in the fourth game and plowed to the victory.

Next up is a trip to Albany on Saturday for the state tournament.

Also Saturday, Clarence lost a five-game marathon to Section V champion McQuaid Jesuit with game scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-27 and 15-7.

Leitch Reaches 1,000 Career Kills In Senior Day Victory
purpleeagles.com
Saturday, November 16, 2019

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Senior outside hitter Caroline Leitch reached 1,000 career kills in Niagara's 3-2 victory over Quinnipiac on Saturday. Leitch finished the match with a career-high 26 kills.

Match Summary

First Set
Niagara got off to a quick lead thanks to an early 4-0 run that included two kills from Leitch and one from Grace Hetterscheidt and Mirna Kovacevic to put NU up, 9-3.

The Purple Eagles were ahead, 11-8, but the Bobcats went on a 6-0 run to claim the lead, 14-11.

The Purple Eagles and the Bobcats kept things close for the remainder of the set, but Quinnipiac held onto the lead, taking set one, 25-22.

Second Set
Niagara once again jumped out to an early lead in set two. With the Purple Eagles leading, 8-6, Leitch had a monster kill to earn her 1,000th career kill and put Niagara ahead by three, 9-6.

The Purple Eagles led by one, 10-9, but scored four straight points to extend their lead, 14-9.

Niagara maintained the lead for the remainder of the set, earning the winning point on another kill from Leitch.

Third Set
Niagara went on two 4-0 runs early in the third set, which included three kills from Grace Hetterscheidt, to take the lead over the Bobcats, 8-3.

The Purple Eagles led by three, 13-10, before going on another 4-0 run to take a 17-10 lead over the Bobcats.

Niagara held onto the lead to win the third set, 25-17.

Fourth Set
The Bobcats scored four straight points to open the fourth set and take the early lead.

The Purple Eagles trailed Quinnipiac, 8-3, but quickly went on a 5-0 run to tie the score, 8-8.

Niagara led Quinnipiac, 10-9, but the Bobcats reclaimed the lead, scoring four straight points to get ahead, 13-10.

Though the Purple Eagles kept things close for the remainder of the set, but the Bobcats did not relinquish the lead and won the fourth set, 25-21.

Fifth Set
The Bobcats scored the first point in the fifth set but NU answered with four straight points, including an ace from Jaycie Roberts, to take the lead, 4-1.

The Purple Eagles were ahead, 14-10, but the Bobcats went on a 3-0 run to get within one point of NU, 14-13.

Leitch, however, had the game-winning kill for the Purple Eagles as Niagara defeated Quinnipiac in five sets to sweep the season series.

Eagle's Eye On…

Leitch led NU with a career-high 26 kills.

Roberts had her 18th double-double of the season with 16 kills and 22 digs.

Emillie Wright led the team in digs with 25.

Cameron Maris led the team in blocking with nine total blocks.

Jessica Streuer had a double-double with a team-best 46 assists and 13 digs.

Hetterscheidt added 11 kills.

Prior to the start of Saturday's match, Niagara honored its graduating seniors in the class of 2020; Cameron Maris, Emillie Wright, Mirna Kovacevic, Caroline Leitch and Jada Carrol.

Up Next

Niagara closes out the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 17 with a match against Farifield at 1:00 p.m. Following Sunday's matches, Niagara's matchup for the first round of the MAAC Championships will be determined.

Canisius Volleyball’s 3-2 Win Ends Fairfield’s Win Streak
gogriffs.com
Saturday, November 16, 2019

For the second time in as many years, the Fairfield volleyball team came into the Koessler Athlertic Center riding a long winning streak, and for the second time in as many years, the Canisius volleyball program ended a Fairfield win streak.

On Saturday, the Golden Griffins stopped the Stags' 19-match win streak with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory on Senior Day. Canisius won the match by scores of 26-28, 25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 15-10 to move to 14-15 overall and 11-6 in MAAC play, while Fairfield fell to 21-5 overall and 16-1 in league action after suffering its first loss since Sept. 7.

Canisius freshman Ella Loussia led the way offensively with a season-best 19 kills, while senior Leah Simmons and sophomore Hannah Nelson added 12 kills apiece in the victory, the Griffs' sixth five-set victory of the season. Senior setter Cassidy Ceriani recorded a season-high 51 assists to go along with 16 digs and five service aces, and freshman Bree Long posted 27 digs in the winning effort. For the match, Canisius hit .226 as a team and ended the day with nine service aces, as Ceriani and Nelson combined to account for eight of those for the Blue and Gold.

For Fairfield, Rochester, N.Y., native Laura Seeger tallied 22 kills and Manuela Nicolini totaled 49 assists in the losing effort, while libero Morgan Doll racked up 34 digs.

Fairfield trailed for most of the first set before scoring three-straight points to seal the 28-26 victory in the opening frame. Canisius evened the match at 1-1 with the 25-20 victory in the second set, with Loussia pounding down the final kill of the stanza to even the match for the Blue and Gold.

After the intermission, Fairfield took a 2-1 lead in the contest after taking the third set by the score of 25-19, and the Stags led the Griffs 11-7 in the fourth set before Canisius took a timeout to regroup. Out of that timeout, the Griffs made their charge, using a 6-1 run to take a 13-12 lead. In that run, Canisius got two kills from Loussia, a service ace from Ceriani and the Blue and Gold took advantage of two Fairfield attack errors. With Canisius leading 20-18 in the fourth set, back-to-back kills from Simmons put the home team up 22-18, and three-straight kills by the Griffs down the stretch forced a fifth and deciding set.

In the fifth set, Canisius jumped out to an early 6-1 lead thanks to a pair of service aces by Ceriani and back-to-back attack errors by Fairfield. A service error by Canisius got Fairfield within four at 12-8, but the Blue and Gold would end the match by scoring three of the contest's final points, once again capped by a kill by Loussia.

Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments

"The best part of today is watching the Griffs succeed in areas we have been focusing on in practice. A win always feels good. I'll let you all enjoy us breaking the Fairfield streak. It's time for us to set our targets on Quinnipiac now."

Game Notes

• Saturday was the 47th all-time meeting between the two Jesuit schools in volleyball, with the Stags leading the series 32-15.
• Canisius' six five-set wins this season equal the same amount of five-set wins the program collected from 2016-18.
• The 19 kills for Loussia on Saturday marked the sixth time this season she's posted 10-or-more kills in a match.
• Ceriani's 51 assists are the most for the senior in a match since she recorded a career-high 61 assists against Manhattan Oct. 8, 2016. 
• Ceriani's five aces match her career high, which has done twice before.
• Ceriani now has 116 career service aces, which ranks sixth all-time in school history, passing former Griff Christina Wildes' 112 aces.
• Nelson's three service aces on Saturday gives her 52 for the season, which ranks second-best on the school's single-season service aces chart. She needs four more aces to move past former Griff Somer Sharpstone for the single-season record, which has stood since 1997.
• Long now has 506 digs on the season, which ranks 10th best for a single-season in program history. She joins former Griff libero Allyson Severyn as the only two players in school history to record 500-plus digs in their rookie season on Main Street.
• Ceriani's double-double was the 55th of her career, while Nelson had her 12th career double-double.
• Simmons' four block assists Saturday gives her 238 career block assists, tying her with former Griff Roxanne Hernandez for sixth in program history.

Up Next

Canisius closes out the 2019 regular season on Sunday when the Griffs play host to Quinnipiac in the Koessler Athletic Center. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.

Bulls Close Out Regular Season With Five-Set Win At Kent State
ubbulls.com
Saturday, November 16, 2019

BUFFALO, NY – For a team that has made it a habit of going the distance, it was only fitting that the University at Buffalo volleyball team went to a fifth set yet again on Saturday night defeating the Kent State Golden Flashes, 3-2. The Bulls improve to 12-16 and finish league play 8-8. UB will be the #7 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.

Buffalo took the contest 25-22, 28-30, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11 as the Bulls hit .301 for the contest, compared to .290 for the Golden Flashes. In the opening set, the two teams traded the lead back and forth as they found themselves tied at 17-17 when UB got kills from seniors Kristina Nieves and Rachel Sanks to take a 19-17 lead. The Golden Flashes again pulled within one at 22-21 before the Bulls got kills from Lexi Nordmann and Scout McLerran to get to set point. A kill from Polina Prokudina clinched the opening set.

Both teams had their opportunities in the second set as Kent State finally came out ahead 30-28. The Golden Flashes took a 2-1 lead in the match with a win in the third set, but like they have done all year, the Bulls weren't done.

Kent State led 8-5 in the fourth set when the Bulls scored four straight points as a Sanks kill gave Buffalo the 9-8 lead. The Golden Flashes went on to take a 20-19 advantage, but the Bulls responded with a 4-0 run to go ahead, 23-20. Kent State would fight off two set points, but a Golden Flashes' service error clinched the set and sent the match to five.

An ace from freshman Jenna Sonnenberg put Buffalo ahead 3-1 early. Leading just 6-5, the Bulls went on a 5-0 run, all but putting the match away. Kent State would fight off three match points late, but a kill from Sanks clinched the set and the match.

Sanks finished with 23 kills to lead all players. Prokudina added 16 kills, while Monika Simkova had 12. Nieves finished with nine kills and just one error as she hit .533. Both Nordmann and McLerran each had seven kills.

McLerran added 56 assists and she also had two of Buffalo's eight aces. Simkova and freshman Abby Leigh also each had a pair of aces.

Defensively, Simkova finished with a team-high 15 digs, while sophomore Paige Beck added 14. McLerran chipped in 10 digs. The Bulls had 10.0 blocks, including four from McLerran. Nieves had a team-high five blocks, while Prokudina finished with three.

The Bulls will now head to Bowling Green, OH for the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament. UB will face #6 Akron in the first round of action on Thursday at 7pm.

Wildcats Sweep Rival Redhawks To Cap Regular Season
Daemen Seeded Third In ECC Tournament, Will Face Second-Seeded Bridgeport in Semifinals
Tom McDermott, Sports Information Consultant, daemenwildcats.com
Saturday, November 16, 2019

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's volleyball team closed out the regular-season with a 3-0 victory over Roberts Wesleyan College here today. Daemen improved to 16-11 overall and closed out its East Coast Conference schedule with a 5-5 record. It marked the season finale for RWC, which closes the year at 2-22 overall and 2-8 in the league.

Daemen has qualified for the four-team ECC Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by top-seeded Molloy College next weekend (Nov. 22-23). Daemen is the defending ECC Tournament champion and is making its third appearance in the tournament over the past four years. The Wildcats are seeded third and will face second-seeded University of Bridgeport in the semifinals. Molloy will take on fourth-seeded Mercy College in the other semifinal match. The two semifinal winners will meet for the tournament championship and an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Tournament.

Daemen outlasted the Redhawks in a pair of tight battles in set one (25-22) and set two (26-24) today, and the Wildcats completed the sweep with a 25-16 win in set three.

HIGHLIGHTS

Neither team led by more than two points in set one, before the Redhawks opened up a 16-12 lead following a 6-0 run. Daemen regrouped following a timeout and took a 21-17 lead following a 9-1 run. RWC chipped away and eventually pulled to within a point at 23-22, but Daemen scored the next two points to secure the win.

Daemen held leads of 8-2 and 16-6 in set two, before the Redhawks put together an impressive 14-3 run and took a 20-19 lead. Daemen tied it at 20-20 following a kill by freshman Lexi Prokopius (Independence, Ohio), and the Wildcats later took a 24-21 lead following an ace by Prokopius. RWC answered again and tied it at 24-24, but Daemen got back-to-back kills by sophomore Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) and senior Courtney Bernard (Lancaster, Ohio) to deny the comeback.

Daemen once again jumped out to an early lead in set three (10-3), and the visitors later took a commanding 20-8 lead following a service ace by junior Georgia Wicker (Woodstock, Ill.). The teams traded points the rest of the set and Daemen secured the 25-16 win to take the match.

Junior Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) paced the Daemen offense, as she totaled 11 kills with just two attack errors and a hitting percentage of .563. Bernard added 10 kills, while junior Allison Post (Windsor, Calif.) chipped in four kills, two blocks and a team-high seven digs.

Sophomore Hannah McKee (East Highland, Calf.) registered 27 assists and six digs, while Wicker tied Post for the team lead in digs with seven. Wicker and Prokopius both registered a team-high four aces.

Junior Emily Rowlison led the Redhawks with five kills, 11 assists and six digs. Senior Anastasia Smith added four kills, while classmate Rachel Holmes contributed 16 digs and two aces.

GAME NOTES

Daemen held a 34-20 advantage in total kills, and the Wildcats also held an advantage in total assists (32-17) and total digs (36-33).

Daemen has now prevailed in the last 10 meetings between the two longtime rivals.

UP NEXT

Daemen begins post-season play Friday (Nov. 22) when it takes on Bridgeport in the semifinals of the ECC Championship Tournament. The tournament is being hosted by top-seeded Molloy College. A complete tournament preview will be posted later this week.

Knights Advance to Regional Final with Four-Set Win Over Wellesley
clarksonathletics.com
Saturday, November 16, 2019

Potsdam, NY – Averaging better than 20 digs per set, the Clarkson University Volleyball team kept Wellesley's offense frustrated in the final two sets and came away with a four-set win over the Blue, 25-23, 15-25, 25-13, 25-16, in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Potsdam Regional semifinals on Saturday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights, the top-seed in the region, improved to 27-5 on the year while Wellesley saw its season end at 23-6. Clarkson will now face conference foe Ithaca College for the third time in four weeks, this time in the Potsdam Regional Final with a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals (Elite 8) on the line.

In the opening game of the match, Wellesley's offense was running through Nicole Doerges, who had five kills on 13 swings in the first set, and the Blue gained a four-point lead (21-17) when the sophomore put another ball down late. However, Clarkson took advantage of two errors and then tied things up on an ace from Kate Isaksen and a kill from Rachel Reusch. After briefly relinquishing the tie, Clarkson tacked on three straight points and then finished things off on a kill from Isabelle Crow, 25-23.

The second set favored Wellesley, as Izzy Seebold delivered the ball to her outsides Nicole Doerges and Lauren Gedney with greater frequency. Clarkson also struggled on the serve receive, playing out of system somewhat and not getting its hitters in position to finish plays off.

That would all change in the third and fourth sets as Clarkson's back row stepped up its game considerably, holding the Blue to .028 hitting percentages in the final two sets. The players up front also played a big part, as the frequent blocks of Clarkson were forcing tips and soft attacks, allowing Clarkson's fleet of defensive specialists to pick up the easy attempts for Clarkson's offense. The Knights hit .286 (14-4-35) in the third and .250 in the fourth (12-4-32), which was more than enough with the defense playing at such a high level.

Kate Isaksen delivered 27 digs and also had five assists, while Isabelle Crow notched 39 assists and 10 digs. Kristin Werdine also had a double-double on 14 kills and 12 digs and Rachel Reusch recorded 11 kills. Celestial Barrera-Lopez trailed only Isaksen in digs, picking up 19 in the win.

For Wellesley, Gedney (17 kills) and Doerges (16 kills) were the only two truly effective hitters for the Blue as the rest of the team hit .000 combined (16-16-69). Izzy Seebold had 29 assists and 15 digs and Meghan Shoop scored 20 digs.

UB Volleyball Falls 3-0 At Ohio
ubbulls.com
Friday, November 15, 2019

ATHENS, OH – The University at Buffalo volleyball team was unable to keep its two-match winning streak alive as the Bulls fell in straight sets at Ohio on Friday night.

The Bobcats took the match 25-22, 26-24, 25-23 as Ohio hit .337 as opposed to .286 for the Buffalo. The Bulls had 52 kills on the night compared to Ohio's 44 and also held the narrow edge in digs, 45-44, and assists 48-41, but struggled at the service line as UB committed seven service errors.

Senior Rachel Sanks led Buffalo with 16 kills as she hit .423 for the evening. Polina Prokudina added 15 kills and Monika Simkova had nine. Scout McLerran finished with 43 assists.

Defensively, the Bulls had 6.0 blocks in the three-set affair, led by Kristina Nieves and McLerran who had two apiece. Sophomore Paige Beck led the team with 15 digs.

The Bulls remain on the road as they face Kent State on Saturday at 7pm in the regular season finale.

Knights Advance with Three Set Sweep of Westfield State
clarksonathletics.com
Friday, November 15, 2019

Potsdam, NY – All four matches at the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament's Potsdam Regional resulted in sweeps, including the Clarkson University Volleyball team's three-set victory over Westfield State in the finale of the opening day of games in New York.

Clarkson downed Westfield State 25-14, 25-6, 25-13 to advance to the Potsdam Regional Semifinals against fourth-seeded Wellesley. That match will take place at 5:00 pm, while the first regional semifinal between third-seed Wesleyan and second-seed Ithaca begins at 2:30 pm at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights improved to 26-5 on the season with the victory, hitting .380 overall with 48 kills against just seven errors in 108 attempts. The Owls saw their season end with a mark of 14-17.

Although the first set was the closest among the three, Clarkson's offense was otherworldly in the opener as the Knights hit .630 (18-1-27), receiving options for a variety of hitters, including seniors Maddie Bredehoeft and Delaney Harrison. Bredehoeft dropped in five kills in the set and Harrison scored all four of hers in the first game as well. Clarkson held a modest lead (9-5) after giving the Owls a point on a service error, but Clarkson steadily pulled away after the 21st point of the match. Clarkson led 12-8 and quickly found itself out in front by nine, 19-10. Basically trading points for the remainder of the game allowed Clarkson to take a 25-14 win with kills from Gillian Kurtic, Harrison, and Kristin Werdine, with the ender coming on a solo block by Kurtic.

The second set saw Kristin Werdine go on a lengthy service run that turned a 3-3 tie into a 21-3 lead with an assortment of kills, including eight from Bredehoeft, as well as three aces from Werdine. Although Westfield State finally got out of its funk, the lead was way too much to overcome and helped Clarkson carry momentum into the third game.

Bredehoeft did much of her damage early on in the set, scoring five kills among Clarkson's first 14 points as the Knights gained a 14-4 advantage. Up by double digits, Clarkson saw its advantage drop to as few as six (17-11) on back-to-back kills from Shawna Crowley, but that was the last gasp for the Owls as Clarkson scored eight of the final 10 points, including a pair of kills from Ocean Bryan that finished off the match.

Bredehoeft hit .586 with 18 kills against a single error in 29 swings, while Werdine added 10 kills, 14 digs and 4 aces. Rachel Reusch had eight kills and Isabelle Crow notched 43 assists and 11 digs. Kate Isaksen also picked up 18 digs and three assists.

For Westfield State, Shawna Crowley had 11 kills, Ally Rega produced 17 assists and Lizzie Taylor matched her opposite with 18 digs.

SJF Women's Volleyball Bows Out of NCAA Tournament with Loss to Nationally Ranked Wesleyan
athletics.sjfc.edu
Friday, November 15, 2019

POTSDAM, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team dropped its NCAA Tournament First Round match to No. 25 Wesleyan University Friday by a score of three sets to none (25-14, 25-16, 25-20). Fisher ends its season with a record of 23-11 after making its third-ever trip to the National Tournament and first since 1998.

Sophomore Alea Steigerwald posted team-highs of nine kills and nine digs. The Penfield native, who was recently named All-Region, ended up with 501 kills on the year which breaks her own program record she set in her freshman season. Junior Rebecca Hay earned 23 assists to finish with 999 on the season, the ninth-most in a single season in program history.

After getting into a 4-0 hole to start the match, the Cardinals rebounded with a 5-2 run to make it a one-point game. Freshman Lauren Gilbert scored three of the first five points for Fisher with two kills and a service ace. Wesleyan though would push its lead up to double-digits as the set wore on. Back-to-back Steigerwald kills kept the opening frame going but Wesleyan was able to finish it off to take a one set advantage.

The Cardinals started slow in the second set but came roaring back with a 9-2 run, their best of the day, to take a three-point edge. Steigerwald had two kills and an ace during the run while the freshman pair of Lindsey DeBonis and Elly Hepburn combined for a block at the net to make it 9-6 in favor of Fisher. However, Nationally Ranked Wesleyan responded with a run of its own to run away with the second stanza.

Down to two set to none, Hay set up freshman Sydney French for a kill to win the opening point of the third set. Fisher held a 6-5 edge after Hay sent one to Gilbert who buried the kill. Wesleyan would then take the lead and extend it all way to nine. The Cardinals would not go down without fight though with four-straight points that included a kill by Steigerwald an ace from DeBonis. Hay set up DeBonis for a point that cut the deficit to 23-19 but that would be closest they would get. Hepburn scored Fisher's final point of the season as they would fall in third by five.

Gilbert finished with eight kills and five digs while DeBonis recorded five kills and six digs. Steigerwald had one of the team's three aces on the day. The sophomore finished the year with a team-high 68 aces which ties for the seventh-most for a single season in program history. Fisher and Wesleyan each had seven total blocks with Hepburn leading the way with four.

Fisher finishes its season as Empire 8 Regular Season and Tournament Champions for the first time in program history. The Cardinals will see three members graduate in Izzy Smith, Olivia Levulis and Emily Risch.

Grand Island, Clarence moving on with boys volleyball titles
By By David Yarger, Buffalo News
Friday, November 15, 2019

Grand Island Bill Wieberg spikes the ball past Eden 's Jacob Basinski and Luke Schnizel in the first set (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News)

The Grand Island and Clarence boys volleyball teams punched tickets to Rochester with victories in the Section VI Division 2 crossover and Division 1 finals, respectively.

GI, the Division 2A champs, were victorious over the Eden Raiders, Division 2B champs, 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-16), and Clarence won versus Orchard Park, 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23).

The first matchup was a rematch of last year’s Division 2 crossover. For the Raiders, it was their fourth straight crossover appearance.

In the first set of the Division 2 crossover, the score was tied four times early. Eden showed its power, though, as the Raiders pulled away, leading by as much as seven on four occasions, to win 25-20.

The final three sets would go the Vikings’ way.

Set two was back and forth. The Raiders gained a 20-15 lead late, but failed to maintain it, as Bill Wieberg and Grand Island completed a rapid comeback to tie the match at 23. A Wieberg ace gave the Vikings a 26-24 win.

In the third set, Grand Island gained the upper hand. After Eden came back from a 22-17 deficit, Wieberg ended the set with back to back kills to ice a 25-22 win.

In the final set, the Vikings sealed the deal. GI led by as many as ten, and Wieberg put the final stamp on the game with another kill to end it, 25-16.

Eden has been an elite staple for years, and for GI coach Bill Schultz, revenge from 2018 was bittersweet.

“It feels great. I’ve been coaching now for 19 years and we’ve played Eden a lot and lost to them a lot,” Schultz said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever beat them. That’s a great coach (Robert Pierce) over there, a great program and it feels good. Whatever happens from here on out will be great, but this feels good.”

Schultz added, to beat Eden “you must be disciplined and outwork them, because they’re going to come to play every time.”

Following a season split between OP and Clarence, the Red Devils took the third battle in the D-1 final.

In the first set, Clarence dominated out of the gate. Orchard Park made a ferocious comeback, eventually taking their first lead at 23-22. Clarence’s Johnny Bly ended it with a kill for a 26-24 victory.

The Red Devils success continued in set two, as they took a contentious battle, 25-23.

Orchard Park refused to go down easy, with a 25-21 victory in set three.

Clarence closed out the Quakers in set five, but OP made life difficult. Clarence sealed their first title since 2016 with a 25-23 fourth set win.

Red Devils coach David Hill said a sectional crown was on the team’s wish list this season.

“It’s amazing. I have one player who was on this team in 2016 and he shared his experiences with these guys from day one. Our goal was, this year, to win a sectional title and they did that tonight,” Hill said.

Hill added he’s excited to continue the season with his guys, and he “couldn’t ask for a better team.”

The Vikings (20-0) play Churchville-Chili at 1 p.m. Saturday at Midlakes High School. Clarence (17-1) will follow versus McQuaid at 3:30 p.m.

Disability hasn't stopped Williamsville South volleyball player
By Miguel Rodriguez, Buffalo News
Thursday, November 14, 2019

Williamsville South's Julia Barr celebrates with her teammates after coming back 0-2 in 
sets to win the Class A championship, 3-2, last week. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News)

Julia Barr is tall, athletic, coordinated, hungry and determined to achieve success. And born without a right hand and forearm.

The Williamsville South junior doesn’t consider herself disabled. She’s just one of the girls.

The 5-foot-10-inch Barr is an outside hitter for the Section VI Class A champion Billies. She ranks third on the team in kills with 72 in 18 matches.

She can pass and set with her one hand/arm. It’s not easy but she gets the job done. She can dig and keep plays alive, as teams that have targeted her because of perceived limitations have discovered the hard way.

The disability hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the top volleyball players on her team.

“Julia expects to be treated the same (as everyone else),” South coach Tom Sproull said. “That includes me hitting a ball as hard as I do at everyone else. … She expects to get that same ball and she’ll yell at me if I don’t. She’s very motivated to be the best that she’s capable of. She’s hardest on herself, harder than any coach can be. … She inspires me every day. She inspires these girls every day because we have two hands. She just goes out and battles every day.”

“I don’t really see myself as like a role model,” Barr said Tuesday after practice. “I just kind of want to be able to show other people anything is possible. You can’t let anything stop you from doing what you want to do and that’s pretty much it. I wanted to be on varsity. That was my goal ever since I first tried out (as a seventh grader). … You really can’t let anything hold you back. I guess that’s my motto.”

Barr and her Billies teammates haven’t let anything hold them back on the court this season.

The Billies captured two in-season tournaments (Sweet Home and North Tonawanda) and resume their quest for a state championship at 1 p.m. Sunday at Daemen College. South (15-3) faces Section V champion Irondequoit in a Far West Regional with the winner advancing to the state final four in Glens Falls next week. That’s the middle of three regional matches at Daemen with the action starting at 11 a.m. with the Class AA contest featuring Orchard Park. The Class D clash at 3 p.m. featuring Panama closes the action.

That caps a busy weekend of postseason competition for area teams. It begins Friday with Section VI football champions Clymer/Sherman/Panama and South Park facing Section V counterparts in the Far West Regional/state quarterfinal round at SUNY Brockport. Saturday includes Barker field hockey in action at 10 a.m. in a state semifinal contest at Williamsville North. The docket also has the Monsignor Martin large and small schools football championship games at UB Stadium and a Far West Regional football tripleheader at SUNY Brockport.

The Williamsville South Billies captured their first Section VI Class A title in volleyball since 2014 – the same year they won the state title – when they rallied to defeat Hamburg in five sets last week. Barr finished the final with 11 kills and four digs.

Barr’s best friend Molly McKinnon and Maddy Popielski each have 134 kills to lead the Billies, who last season lost in the sectional final to Niagara Wheatfield.

“We saw what we could do last year,” said Barr, who watched the playoff run from the bench last year after being called up from junior varsity. “I think we knew we had the potential (to win this year). … We have so much determination.”

Determination with a capital D. It all begins with the 16-year-old Barr, who wears No. 5 for the Billies.

Barr became interested in volleyball with a little help/nudge from McKinnon while in seventh grade. She asked Barr if she wanted to go to tryouts. Barr had never played the sport but said yes.

“I ended up making the (modified) team, which I was kind of surprised,” Barr said. “Ever since, it’s probably been my favorite thing to do.”

Barr’s mother, Jenifer, remembers Julia coming home one day to tell her she’s trying out for the team.

“I wasn’t exactly sure how that would work,” Jenifer said. “But she’s always figured out ways to do things and she usually figures it out on her own.”

The figuring things out on her own is something she’s done since she’s a baby and then as a tot attending occupational therapy, Jenifer Barr said.

Jenifer said she and her husband were shocked to learn shortly after birth that Julia was born without a fully developed right arm. The disability did not show up on a sonogram, she said. Jenifer, who admits to being a meticulous planner, went into overdrive, setting Julia up with occupational therapy and learning how to use a prosthetic limb. She didn’t want the disability to hinder Julia’s development. She wanted a normal life for her daughter.

Julia hit all the age appropriate milestones as other kids, but she did it her way without using the prosthetic limb, according to Jenifer.

Case in point. When Julia showed up for school in kindergarten, she’d hang up her coat, take her limb off her arm and then place it in her school bag. She learned how to use scissors correctly. That’s not the only thing she figured out. She hasn’t worn the prosthesis since age 5.

“Every day I would get on the bus and take it off because I absolutely hated it and just didn’t like it at all,” Julia said. “I’d just rather be able to do things with one hand than have a prosthetic arm that’s not real. I just never really liked that so ever since then I’ve never used one.”

“It was just super uncomfortable, and it just didn’t feel right. … I didn’t feel like I was myself.”

That’s because Barr realized early she had no reason to hide who she was from others.

“Every day she never ceases to amaze me,” Jenifer said. “I haven’t had to teach her anything. She figures it out on her own and that’s so amazing. To be that strong and independent and to take that attitude that I can do it, I just have to figure out a different way to do it … a lot of people will say it’s too hard, can’t do it. Julia has never been that way.”

Still, why volleyball instead of soccer or track which doesn’t require as much hand usage?

The former competitive dancer (she did it from age 3-15) doesn’t really like running long distances. Neither does McKinnon. Barr also has always been one of the taller kids in her age group, so she had the height. It’s just learning the skills.

Enter former Williamsville South junior varsity coach Mary McIntyre. She coached Barr as an eighth grader and ninth grader.

“She was really the one who at first had seen me and really just had hope I could become a good player,” Barr said. “Ever since the start, she told me she wanted me to make varsity. That was her one thing for me. So, for the two years I had her as a coach she did everything she could to try to accommodate me having only one arm and trying to figure out how to play volleyball with all that. She was really the one who taught me how to play.

“She would set me aside a few times because she could tell I would get frustrated with myself. She would just talk to me on the side and tell me she knew we would find ways for me to get better and that she would never give up on me. She knew there’s always ways to work around it.”

Julia being Julia, she figured out a way.

Everything clicked last summer for Barr while playing for her club team – Niagara County Volleyball.

“It definitely has to do with the working out over the summer,” she said. “I did ton of volleyball camps in the area. I don’t know what it was, but everything just fell into place.”

With Barr not just earning a spot on varsity, but a starting role.

Julia being Julia.

“It’s pretty awesome what Julia has been able to do,” McKinnon said. “It doesn’t matter the conditions. She just plays her game, and she does a good job every single time she’s on the court.”

Wildcats Tame Dolphins In Home Finale
Tom McDermott, Sports Information Consultant, daemenwildcats.com
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College snapped a three-match losing streak following a 3-1 victory over Le Moyne College here tonight in non-conference women's volleyball action. Daemen improved to 15-11 with the win. Le Moyne, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, dropped to 13-12. Tonight's match marked to the 2019 home finale for Daemen, which closed out the year with a 10-3 record at Lumsden Gymnasium. It marks the third time in the past four years the Wildcats have posted at least 10 home wins.

Le Moyne took the first set (25-20), before the Wildcats answered with a 25-19 win in set two. Daemen took a 2-1 lead following a come-from-behind 25-23 win in set two, and the Wildcats secured the win with a 25-19 win in set four.

HIGHLIGHTS

Le Moyne scored the first six points in set one and later took a 12-5 lead following a service ace by sophomore Meagan Murphy. The Le Moyne lead was eight points (15-7) when the Wildcats put together a 10-6 run and cut the lead to four points, 21-17. Le Moyne scored the next two points and went on to a 25-20 win.

Daemen held an 11-10 lead in set two when a kill by freshman Lexi Prokopius (Independence, Ohio) sparked the hosts on an 8-2 run. A kill by junior Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) capped the run and gave Daemen a 19-12 lead. Le Moyne used a 7-4 spurt to pull within four points (23-19), but Daemen scored the next two points to secure the 25-19 win.

Neither team led by more than three points in set three before a 4-1 spurt gave the Dolphins a 14-10 lead. The Le Moyne lead was five points (21-16) when Daemen rallied following a timeout and quickly cut the lead to a point, 22-21. Le Moyne regained a 23-21 lead following a Daemen service error, but the Wildcats cut it to a point once again following a Le Moyne attack error. The Wildcats then got three unanswered kills by junior Allison Post (Windsor, Calif.) to earn the come-from-behind 25-23 win.

Set four was tied at 16-16 when the hosts took control with five unanswered points. A service ace by Heritz capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 21-16 lead. Le Moyne came no closer than four points down the stretch.

Post finished with a team-high 17 kills for Daemen, and she also contributed 16 digs. Senior Courtney Bernard (Lancaster, Ohio) added 16 kills with just two attack errors for a team-high .467 hitting percentage. Senior Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y.) added nine kills and just one error, while Heritz chipped in eight kills and four service aces.

Sophomore Hannah McKee (East Highland, Calf.) registered 48 assists and nine digs. It marks the sixth time in her past eight matches that she has handed out 40 or more assists.

Juniors Georgia Wicker (Woodstock, Ill.) and Ali Greenwood (North Aurora, Ill.) headed up a defense that registered 86 digs. Wicker totaled 17 digs, while Greenwood added 16. Prokopius, who registered a season-high 13 digs during a five-set loss to Bridgeport this past Sunday, turned in her second-straight solid game on defense and finished with 12 digs.

Sophomore Lexi Petraitis and freshman Madeleine Kennedy each had a team-high 11 kills for Le Moyne. Senior Claire Hiwiller added 21 digs, while junior Emily Yancone totaled 33 assists and eight digs. 

HEAD COACH STEPHANIE ALBANO POST-GAME COMMENTS

"I thought we did a much better job serving and passing tonight. We also eliminated a lot of the unforced errors. Allison (Post) is reliable and if we get her the ball she finds a way to score. She brings a feisty and competitive edge to the court and it was really great having her back and performing the way she did tonight."

GAME NOTES

Daemen held a 62-45 advantage in total kills, and the Wildcats also held an advantage in total assists (57-43) and total digs (86-71). Daemen's hitting percentage of .232 was also superior to Le Moyne's (.174).

Le Moyne had prevailed in four-straight and five of the last six meetings between the in-state rivals. The all-time series is now tied at 8-8.

UP NEXT

Daemen closes out the regular-season Saturday (Nov. 16) when it travels to longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan College for an ECC match. The Wildcats have already secured a spot in the four-team East Coast Conference Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by top-seeded Molloy College Nov. 22-23.

OP Boys volleyball squad heads to sectional final after victory versus Legends
by BRYAN JACKSON Reporter, Orchard Park Bee
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Orchard Park boys volleyball squad had a down year in 2018, getting bounced in the quarterfinals of the Section VI Division 1A Championship by Clarence. This year, the returning Quakers who remember that stinging defeat will have a chance at revenge, as they get set to take on the Red Devils in sectionals once again, this time in the tournament final.

“Last year, on paper, we were supposed to be pretty competitive. We didn’t have the season people thought we were going to have,” said Orchard Park head coach Ricky Albano. “We were on the short side of the stick on a bunch of matches last year.”

Albano said seniors on the team, such as libero Jake Janus, setter Greg Jublis and outside hitter Nick Thomas, took last year’s disappointing campaign personally and vowed to make it back into the upper echelon of the Western New York volleyball scene in 2019.

The second-seeded Quakers have done just that, scoring a 3-0 sweep against Lancaster, the tournament’s No. 6 seed, on Friday. In that match, which the Quakers won by counts of 25-15, 25-18 and 25-22, Orchard Park filtered the offense through Jublis, who finished with 33 assists. Junior outside hitter and opposite Joe Nicometo recorded 16 kills, while Thomas, who returned this season after missing his entire junior campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament tear, and junior Hudson Harris had nine kills apiece.

Nicometo’s performance against Lancaster, as well as his exceptional play throughout the season, led Albano to call him the team’s best offensive performer right now, which is quite a compliment, considering the Quakers are loaded with club talent.

“He’s really kind of established himself as the lead scorer, the lead point man for our team this year,” Albano said. “He was really good for us last year as a sophomore, and he was even better for us this year. He played the role of the top outside [hitter] and I really can’t say enough about him.”

When the Quakers lock horns with Clarence on Nov. 14, they will be facing one of only two teams, along with Canisius, to hand Orchard Park a loss this season. Orchard Park beat Clarence 3-0 in the teams’ first matchup in early September, but the Red Devils rallied from two games down to defeat the Quakers in an Oct. 2 meeting.

Albano said the loss, which he said resulted from equal parts Clarence quality and Orchard Park aloofness, served as a bit of a wake-up call for the Quakers.

“We just kind of had that look in our eye that someone actually punched us in the mouth, and we weren’t ready to react yet,” he said. “Hopefully, that taught us a good lesson, and those two losses, those have what have kind of been fueling us to get better. When you go a 20-game season, and you’re playing every other day, and you get caught in the mundaneness of the season, sometimes those things happen. Sometimes, we feel like we’re a little infallible, and obviously, it’s kind of nice to get smacked around.”

However, Albano said he’s confident the experience gained from those losses, especially the one to Clarence, will serve Orchard Park well in the rematch. When Orchard Park had its first snow day of the winter on Tuesday, he had players calling his phone at 7:30 a.m. wondering if they could practice.

“I’m like, ‘Guys, you know, we can’t, legally. I won’t be coaching you on Thursday, if we throw a practice,’” Albano said jokingly. “But, you know, they’re driven. They’re hungry. Clarence ended our season last year in the quarterfinals. We were kind of a doormat all last season, and our big thing is, if it’s going to be the last game of the year, so be it, as long as we’re playing our best ball.”

The Quakers’ mantra revolves around not listening to the expectations people outside their locker room put on them.

Still, if Orchard Park isn’t playing its best volleyball of the season, it’s certainly close, and that’s a good thing, because you can bet Clarence will be pining to avenge its only loss on the season, too.

The Quakers and Red Devils will face off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Lackawanna High School.

OP Girls volleyball team captures Class AA championship
Lady Quakers head to Far West Regional this coming Sunday
by BRYAN JACKSON Reporter, Orchard Park Bee
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Orchard Park and Clarence did their best to solve the unstoppable force versus immovable object paradox on Nov. 7, when the two teams, ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, met on the volleyball court to decide the Section VI Class AA tournament.

In the end, Orchard Park, led by senior Abby Ryan and junior Summer Harris, made Clarence budge.

The Lady Quakers scored a three-games-to-one victory against the Lady Red Devils to clinch the Class AA title and punch a ticket to the Far West Regional this coming weekend.

The match was closely contested throughout, which is something Orchard Park head coach Greg Lardo expected. However, he didn’t expect the teams to trade as many multipoint runs as they did.

“There were more runs than I thought there would be,” Lardo said. “We’re a pretty good team at siding out, and at one point we were up, 21-11; in that first game we won, 25-20, so they went on a couple of big runs and we just couldn’t pass, couldn’t side out and for some reason couldn’t keep the ball in play.”

The Lady Red Devils kept some of the momentum they built in the second half of the first game going in the second game, dropping the Lady Quakers, 25-23, to knot the match at a game apiece. In the third and fourth games, Ryan and Harris stood out, using their consistent hitting to lead Orchard Park through constant challenges from Clarence.

“Abby Ryan, she’s our go-to girl. We set her a lot … and it led us to feel comfortable that she’s going to be there to lead us,” he said of the senior, who notched 21 kills and two aces in the match. “Summer Harris is a junior. She’s our opposite that got the second most sets on the team. She had 12 kills and only three errors, so she was really consistent for us and barely hurt us. … Those two girls really led the charge and kept us out of a lot of problems.”

The Lady Quakers didn’t shy away from the back-and-forth match and took the final two games by a combined seven points — 25-20 and 25-23 — to lock up the win. In addition to the strong individual performances by Ryan and Harris, Lardo credited his team’s ability to play clean volleyball with pushing the Lady Quakers to the title.

“Girls volleyball is a little bit longer rallies. There’s a lot more defense, but we always stress on staying aggressive and, especially when we’re up, to keep swinging,” he said. “When you start to roll shots or give tips and free balls over, you get in trouble, especially at this level of the season where people are there for a reason. They put the ball away. They don’t just tip. They don’t just keep the ball in. They go after it, so when [Ryan and Harris] are hitting at a high percentage … it makes it just a lot easier to get out of that stressful situations.”

Ryan and Harris combined for only seven errors between them in the match and were supported on offense by senior middle Ashley Dogal, who added seven kills and an ace.

Orchard Park got solid defensive play, as well.

Senior libero Brooke Shively recorded 34 digs to lead the Lady Quakers, while Haley Callahan added 15, Ryan had 11 and senior setter Sarah Lucas had nine.

Lardo’s team must now prepare for Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, a private school in Rochester, in the Far West Regional. Mercy stunned powerhouse Victor, a team that beat Orchard Park in the regional round last year.

“Mercy’s had an up-and-down year,” Lardo said. “They’ve had a lot of injuries. They were really beat up at the beginning of the year.”

Orchard Park beat the Monarchs during a tournament the Lady Quakers hosted earlier in the season; then the two teams matched up again in Rochester in the last game before sectionals, with Mercy coming away with a three-game win. The loss is one of only three on the year for the Lady Quakers, who finished their league schedule at a perfect 12-0 and sport a 32-3 record overall.

The Far West Regional will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at Daemen College.

Central girls volleyball wins second section title
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Cheektowaga Bee
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Cheektowaga’s girls volleyball team shook off third-game mistakes, many of which coach Denee Hickson conceded were of the careless variety, to put away top-seeded City Honors in the fourth game of the Section VI Class B-1 championship match on Nov. 6 and secure the program’s first sectional championship since 1979.

“We were on fire against City Honors, and so were our fans,” Hickson said. “I’m just so proud of our girls and all that they have accomplished this year. We were so excited about the opportunity to potentially claim the program’s second-ever sectional title going into this match, and it felt so good when we delivered. Everything clicked for us the first two games, and we were able to regain our composure in the fourth game to clinch the victory.”

Cheektowaga, which won its championship by 26-24, 25-22, 13-25, 25-22 scores, ran into a buzz saw two nights later in the overall Class B title game in Olean, as the Lady Huskies kept the Lady Warriors from reaching the Far West Regional round of the state playoffs by way of their 25-8, 25-7, 25-18 victory.

Slow starts by Cheektowaga in each game failed to go unnoticed by Olean, as the Lady Huskies eagerly took advantage to help themselves put the first two games away with relative ease. The Lady Warriors put up a better fight in the third game, but Cheektowaga still had little in the way of an answer for Olean’s serving.

“Olean is a very good team that took advantage of our weaknesses that night,” Hickson said. “They were the better team that night and deserved to win.”

Cheektowaga advanced to the B-1 final by knocking off Lew-Port in a semifinal-round contest on Nov. 4, winning by 25-16, 25-20, 25-14 marks. Aaliyah Jones, Alisiana Muscoreil and Jazmine Gable all fared well at the net for the victors, while Brooklyn Lawrence and Natalie Ruhlmann owned the back row. Ruhlmann and Angeline Garcia were also tough from the service line for the Lady Warriors.

Cheektowaga’s playoff run began Nov. 1 with its 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 quarterfinal-round victory over crosstown rival Maryvale. In what was just the third instance of the season where every Lady Warrior was healthy and available to play, Hickson said that everyone found a way to contribute to the team’s success on the night.

“Everyone found some way to play a key role in our win,” Hickson said. “Our servers, in particular, did a great job of placing the ball in key spots, and our hitters attacked the net and blocked well. They played crisp and clean, and beating our crosstown rival to stay alive felt amazing once again.”

Cheektowaga’s final overall record of 19-2 is the best in program history and included a 12-1 mark against ECIC III competition that led to the Lady Warriors’ first regular-season divisional title since 2011. The Lady Warriors, who lose three players off of this year’s squad, also won the Bronze Bracket of Frontier’s tournament and reached the semifinals of the Starpoint tournament despite constantly being shorthanded this season.

“We knew that this year had the potential to be a huge success, but none of us imagined how great this would be,” Hickson said. “When I think of this season, I get the chills and tears. I am so proud of the growth in each girl and how this entire team has faced adversity on the way to being so successful. This record of 19-2 was the best record in school history, and that in itself is an amazing feat. There are so many positive aspects to be taken away from this season, and it all started with the girls getting together in the spring and deciding to play in two summer leagues on top of beach volleyball tournaments and open gyms. Needless to say now that we’ve gotten this taste of being champions, we’re looking forward to coming back and defending our titles next year.”

Cleve Hill’s volleyball run ends in C-1 quarterfinal
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Cheektowaga Bee
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

A refusal to give up to the final point wasn’t enough to prevent Cleveland Hill’s girls volleyball season from coming to an end on Nov. 1 when it took on Southwestern in a Section VI Class C-1 quarterfinal.

The Lady Eagles’ grit kept them in the match early as they tied the contest at 1-1 with a 25-21 second game victory, but in the end, Southwestern had just a bit more in the tank in the other three games to prevail by 25-16, 25-11 and 25-14 counts, respectively.

“Every single one of my girls played hard and never gave up while playing together as a true team unit,” coach Marie Meyer said. “Seniors Aqe’lah Douglas, Brooke Au and Amanda Duminico played integral roles on offense and defense, and showed their true senior leadership through their excellent passing, strong defense and aggressive offense. Sophomore libero Adriana Brooks was focused on not letting the ball hit the floor, while Libby LaCourse led the offense by making smart decisions with who to set and when.

“Underclassmen Kailey Gluszak, Camryn Davis and Alana Swearingen all played roles in contributing on offense as well.”

The loss left the Lady Eagles with a 9-9 overall record on the season that included an 8-4 mark against ECIC IV competition.

Cleveland Hill graduates seven seniors, including three starters, off this year’s squad, but Meyer is confident that those players helped create a solid foundation upon which this year’s group of underclassmen can build – including during planned open gyms during the offseason, as well as summer league participation.

“This year’s team was a strong group of girls who understood the strategy of the game,” Meyer said. “They all had a solid foundation in skills and were beginning to use that foundation to become stronger together. I am excited for what the seniors have taught the underclassmen about being a team and working together to achieve their goals, and I’m also excited at the prospect of this year’s girls helping with our fourth- through sixth-grade intramural program. That’ll only help build up the program even further in the long term.”

EA girls volleyball squad falls in B-1 semifinal
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, East Aurora Bee
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Top-seeded City Honors ended the East Aurora girls volleyball team’s Section VI Class B-1 championship aspirations Nov. 4 when it defeated the Lady Blue Devils by 25-14, 25-17, 25-23 counts.

East Aurora had difficulty capitalizing on many of its plays in the first set and was unable to keep pace with the hitting City Honors put on display. The Lady Blue Devils did step up their passing and serve-receive effort in the second and third sets to where it had better efficiency running some of its outside plays, but in the end the Lady Centaurs proved to be too much to handle.

Bella Wier and Paityn Hill played tough defensive games, combining for 15 digs, while Olivia Alessi ended the match with nine kills.

“City Honors was definitely our toughest match of the season,” coach Rebecca Jacobs said. “They had some very talented players on their squad.”

East Aurora reached the semifinal round by opening postseason action with a 25-19, 16-25, 25-15, 25-12 conquest of Lake Shore in a quarterfinal round match on Nov. 1. It was the third time the squads had met in a week-and-a-half span, and East Aurora’s fans were ready to lift their team to victory at home.

Both Morgan Wittenrich and Jenna Ramsey did a nice job covering the middle offense for East Aurora, as Alessi was able to run the Lady Blue Devils’ offense up the middle of the court – which helped the team bounce back in the third set after dropping the second one.

“Playing Lake Shore for a third time within two weeks was tricky because while we knew what their game plan was, when it comes to playoffs, everybody wants to win,” Jacobs said. “We also knew that they had seen our offensive plays, so we had to adjust our plan and try new things. Fortunately it worked out well for us and led to an exciting match in a gym packed with fans. It was the perfect atmosphere for a Friday-night home match.”

East Aurora completed its season 10-4 overall and graduates three seniors off a roster that, for the past four years has been one of the mainstays in the B-1 division. Alessi played a large role in the Lady Blue Devils’ status as perennial contenders, as she leaves the program holding career records for assists (1,034), kills (482) and aces (243).

“I’m really proud of my girls and how far we got this season,” Jacobs said. “Over the past four years we have finished in the top half of our division, and I think that says a lot about our program and the level of commitment the girls put forth. Even though it is the end of the season and we did not make it to the sectional finals, the younger players now know what it takes to get that far and will no doubt set that as a goal for next year.”

Iroquois girls volleyball falls to B-1 top seed
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, East Aurora Bee
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Top-seeded City Honors’ speed and smarts proved to be a one-two punch that eighth-seeded Iroquois’ girls volleyball team couldn’t counter on Nov. 1, as the Lady Centaurs picked up a 25-9, 25-15, 25-13 win to advance to the semifinal round of the Class B-1 bracket.

Middles Emily Gordon and Elena Azzi made some adjustments and did a better job of playing defense as the match went on, but when the Lady Chiefs’ blocks developed City Honors switched tactics and started to instead tip the ball to the open spot on the floor. City Honors’ serves proved tough to pass out of as well, making it tough for Iroquois to get into a flow offensively.

“City Honors was one of the fastest teams we’ve played this season,” coach Mark Dubel said. “Their offense got the ball to the net quickly and we had a hard time getting our blocks in position fast enough. They were a smart team and their players did a good job spotting the open spots in our defense. We also had difficulty with getting good first passes on serve receive, which generally had us chasing things and giving away free balls that City Honors capitalized on.”

Iroquois reached the quarterfinal round by defeating ninth-seeded Pioneer in its opening-round match on Oct. 30, winning by 27-25, 19-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18 marks.

Gordon (7 kills, 5 blocks) and Azzi (9 blocks, 2 kills) each controlled the middle for Iroquois in their own way. Gordon took points offensively by putting the ball in smart places and tipping effectively, while Azzi took advantage of Pioneer’s overpasses and put nearly every one down for a point with several well-timed blocks.

Audrey Najewski had her best performance of the season on the serving line as well, as she really challenged the Pioneer serve receivers with a tough cross-court serve. Najewski finished with six aces on 23 serve attempts in three and a half games to help the Lady Chiefs manage the scoreboard while she was on the serving line.

Iroquois finished the season 6-11 overall, which included a 3-9 effort in league play, and loses four seniors off of this year’s squad. Sarah Meaney was a starting outside hitter and a consistent player, averaging five kills per match, while defensive specialist Joelle Fialkowski was a versatile player who contributed at numerous spots on the floor despite being new to the team this year. Middle hitter Emma Wittman and defensive specialist Grace McCormick rounded out this year’s senior class.

“We started the year with a lot of new players on the floor compared to last year and, as a result, we tried a lot of combinations of players looking for the right fit and to see who was making the transition to the faster varsity game,” Dubel said. “I think that making that transition was the thing that we struggled with most, and that had some ripple effects throughout our game this year.

“In looking at the season, we had difficulty with some of the most fundamental parts of the game, passing and serving,” Dubel continued. “For next year, we obviously need to focus on those things that we have the most control over. We also need to speed up our game and the tempo of the practices. We return nearly the entire starting lineup so inexperience won’t be an issue like it was this season. We’re going to take a break for the winter and early spring, though, but we’ll be running open gyms late spring through the summer so that the girls can start to work on those fundamentals and the timing for setters and hitters.”

Williamsville South girls volleyball rallies for program’s first Class A section title
Lady Billies won Class B in 2014
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter, Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Williamsville South was in a familiar situation at Thursday’s Section VI Class A girls volleyball championship at North Tonawanda.

In last year’s Class A section final against Niagara Wheatfield, South dropped the first two sets, won the next two and then lost the fifth set.

History almost repeated itself in this year’s final against Hamburg. South lost the first two sets, 17-25, 22-25, won the next two sets, 25-16, 27-25, but this time the Lady Billies won the fifth set, 25-18.

It’s South first Class A section title in program history and the first championship since winning Class B in 2014.

“It’s our gutsiest win for sure,” South coach Tom Sproull said.

It was an even more impressive victory as the Lady Billies did it without four key starters from last year’s squad.

“We had this as a goal for them, but at least half of the girls didn’t believe it was possible until halfway through the season when we played everybody in our league and won,” Sproull said.

Winning the match was not easy. Hamburg middle hitter Madelyn Harrison did a good job of pushing tips to the deepest corner of the line and helped the Lady Bulldogs jump out to a commanding 2-0 lead.

“Hamburg played phenomenal,” Sproull said. “The way they played in the first set was off the charts and impacted our girls. We made more unforced errors than we normally do.”

After the loss in the second set, Sproull told his players to keep plugging away and turn it into winning five-point increments.

After winning the third set, 25-16, South was a point away from losing the fourth set but rallied for a 27-25 win that was capped off by an ace from Ceci Brooks.

“To deal with the stress of knowing that if we give up one point the game is over speaks volumes about them,” Sproull said.

The Lady Billies came out firing and dominated the fifth set.

The only tweak Sproull made to the lineup was that he moved Julia Barr to right side hitter, which turned out to be a great strategic move, as she and Renee Ramoni put stress on Hamburg’s defense. Barr and Ramoni both had career nights with 11 and five kills, respectively.

“Our right sides played a huge role in the comeback and settled everyone down,” Sproull said.

Maddy Popielski led South with 13 kills, 3 aces and 28 digs.

Molly McKinnon also recorded double-digit kills with 10 to go along with 25 digs.

Brooks supplied four aces and four kills.

Haley Marchewka handed out 26 assists and Riley Domin distributed 13 assists. Claire Montgomery added 25 digs.

South reached the final after beating Starpoint at home in the semifinals, 25-22, 25-8, 25-19 on Nov. 5.

Popielski recorded nine kills, McKinnon recorded eight kills and six aces, and Brooks contributed six kills and three aces.

South faces Section V’s West Irondequoit in the Class A Far West Regional at 1 p.m. Sunday at Daemen College.

East Boys volleyball teams drop quarterfinal matches
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter, Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The seasons for the Williamsville East, Sweet Home and Amherst boys volleyball teams ended with losses in the Section VI Division 2 quarterfinals Nov. 5.

In Division 2A, fifth seed Williamsville East lost to fourth seed West Seneca West, 25-21, 23-25, 15-25, 18-25; and sixth seed Sweet Home fell to third seed North Tonawanda, 22-25, 23-25, 24-26. In Division 2B, 11th seed Amherst lost to third seed Lake Shore 11-25, 12-25, 25-20, 15-25.

East coach Chris Conrad thought his team underperformed against West Seneca West.

He said the big sway in momentum happened in the second game.

“We were up 10-6 going into serve receive and let West back into the game with poor passing and not executing an attack,” Conrad said. “They tied the score at 10. We pulled ahead again with help from Joe [Mack], Josh [Weissert] and Jack [Winterhalter], and led 18-12. But they served seven straight before we could get the serve back and eventually won the game 25-23.”

Conrad said his team had six passing errors, five hitting errors, one serving error and were blocked three times in game two.

“While at times we played with determination, I think the errors were just too much to overcome mentally and it took the confidence out of their game for the remainder of the match,” Conrad said.

In game two, Weissert totaled three kills, 1 dig and seven assists; Mack had three kills; and Winterhalter chipped in four kills and 1 block.

For the match, Mack totaled 20 kills and four blocks; Winterhalter had nine kills and 1 ace; and Weissert handed out 36 assists and nine kills.

East finished with a 7-7 record. The Flames’ seniors are Weissert, Marcus Francisco, Alex Francisco and Trevor McIllory.

Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero said his team had small leads in each game they could finish off against North Tonawanda.

“Passing hurt us a little bit but I thought overall that we played well,” Cicero said. “It was a battle. Both teams were working hard.”

Kenny Naples led Sweet Home with 13 kills and Shawn Romanowski added nine kills and one ace. Cicero said Dan Wilkie played well at libero.

Sweet Home finished 7-9 and graduates Naples, Romanowski and setter Matt Liska.

“I was pleased overall with the season,” Cicero said. “It was not the result we wanted but I measure the season on how much we improved and they did, and played their positions well.”

Amherst

The 11th-seeded Tigers’ season came to an end with a four-set loss against third-seeded Lake Shore in the Section VI Division 2B quarterfinals Nov. 5.

Amherst got off to a slow start and dropped the first two games, 11-25, 12-25. The Tigers did not quit and fought back to win game three, 25-20.

“That game we started strong and stayed strong, two things we stressed all season,” Amherst coach Richard Greco said. “My guys competed hard and started to turn the momentum a little bit our way.”

Greco said the team hoped to carry that energy into game four but fell behind early and despite a strong effort, lost 15-25.

“I was told by the Lake Shore coach after the match that my guys showed a lot of heart,” Greco said. “As a coach, that is all that you can ask for. We stressed working hard, always competing, having no regrets and most importantly, having fun. We finished the season and the two playoff games with that in mind.”

Greco said he was so proud of how the team carried themselves and played for each other all season.

“I was hoping we could extend the season for our nine seniors,” Greco said. “Fortunately, with an upset win in the pre-quarters and a competitive match in the quarterfinals, we accomplished our goal. It would have been nice to go further, but I am so proud of how the team played.”

Despite Amherst having 16 players, Greco was able to give all of them playing time throughout the season.

“That was my goal from the beginning and I am glad I was able to achieve it,” Greco said. “That is what sports should be about, giving every student athlete an opportunity to participate. It was a great season for me as a first-year head coach. My players worked hard, competed, played for each other and truly enjoyed playing a great sport. These are the life lessons I try to stress and I am confident they learned them well.”

Williamsville North

The seventh-seeded Spartans’ season ended with a 19-25, 18-25, 17-25 loss to second seeded Orchard Park in the Division I quarterfinals on Nov. 5.

Spartans coach Jake Waszak said of the three times that his team played against Orchard Park the sectional quarterfinal match was the most competitive.

“I was extremely proud of the players and the development they made throughout the season,” he said. “It was a really tough draw to meet Orchard Park in the first round. It wouldn’t surprise me if they win the sectional championship this year. One consistent message that was sent to the players throughout the year, we are capable of playing some really impressive volleyball. It’s whether or not we can string together enough good plays in a match to win. As the season progressed this year, we became more and more capable of doing just that.”

Waszak said while the overall results of the season were not extremely impressive at 4-12, he is looking forward to next season and is excited to continue developing the players and program at North.

Clarence Girls volleyball falls in AA final rematch
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Clarence Bee
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Orchard Park’s girls volleyball team successfully defended its 2018 title game victory over Clarence Thursday when it held off the Lady Red Devils in a match that coach Mike Meyer called “highly entertaining with rallies that you had to see to believe” to win by 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23 marks.

Orchard Park ended Clarence’s four-year reign as Section VI Class AA champions with last fall’s victory.

“There really were no surprises in Thursday’s match, having already played them twice in league play and once in a tournament this season,” Meyer said. “There were huge swings taken all night by both teams, and both teams dug out tough ball after tough ball. In the end, it was the starts to all four games that were decisive. We conceded big leads early in games one, three and four, and fought hard to make the games close but couldn’t manage to get to 25.”

Clarence’s defense did everything it could to keep the ball off the floor, with Lexi MacDonald (team-high 22), Olivia Walczak, Sammy Wikar, Nina Nicometi and Izzy Kocz recording double digits in digs. Taylor Canetti and Wikar led the team in serving with 17 serves each, with both also recording multiple aces. The pair was also instrumental in Clarence serving its way back into games three and four.

Walczak had a monster night overall for the Lady Red Devils in collecting 22 kills and 15 digs, while Taylor Denall and Lexi Ballard were able to at least slow down the outside attack of Orchard Park by combining for 14 blocks. Kayla Brady had some key kills in the first two games, while Erin Callahan came in to provide a spark in game four, including a huge sideout swing as the match was nearing its conclusion.

Maddie O’Brien had one her best nights for Clarence, finishing with three kills and multiple blocks.

The story of the night, Meyer noted, was the leadership of Lexi MacDonald, as “her grit, competitiveness, care for her teammates, relentlessness, and never-say-die attitude were on full display for all to see,” Meyer said.

“What Lexi provided for us Thursday was perhaps best demonstrated when we fell behind by an 18-11 score in the final set,” Meyer said. “Many teams may have started to quit at this point but Lexi refused to let her teammates stop believing and stop fighting. Behind her leadership, the serving run of Taylor Canetti, and the gutsy hitting of Olivia and Taylor, we found ourselves up 21-20. Orchard Park called a timeout and both teams battled for every point with some huge digs, swings and blocks. Though we came up short there can be no doubt that we played as hard as we could and fought for every single point all the way to the end. I am so proud of how this group stuck together through all of the adversity of this match and how they really did fight all the way to the end.”

Clarence reached the finals for a sixth consecutive season by posting a 25-13, 25-23, 25-15 victory over Lockport in a semifinal round match held on Nov. 5. Tough serving continued to be a big weapon in the Lady Red Devils’ arsenal as all six Clarence servers put pressure on Lockport’s serve receive with tough serves. Denall led the way, serving 21 times and recording six aces. MacDonald and Wikar also recorded multiple aces.

Clarence’s offense was led by the outside hitting tandem of Walczak and Denall; Walczak had 18 kills and Denall had 10. The success on the outside led to some openings in the middle, where Brady and Ballard combined for nine kills. The Lady Red Devils’ serve receive passing, anchored by MacDonald, Nicometi and Walczak, allowed Kocz to set for all of Clarence’s hitters and run a very balanced sideout and free ball offense.

“We had seen Lockport earlier in the year and knew that this would be tough challenge for us in the semifinal,” Meyer said. “They have height and athleticism all over the court and we made hitting against the block a major focus of our preparations.”

Clarence’s playoff run kicked off Nov. 1 with a 25-5, 25-8, 25-7 victory over Niagara Falls in the quarterfinal round. Kocz set the tone early with some very tough serving, finishing with 29 serves and eight aces. Ballard had one of her best statistical nights of the season, finishing with 13 kills on only 17 swings, while junior Lizzie Fitch saw action in the third set and recorded a kill and a block.

Some of the team’s younger players also got a chance to get into the action at outside hitter, with Canetti, O’Brien and JV call-up Gianna Christopher all recording kills.

“After a lengthy layoff between our last league match and this quarterfinal playoff, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the team – but they came out ready to play and showed that the layoff hadn’t affected their level of play,” Meyer said.

Clarence, which won both its own tournament and the Patti Perone Horseheads Classic this season, will be losing just three seniors off a squad that finished 21-5 overall and 10-2 against ECIC I competition. All three were valuable members of the team beyond just this season.

“I know that it is very early to look ahead, but by all indications we will continue to be a relevant contender in Section VI and beyond with nine returning players from this year’s roster and some very talented players coming up from JV,” Meyer said. “But, before looking forward it is important to reflect on what we are losing. Kayla Brady and Lexi Ballard are both leaving as two-year players, with both being starters this year. They came in ready to play as juniors and were both leaders on this team’s seniors. I wish the best for both of them as they move on with their careers in volleyball and in life.

“And Lexi MacDonald, who has been on varsity since eighth grade and is our last link to the states team” Meyer continued. “She has been starting at libero since ninth grade and has turned herself into arguably one of the best in the section, if not the state. Part of her greatness is not in her play but also in her leadership. Since ninth grade I have turned to her as a court leader and last year she was an unofficial assistant coach on our away tournaments. She continued that role this year all the way through playoffs. She will be greatly missed by the team and especially by me and I wish her all the best as she moves on.”

email: jnadolinski@beenews.com

Lumberjacks’ boys volleyball team earns first-ever trip to title
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

North Tonawanda boys volleyball coach Luke Hodgson never got the chance to play for a championship during his days playing for the program, so it’s understandable why he has been soaking up the experience alongside his players as the Lumberjacks made their historic run to Tuesday’s Division 2-A title match.

Information about the squad’s fourth meeting of the season with Niagara Frontier League rival Grand Island was not available at press time, but regardless of the outcome Hodgson felt going into the contest that his squad would come out ahead when all was said and done.

“There’s really no extra pressure on us going into the final,” Hodgson said. “The pressure, with us never making it this far before, was just getting here. Now we just want to have fun, do the best we can, enjoy the moment and learn some things so that we can come back next year – and in other years to come – and really be a contender. For now, we’re just enjoying the ride.

“We’re all over the moon for even being in position to compete for a sectional title,” Hodgson continued. “We always seemed to get kicked out of the playoffs in the semifinal round when I played for Gary Lachut, and up to this year we always seemed to lose in the semifinals while I’ve been coaching. It just feels great to do this for all of the guys and all of the coaches who’ve gone through the program over the years.”

North Tonawanda’s run to the title round began on Nov. 5, when the third-seeded Lumberjacks took out sixth-seeded Sweet Home in an intense quarterfinal round clash by 25-22, 25-23, 26-24 scores. North Tonawanda had to rally from early deficits in each game despite achieving about 70 to 80% of its match goals on the night, Hodgson said. A tough night from the service line played a role in the challenges to put the Panthers away in each game.

“We just never really clicked until the very end of each game,” Hodgson said. “Sweet Home was a good team that was similar to us, so it was like we were playing ourselves. They had some big guys who could hit the ball and some guys in the back row who could soak up a lot of hits, so getting through that match was a huge victory for us. Our defense and our offense did what they were supposed to do, but our missed serves hurt us. That’s a big part of the game and an area we can definitely improve on.”

Josh Roy led the way for the match with 15 kills, while Noah Fox added 13 kills for the Lumberjacks, who took down another familiar NFL foe – seventh seeded Kenmore West – in Saturday’s semifinal round by 25-15, 25-16, 25-17 marks.

Setter Josh Trenchard mixed things up a bit to keep the Blue Devils off balance, running a number of attacks to freshman Patrick McNeil – who has only been playing with the varsity team for the past month. And unlike in the Sweet Home match, the Lumberjacks were focused in from the start at the service line, which only helped them dispatch of the Blue Devils with relative ease.

“We know what they like to run and who we would need to key in on, both of which helped us have a slightly more comfortable time in the semifinals than we’ve had in the past,” Hodgson said. “They pretty much did everything we expected them to do and, as such, they never got control. We were on our serves right from the start and that allowed us to control the tempo of the match. And Patrick, he just showed a lot of poise, being big at the net and not being afraid to take the big swings when those opportunities presented themselves.”

Fox led the way for North Tonawanda with 14 kills, while Roy added 10 kills and four aces for the Lumberjacks, who also knew who they needed to key in on heading into the Grand Island match.

“Grand Island is such a good, big, experienced team that everyone needs to be ready to contribute and to be firing on all cylinders come Tuesday,” Hodgson said. “If everyone does that and we can add some different wrinkles into the mix, we should be OK. We learned a lot in the Sweet Home match and we refined those things a bit against Kenmore West, so now we just want to put everything together. If we can get them out of system more times than not, and put them in situations and angles they can’t go 100 percent on, we should be able to dig up those balls and get in system ourselves to use our offense.

“The kids are just really enjoying all of the support we’ve gotten so far from their fellow students and from the teachers alike, and they’re really thankful to have the support of everyone who’s been behind them all the way so far.”

High School Extra: Grand Island volleyball ousts West Seneca West
By Staff, Buffalo News
Sunday, November 10, 2019

Grand Island came from two sets down to win an intense match over West Seneca West on Saturday night at Lackawanna and reach the Section VI Class 2A final against North Tonawanda at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

WSW’s Indians went on a 12-8 run to win the first set, 25-23, then took the second, 30-28. However, Grand Island, which was undefeated in dual matches this season, was not to be denied. The Vikings won the third set, 26-24 and the fourth, 28-26, fighting off match point at 25-24.

Prior to Saturday night, Grand Island had lost only one set in its 17 regular season matches.

In the fifth, GI opened a 12-8 lead and finished off the match with three points, 15-8.

Eden, also undefeated in match play, will take on West Seneca East for the Division 2B championship also on Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. at Lackawanna.

Eden triumphed over Starpoint 25-22, 25-23 and 25-22, in its semifinal. The Raiders closed out the match with an 8-1 run. Jake Bisinski led Eden with 15 kills and seven aces while Lucas Schlegel had 32 assists. Starpoint trailed 19-10 in the first set before closing to 23-22 but couldn’t complete the comeback.

West Seneca East defeated Lake Shore in four sets, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-23 to move on to the championship. Jackson Strong led the Trojans with 17 kills, 16 digs, 3 aces and 2 assists. Troy Ignaszak had 10 digs and 3 aces, Cole Ignaszak had 27 kills, 22 digs and 3 aces while Sean Tucci had 42 assists.

Noah Fox had 14 kills and Josh Roy had 10 with four aces in North Tonawanda’s three-set sweep of Kenmore West, 25-15, 25-16 and 25-17.

St. Mary's volleyball wins state title, shares moment with girls soccer team
By Staff, Buffalo News
Sunday, November 10, 2019

St. Mary’s of Lancaster went 6-0 in pool play then swept three sets in the finals from Kennedy Catholic of Somers in Westchester County to win the Catholic High School Athletic Association girls volleyball championship Saturday at York College in Queens.

It was the 17th state Catholic championship for the Lancers and third in four years.

St. Mary’s defeated Kennedy Catholic, 25-11, 25-15, 25-11, in the final.

The Lancers were led by the ball control of senior libero Jasmine Brundage, coach Don Pieczynski said.

She had 13 digs and that enabled Marie Rhodes to dominate in the middle with 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .706.

Rhodes had 40 kills and nine blocks in the tournament while Brundage came up with 57 digs. Courtney Kurkowiak had 117 assists and 11 aces and Maddie Nuttle had 30 kills.

In pool play, St. Mary’s defeated Kellenburg Memorial, Kennedy Catholic and Mary Louis, by 2-0 each.

Besides sweeping through Monsignor Martin Association play with an undefeated record. the Lancers were undefeated in all their dual matches.

The championship was more than just for the girls volleyball team.

Earlier Saturday, the St. Mary’s girls soccer team lost, 9-5, to St. Anthony’s of South Huntington in the CHSAA semifinals. The soccer team then bused 45 minutes from Holy Trinity in Hicksville for the volleyball game.

When it was over, the two teams celebrated together with players from both teams encircling Pieczynski and all putting their hands in the air and cheering, “1, 2, 3, Family.”

The soccer team, coming off its first Monsignor Martin A championship, was in a high-scoring affair with St. Anthony’s. Shae O’Rourke scored four of the Lancers’ five goals and Gabby Gambino added the other goal and had an assist. Skye Baun had two assists and Sam Carlson had the other.

The team finished 13-2-1 and repeated as regular season champions.

Bridgeport Rallies Past Wildcats On Senior Day
Daemen Suffers Fifth Five-Set Loss Of Season
By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications, daemenwildcats.com
Sunday, November 10, 2019

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's volleyball team suffered its fifth 3-2 loss of the season, falling today to the University of Bridgeport in a key East Coast Conference contest at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats took the first two sets (25-20, 25-19), but the Purple Knights rallied to take the next three (27-25, 25-19, 15-10), extending their winning streak to three straight matches.

Daemen fell to 14-11 overall and 4-5 in ECC play with the loss. The Wildcats, who have already clinched a berth in the upcoming ECC Championships, entered today's match with a chance to lock up the tournament's No. 3 seed, but saw their woes in five-set matches continue. The Wildcats have now dropped five straight matches that have gone the distance, including three in as many weeks. The Wildcats have dropped consecutive home matches to the top two teams in the ECC standings in recent weeks, taking both to five sets (previously a 3-2 loss to Molloy College on Oct. 25). 

Bridgeport, which is already locked into the conference tournament's No. 2 seed, improved to 23-6 overall and 8-2 in ECC play. The Purple Knights have won eight of their last 10 matches overall. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Amanda Keller paced a balanced Bridgeport attack, finishing with 15 kills and a .483 hitting percentage. Keller committed just one hitting error in 29 attempts today.

Amanda Hennemann (14 kills, 18 digs) and Carly Killorin (22 assists, 15 digs) each posted double-doubles for the guests, while Morgan Knight (10 kills), Klein Johnson (22 assists) and Breanna Jones (26 digs) all contributed as well.

Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) and Courtney Bernard (Lancaster, Ohio) led the Daemen offense with 13 kills apiece. 

Ali Cousins (Eldred, Pa.) chipped in with 10 kills, reaching double figures for the second time in the last three matches.

Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y.) added nine kills, and Loren Alberts (Huntley, Ill.) posted eight kills and a team-best .389 hitting percentage. 

Hannah McKee (East Highland, Calif.) ran the Wildcat offense and finished with 47 assists. She added 11 digs for her third double-double of the season; all three have come since Oct. 19.

Lexi Prokopius (Independence, Ohio) and Georgia Wicker (Woodstock, Ill.) led the Daemen defense with career-high efforts. Prokopius notched 13 digs, while Wicker matched her career-high with 33. 

Daemen totaled 58 kills in the match (to Bridgeport's 53), but committed five more attack errors (30 to 25). 

Bridgeport attacked at a .350 clip in the deciding set, powering down eight kills while committing just one error.

SENIOR DAY

The match marked Daemen's annual Senior Day celebration as both Bernard and Ballou were recognized in a pre-match ceremony.

Bernard has been a five-year member of the team, appearing in 91 matches and totaling 532 kills and 155 blocks.

Ballou has been a two-time All-ECC selection during her career that's included 112 matches played, 899 kills, 491 digs and 161 blocks.

The duo has played a major role in helping Daemen to a 71-46 record since the start of the 2016 season. 

UP NEXT

Daemen closes out the home portion of its 2019 schedule with a non-conference match against Le Moyne College on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The regular season concludes next Saturday, Nov. 16 with Daemen visiting Roberts Wesleyan College.

Knights Claim Eighth Liberty League Title in Past 11 Years with Five-Set Thriller Over Ithaca
clarksonathletics.com
Saturday, November 9, 2019

Potsdam, NY – Three sets required extra points, including the deciding fifth game, as the Clarkson University Volleyball team outlasted Ithaca College, 32-30, 21-25, 25-23, 25-27, 20-18, to claim its seventh Liberty League title in the past eight seasons and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Knights improved to 25-5 on the season and earned the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, making this Clarkson's 10th trip in the past 11 years. Ithaca moved to 18-10 and will have to await the committee's at-large selections, to be announced on Monday afternoon.

The two teams combined for 62 points in the first set, indicative of what was to come in a topsy-turvy match on Saturday. Ithaca jumped out to a 7-2 lead and held a six-point advantage as late as the 21-15 mark. Needing one more point to gain the win and leading 24-20, the Bombers watched as Rachel Reusch delivered a kill, Kristin Werdine scored an ace, a ball failed to fall in, and Maddie Bredehoeft recorded a kill to tie the set at 24-24. Those points were four of Ithaca's six set points in the game, but Clarkson had four of its own as the Knights tried to finish things off as well. Ithaca led 30-29 after an attack error by Clarkson, but the Bombers lost the lead with their own attack error to tie the set at 30 points apiece. Rachel Reusch notched a kill and she combined with Delaney Harrison on a block to end the set, 32-30.

In set two, Clarkson scored six of the first 10 points, but Ithaca rattled off six straight early to take an 11-7 lead. That advantage expanded to six points (14-8) and the Bombers still led by five late (18-13). Clarkson scored five straight to tie the set, but never reclaimed the lead. Reagan Stone made sure of that with three kills in a six-point stretch to give the Bombers at 25-21 win to tie the match at one set apiece.

The third set did not require extra points either, but it came close. Clarkson jumped out to a 6-2 lead, capitalizing on three attack errors by the Bombers. The Knights led 14-8, but saw that gap close to a single point (15-14) thanks to a solid run from Ithaca's hitters. Delaney Harrison notched a pair of kills in the next stretch to give Clarkson a 20-16 lead, but the Bombers battled back with kills from Stone, Sarah Jennison and Jennifer Pitts to tie the set at 23-23. That stretch of offense was suddenly stifled, however, as Clarkson won the game on two straight hitting errors from Ithaca.

Set number four would see the Green and Gold jump out to a 9-4 advantage thanks to strong serving from Celestial Barrera-Lopez as she recorded a pair of aces. Clarkson increased the advantage to six and led by five (13-8) near the midway point of the set. However, Ithaca recorded seven straight points thanks to four kills, two attack errors by Clarkson and an ace, to gain the lead. Clarkson reclaimed the advantage with five straight points on two kills, an ace and two hitting errors by Ithaca. Back-to-back attack errors by Ithaca gave Clarkson a 22-17 lead and it appeared as if the Knights would close out the match in four sets. The Bombers scored four straight to reduce the margin to a single point and the set was tied moments later at 23-23. Maddie Bredehoeft picked up a kill to make it 24-23 for a match point, but Ithaca twice held off match point and scored three straight on kills from Stone, Pitts and Caitlyn Floyd for a 27-25 win in set four.

In the opening moments of the fifth set, it looked like Ithaca might run away with the title, winning four of the first five points and six of the first eight. Clarkson quickly changed the course of the set by scoring the next five and taking the lead 7-6 with a stretch of kills from Gillian Kurtic and Kristin Werdine. Rachel Reusch's kill a few points later gave Clarkson a 12-9 lead, but two errors and kills from Pitts and Stone put the Bombers up one, 13-12. Match point for the Bombers at 14-13 was a service error, and an attack error gave Clarkson a match point at 15-14, but kills from Stone and Pitts swung the momentum back to Ithaca for its second match point. A kill from Bredehoeft tied things at 16, but a service error put the Bombers back in the driver's seat at 17-16. Delaney Harrison responded with a kill and an attack error allowed the Knights a chance to close things out, but Pitts knocked a point down to tie the set at 18. Finally, a service error gave Clarkson the lead at 19-18 and Rachel Reusch crushed a kill into the center of the court to finally end the mayhem.

The stat sheet was overloaded for both teams. Kate Isaksen recorded 33 digs and followed by 24 from Emma Baxter. Celestial Barrera-Lopez chipped in 12 digs and three service aces as well. On offense, Rachel Reusch led the team with 14 kills while Delaney Harrison and Maddie Bredehoeft each produced 12 kills. Kristin Werdine scored nine kills and added two aces to go along with 15 digs. Isabelle Crow ran the offense with 49 assists and also notched 14 digs.

Ithaca's numbers were even more impressive as Caitlyn Floyd recorded 70 assists, the most in Division III this year, and 16 digs. Reagan Stone's 36 kills in the match also turned out to be the most in Division III this season, and she added in 17 digs. Jennifer Pitts and Sarah Jennison contributed 17 and 13 kills, respectively. Jordyn Lyn Hayashi recorded 39 digs and Hannah Hughes added 28 digs. The Bombers averaged 15.6 kills per set, but also averaged 7.8 attack errors per game.

Bulls Put A Stamp On Senior Night With Five Set Win Over Miami
ubbulls.com
Saturday, November 9, 2019

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team capped off its most impressive weekend of the season as the Bulls defeated MAC East Leading Miami (OH), 3-2, on Senior Night inside Alumni Arena. The victory improves UB to 11-15 on the season and 7-7 in league play.

The win over the RedHawks was Buffalo's first since 2014 and it snapped Miami's nine-match winning streak.

The Bulls took the contest 25-22, 18-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9 despite being narrowly outhit. However, it was UB's ability to make the first pass that attributed to the victory as Buffalo had just one service error in 93 total chances.

UB's five-member senior class of Rachel Sanks, Hannah Watson, Kristina Nieves, Scout McLerran, and Polina Prokudina were not going to be denied on Saturday evening as Sanks finished with a career best 24 kills in the match.

Buffalo raced out to a 12-3 lead in the opening set on a kill from junior Lexi Nordmann. Miami would cut the UB lead to 18-14 before the Bulls scored three straight as a service ace from freshman Abby Leigh put the Bulls ahead 21-14. The RedHawks got as close as two before a kill from Sanks clinched the opening set for UB.

Miami won the second set 25-18 to tie the match up at 1-1 as the teams played an extremely tight third set. The RedHawks led by as many as three late in the set, but a kill from Sanks and a block from Sanks and Leigh pulled the Bulls within one late. However, the RedHawks would take the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The two teams were tied at 11-11 in the fourth set when the Bulls scored four straight points, including back-to-back kill from Prokudina to take a 15-11 lead. Miami cut it back to two, but then UB regained a 19-15 advantage on a kill from Sanks. Buffalo extended the advantage to 23-16 and a kill from Monika Simkova clinched the set, 25-18.

The Bulls went to the fifth set for the 13th time this year and Buffalo led it wire-to-wire. UB scored the first two points and opened up a 5-1 lead on a block from Simkova and Nordmann, forcing Miami into the early timeout.

Miami would pull as close as 7-6 before the Bulls scored three in a row to extend the advantage to 10-6. With Buffalo leading 12-9, UB closed things out as the Bulls got kills from Sanks and Simkova to setup match point. Freshman Jenna Sonnenberg closed it out with one of her career-best four service aces, sending the Bulls to victory.

"I am really happy for this senior class and they willed us to a victory tonight," said head coach Scott Smith. "We just kept feeding Rachel the ball and she was not to be denied. The crowd was amazing this evening and I am so glad that we could send them home with a win!"

Sanks finished with 24 kills, one of four players in double figures in kills. Prokudina added 14 kills and Simkova finished with 13. Nordmann added 11, while Leigh and McLerran each had three.

McLerran dished out 56 assists and had three aces. As a team, UB had eight aces, led by Sonnenberg's four. Leigh chipped in with one.

Defensively, four UB players finished in double figures in digs led by 16 from sophomore Paige Beck. Prokudina had 11, while McLerran and Sonnenberg each finished with 10. Watson and Simkova both added seven.

The Bulls had 7.0 blocks on the evening led by five from Leigh.

UB will close out the regular season when they travel to Ohio on Friday night and Kent State on Saturday evening.

Purple Eagles Defeat Siena To Sweep Season Series
purpleeagles.com
Saturday, November 9, 2019

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purple Eagles volleyball team defeated Siena in straight sets on Sunday to sweep the season series with the Saints and improve to 11-5 in conference play.

Match Summary

First Set
Niagara got off to a quick start in the first set. Three kills from Caroline Leitch helped NU to a 9-4 lead over the Saints.

Siena came within one point of the Purple Eagles, 10-9, but NU answered with a 4-0 run, including two kills from Jaycie Roberts, to get back ahead by five, 14-9.

Siena once again came within striking distance of the Purple Eagles, 14-12, but Niagara scored six straight points to extend its lead, 20-12.

Niagara held onto the lead for the remainder of the set and won the set, 25-19.

Second Set
The Purple Eagles and the Saints went back and forth in the second set and NU trailed by one, 6-5, early, but a 4-0 run put the Purple Eagles in the lead, 9-6.

The Saints came back within one point of the Purple Eagles, 15-14, but Niagara scored three straight points, capped by kills from Grace Hetterscheidt and Leitch, to stay ahead, 18-14.

Though the Saints came within one point of the Purple Eagles again, 21-20, NU did not relinquish its lead, winning the set, 25-22. 

Third Set
The third set was a battle between the Purple Eagles and the Saints with eight ties and nine lead changes.

NU led early, 7-5, before momentum shifted towards the Saints, who scored three straight points to take the lead, 8-5.

The Purple Eagles trailed by two, 13-11, but five straight points, which included two more kills from Hetterscheidt, put NU back in the lead, 16-13.

Niagara began to pull away, taking a 20-15 lead over the Saints. Siena came back within two points late, 24-22, but a kill from Hetterscheidt iced the win for the Purple Eagles.

Eagle's Eye On…

Roberts recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 14 kills and 14 digs. She led the Purple Eagles in kills.

Leitch also had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs.

Emillie Wright led the team in digs with 16.

Hetterscheidt added 12 kills.

Jessica Streuer had a team-high 37 assists.

Taylor Allen led the Purple Eagles in blocking with three total blocks.

Up Next

The Purple Eagles close out the regular season next weekend with a pair of matches in the Gallagher Center. NU hosts Quinnipiac for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1:00 p.m. and Fairfield on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1:00 p.m.

Simmons Reaches 1,000-Kill Milestone as Volleyball Tops Marist
gogriffs.com
Saturday, November 9, 2019

Senior Leah Simmons became the 11th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills, as the Canisius volleyball team outlasted Marist in five sets on Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The Golden Griffins clinched a spot in the upcoming MAAC Volleyball Championship with the victory, taking the match by set scores of 25-19, 12-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-11.

The Blue and Gold improved to 13-15 overall and 10-6 in MAAC play, while the Red Foxes fell to 12-14 on the season and 10-6 in conference action.

Simmons' 15 kills on the day puts her at 1,004 during her time in the Blue and Gold, as the senior added six digs, two block assists and a service ace in the winning effort. Three other Griffs notched 10-or-more kills against Marist, as freshman Ella Loussia knocked down a career-high 13 kills at a .379 hitting percentage and sophomore Camila Vazquez put down 12 kills with a .478 clip. Fellow sophomore Hannah Nelson added 17 digs to her 10 kills to register a double-double, also tallying three aces. Racking up 47 assists, senior setter Cassidy Ceriani also finished the match with eight digs and four aces, while freshman libero Bree Long tied her career high with 29 digs.

Marist saw both Nikki DeSerpa and Sarah Austin match Simmons with 15 kills each to lead the contest, while Skylar Harrison posted 11 kills and four aces herself. Halle Carter finished with 45 assists at setter, and Sophia Theriot added 25 digs in the losing effort.

In the first set, Marist grabbed the first three points of the match and went on a pair of 5-0 runs in the opening stanza to take it, 25-19, as five different players between the two squads recorded four kills in the frame. The second set quickly saw the Red Foxes jump out to a 10-5 lead, but the Griffs clawed back and eventally ripped off a 7-0 stretch that started with back-to-back kills from Loussia and gave Canisius a 22-18 lead that they were able to keep for a 25-12 set win.

DeSerpa heated up in the third set for Marist with seven kills alone in the frame, but five kills from Loussia and 12 assists by Ceriani helped the Blue and Gold edge out another close stanza, 25-22. Then, with DeSerpa tallying another five kills in the frame, Marist used a 9-1 surge in the fourth set to take a nine-point lead at 15-6 and hold off a late Canisius push, 25-18.

Nelson started the fifth set for the Griffs in fashion, slamming home two of her four kills during the deciding frame on the first two rallies, as the Griffs weathered two-straight points from Marist and retook an edge they held the rest of the match.

Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments

"Today was right in line with what I thought it was going to be, just both teams going out there and playing aggressively. It was nice to see the Griffs be very aggressive offensively and I think that was a game-changer for us. 

"As we were coming into today, we decided that we were not going to lose sight. We have plenty of time to get the job done if we stay aggressive and as long as we take care of our jobs and communicate with each other.

"I love coaching Leah, she is so flexible as a player. I can put her on the outside or I can put her in the middle, and that's really where she found a lot of success last year. So, it was nice for us to be able to do that again today and for her to reach the 1,000-kill milestone."

Game Notes

• With Saturday's win, Canisius now holds a 22-18 record all-time against Marist.
• The last three matches in the all-time series have all been five-set wins by the Griffs.
• The 65 kills by Canisius is a season high, recording 60-plus kills three other times this campaign.
• Simmons becomes the first Golden Griffin to reach 1,000 career kills since former teammate Katlyn Tyler did so in 2016.
• This is the third time Ceriani has tallied a season-high four aces.
• Vazquez has recorded three-plus blocks in 12-straight matches, and has 10-plus kills in five-straight contests.
• Nelson now has 10 double-doubles on the season and 11 in her career.
• Nelson has registered multiple aces in 13 matches this season.
• With 49 aces on the season, Nelson is now third among Canisius single-season service ace leaders, needing two more to match Leigh Launhardt (51 aces in 2002) for second.

Up Next

The Golden Griffins will close out the 2019 regular season slate at home with two MAAC contests against their league counterparts from Connecticut. On Nov. 16, Canisius will host first-place Fairfield on Senior Day, while Nov. 17 will see the Griffs take on Quinnipiac in the final match of the regular season.

Geneseo Women's Volleyball Falls To Brockport, 3-1, In SUNYAC Championship Match
geneseoknights.com
Saturday, November 9, 2019

GENESEO, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo fell to visiting Brockport, 3-1 (25-14, 25-20, 12-25, 25-19) in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament Championship match, Saturday afternoon at Schrader Gymnasium. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Tied, 11-11, early in the early going, Brockport finished the first set with a 14-3 run to earn the opening victory. 

Geneseo opened a 10-7 lead in the second, but the Golden Eagles bounced back with a 6-1 surge to take 13-11 lead. The Knights battled back to tie the score five times, including 19-19, however, Brockport scored six of the final seven points to take a 2-0 lead. 

Geneseo jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the third that grew to as many as 13 down the stretch en route to the third-set victory. 

Geneseo opened an 11-6 lead in the fourth set, but Brockport responded with a decisive 11-2 run to build a 17-13 lead it would not relinquish. The Knights got within three, 22-19, but the Golden Eagles sealed the match with three-straight points.

MATCH NOTES

Geneseo (18-12) made its second-consecutive and fifth overall appearance in the SUNYAC Championship match. 

Senior outside hitter Abby May totaled a team-high 12 kills, followed by senior outside hitter Grace Cergol with 10. 

Senior libero Sam Mendelsohn compiled 12 digs, while junior defensive specialist Alexandra Frank added 11. 

2019 SUNYAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Brockport
Andrea Coyle, Ellen Paddock, Meaghan Mastro (MVP)

Geneseo
Grace Cergol, Sam Mendelsohn

Oneonta
Jessica Folwer

Cortland
Maya Owens

Golden Eagles Headed to the NCAA Tournament with 3-1 Win Over Geneseo
gobrockport.com
Saturday, November 9, 2019

GENESEO, N.Y. – The College at Brockport women's volleyball team brought home their fourth conference championship in the last five years Saturday afternoon with a dominating win over SUNY Geneseo, 3-1 (25-14, 25-20, 12-25, 25-19).

Highlights:

The Golden Eagles recorded their 10th straight win to improve to 19-10 on the season. The Golden Eagles came back from a 4-9 deficit to start the season to win a conference championship. 

Andrea Coyle, Ellen Paddock and Meaghan Mastro were named to the All-Tournament team with Mastro also securing tournament MVP.

Mastro led the Golden Eagles offensively with 18 total kills and a .548 hitting percentage on the match. The junior also added seven digs, a service ace and three blcoks for a total 21 points.

Coyle and Lindsey Luce posted double digit numbers in front of the net as well, recording 11 kills apiece. Jordan Thompson was also an integral part of the Green and Gold's rotation, posting key points when it mattered most. The freshman put up seven total kills for a .312 hitting percentage in addition to adding three assists, a dig and a block assist.

Brockport's strongest performance came in the first set where they notched 13 kills and only one error.

Freshman Aspen Moore recorded the final kill for the Golden Eagles in the fourth set to secure the victory.

The Golden Eagles hit .300 collectively while producing 56 kills and eight service aces.

Up Next:

The NCAA tournament selection show will be this upcoming Monday where the Green and Gold will find out who they are playing in the first round.

SJF Women's Volleyball Crowned E8 Champions For First Time in Program History With Victory Over Nazareth
athletics.sjfc.edu
Friday, November 8, 2019

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team captured the Empire 8 Championship for the first time in program history while earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 3-1 win (25-13, 25-27, 25-17, 25-15) against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers on Saturday afternoon at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.

E8 Tournament Most Valuable Player Alea Steigerwald had a stellar performance in the tournament final with 14 kills, a game-high 21 digs and a .263 hitting percentage. The freshman pair of Lindsey DeBonis and Lauren Gilbert also shined with DeBonis posting a game-high 15 kills and Gilbert adding 14 kills of her own. Junior Rebecca Hay reached the 40-assist mark for the first time in five games with a game-high 41 on the day.

The win gives the Cardinals 23 on the year, the most victories in a single season for the program since 1998, which was also the last year they appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Nazareth ends its season with a record of 13-18.

Playing in their first E8 Championship Final in program history, the Cardinals looked poised to start the match. Fisher took a 5-1 advantage early only for the Golden Flyers to cut the lead to two at 10-8. The Cardinals would respond with a 4-1 run with kills from Hay, DeBonis and freshman Elly Hepburn. Hay then hit an ace to make it 14-9 in favor of Fisher.

Later in the first, the Cardinals strung four points together to go up by nine with Steigerwald and Gilbert each recording a kill during the streak. Halsey set up DeBonis to give Fisher set point. Fisher claimed the opening frame on the following point. As a team, the Cardinals hit .375 in the set.

The second set was a tight affair with neither team taking more than a one point lead for the first 30 points. Nazareth would win three straight and then held a 21-18 edge. But the Cardinals stormed back to tie it at 22-22 with the help of two DeBonis kills. Sophomore Julia Halsey than nailed down a serve to take back the lead for Fisher.

The Cardinals had multiple chances to close out the stanza but the Golden Flyers kept it going until they were able to win back-to-back points and to take the second and tie things up a one set a piece.

Fisher's offense was running on all cylinders in the third set as they hit .600 in the frame. A 6-0 run put the Cardinals in a commanding 9-3 advantage that they would not surrender the rest of the way. A 4-0 run that featured two kills from Steigerwald, a kill by DeBonis and a Sydney French ace made it 18-10 Fisher.

It was smooth sailing for Fisher as the margin would not go below five for the rest of the set. The Golden Flyers sent one long to give the Cardinals the third set and put them back up 2-1.

The fourth set began close as the difference stayed at two or lower until Fisher reeled off four points in a row that was capped off by back-to-back kills from Gilbert to put the Cardinals on top, 15-11. An ace by DeBonis extended the lead to six at 20-14. Then at 21-15, Steigerwald had an incredible dig that just got over the net. Later in the point, Nazareth sent the ball into the net to give the Cardinals a seven-point edge.

DeBonis earned a kill and then freshman Alexis Mancha recorded an ace to make it championship point for the Cardinals. There was a scramble at the net for the ball and then Nazareth was charged with an attack error, giving Fisher its first-ever E8 title.

Steigerwald tied her own program record for kills in a single season with now 492 this year. As a team, the Cardinals hit .252 for the match. French recorded a game-high three aces as Fisher had 10 aces compared Nazareth's four. DeBonis had a career-high six total blocks in the game as the Cardinals won the block battle 8-2.

This was Fisher's second-straight win over the Golden Flyers, the first time the program has won multiple times against its E8 rival in a single season since 2005.

The Cardinals will now wait for the release of the National Tournament to find out their destination and next opponent. The selection show will air at 12:30 p.m. on Monday on NCAA.com.

Olean girls win Class B volleyball with sweep
By Dave Ricci, Buffalo News
Saturday, November 9, 2019

Just before the game-clinching point, teammates Sophia Renaud and Destiny Custer looked at each other and said “we got this.”

They were right.

Class B-2 Olean scored a stunning three-set sweep over B-1 champion Cheektowaga in the Section VI Class B overall title match that was played at North Tonawanda High School Friday night.

“We always just look at each other for the last point and say we got this. We gotta finish,” said Custer, who had 10 digs and 10 aces.

Winning by scores of 25-8, 25-7 and 25-18, Olean now advances to Tuesday’s sub-regionals at Daemen College where they will play the Section III Class B champ (6 p.m.) for the right to advance to regionals.

The win was especially satisfying for the Huskies, who saw last season end in the Class B crossover game.

“It means a lot to us because we didn’t make it this far last year and we had a big opponent,” said junior Grace Parr, who had 10 kills. “To do it in three, it’s just really shocking.”

The most impressive part of the win for Olean is that it was a complete effort.

From serving and well-timed passes to booming hits and solid defense. To strong play on the front row to the way they attacked the Warriors’ back row.

There was a flow in every aspect of the Huskies’ game that allowed them to take charge and never look back.

At the root of it all was great communication on the floor.

“Everybody did what they needed to do. We had our traditional practice (Thursday). The kids stayed almost an hour after practice because there were specific things they wanted to do,” Olean coach Carrie Peters said. “We watched film making sure we knew what our opponent was going to do. Where their strengths and weaknesses were. And they practiced so much (Thursday) and they were confident they could cash in on those things. This is where we lost last year. This was the goal from day one of the season. This is where they wanted to be. There’s been a lot of struggles. Tonight, they were solid. They did what they were supposed to do. They listened to what they were supposed to do. They listened to each other which was probably the most important thing.”

Focusing on taking the Warriors’ middles out of the equation the Huskies were able to disrupt Cheektowaga’s passing game and neutralize their offensive attack.

“Every ball that could have been up Sophia (Renaud) got to. If it bounced off a block she was there,” Custer said. “Or Adele (Dwaileebe) was there. We were always just backing each other up and we were ready for anything.”

Cheektowaga coach Denee Hickson said that she hopes that after her girls decompress from the emotions of this loss they will be able to look back with pride at what they accomplished.

“There’s so much to be proud of with these girls,” Hickson said. “What has been done this year, a record of 19-2, hasn’t been done in 40 years at our school. Since 1979. So we have a lot to be proud of.”

High School Roundup: Portville girls volleyball gets another title
By Staff, Buffalo News
Saturday, November 9, 2019

The defending Class C state champions are once again off to defend their title.

Portville girls volleyball defeated Eden in a five-set thriller on Friday night.

The Eden Raiders played hard to the bitter end but ultimately lost in a 26-24 final set.

Portville’s final set scores were 15-25, 25-18, 25-19, 21-25, 26-24.

The Panthers have won a state title in four of the last five years, two in Class C and two in Class D.

Last season, Portville swept Milbrook 3-0 to win the state title. The Panthers have yet to lose a game this year.

Quakers heading to Class B volleyball final

Orchard Park advanced to the Division I boys volleyball finals with a 3-0 sweep of Lancaster.

The Quakers, the number two overall seed in Division I, won 25-15, 25-18, 25-22. Joe Nicometo led Orchard Park with 20 kills. Hudson Harris and Nick Thomas each contributed nine kills and Jake Janus finished with 15 digs.

Orchard Park will face the winner of Clarence and Frontier in the championship on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Lackawanna High School at 7:30 p.m. Clarence won a coin flip to be the top seed in the division and received a bye into the semifinals.

Geneseo Women's Volleyball Advances Past Oneonta, 3-1, in SUNYAC Semifinals
geneseoknights.com
Friday, November 8, 2019

GENESEO, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo senior outside hitter Grace Cergol totaled 16 kills and 13 digs to lead the top-seeded Knights to a 3-1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-9, 25-23) victory over fourth-seeded Oneonta in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Volleyball Semifinals, Friday night, at Schrader Gymnasium. 

Geneseo (18-11) will host second-seeded Brockport on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the SUNYAC Championship game. The Golden Eagles advanced to the title match with a 3-1 (27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20) victory over third-seeded Cortland in the day's other semifinal. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Knights fell behind early in the first set, but sophomore middle Allison Wick capped a 4-0 run with a solo block to tie the game, 10-10. However, Oneonta closed the set on a 15-11 run to earn opening victory.

Geneseo fell behind, 6-3, to start the second set, but rallied to take an 11-9 lead. Oneonta tied the score with two straight points, but the Knights responded with a 10-1 run capped by seven-consecutive points on the serve of senior outside hitter Abby May, to forge a 21-12 lead that proved decisive.

Tied, 3-3, early in the third set, Geneseo used a 12-2 surge (including three kills by sophomore outside hitter Maddie McLaughlin) to build a 15-5 lead. The Knights finished the set with a 10-4 run while attacking at a .524 clip to build a 2-1 lead.

Geneseo started the fourth set with a 6-1 lead, but Oneonta battled back within one, 11-10. The Knights pulled away with an 8-4 spurt for a 19-14 lead that grew to five, 21-16. Oneonta got back within two, 23-21, but a service error followed by an attack error sealed the Geneseo win.

MATCH NOTES

McLaughlin and May each finished the match with 10 kills apiece while May also contributed seven digs and four service aces.

First-year setter Grace Thomas totaled 33 assists and 10 digs.

Geneseo qualified for its second-consecutive and fifth overall SUNYAC Championship match appearance (2019, 2006, 2004, 1996). The Knights look to win their first conference title in program history.

The Knights also hosted the tournament semifinals and championship last fall, defeating Fredonia, 3-0, before falling to New Paltz, 3-0. Geneseo previously hosted the tournament in 1996 and 1998.

SJF Women's Volleyball Downs Elmira in Wire-to-Wire Fashion, Cardinals Advance to E8 Championship Final
athletics.sjfc.edu
Friday, November 8, 2019

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team defeated the Elmira College Soaring Eagles by straight-sets (25-12, 25-21, 25-16) in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championships at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. The win advances the Cardinals (22-10) to the conference championship final while Elmira ends its season with a record of 13-16.

Sophomore Alea Steigerwald finished with a game-high 18 kills and a team-high 12 digs while hitting .394 on the day. Junior Rebecca Hay led all players with 33 assists and freshman Lauren Gilbert had a solid debut in her first postseason game of her collegiate career with nine kills and 10 digs.

Steigerwald started the night off on the right foot with back-to-back kills in the first two points of the match. A 7-1 run put Fisher in front by nine at 15-6. After Elmira won a point, the Cardinals answered with four straight that included two kills from Steigerwald to make it 19-7. A pair of Gilbert kills ended the first set to give Fisher a 1-0 edge.

The Cardinals kept the momentum going into the second set with Steigerwald leading the way as the Penfield native earned four kills in the early portion as Fisher got out in front by a score of 10-5. The Cardinals would win two more points in a row off the hand of freshman Sydney French who buried back-to-back aces. The Soaring Eagles fought back to tie it at 17 apiece, however, Fisher never allowed Elmira to take the lead as two Steigerwald kills put the Cardinals back on top. Hay set up freshman Elly Hepburn for a point to make it 23-18 in favor of Fisher as it would go onto claim the second stanza.

Steigerwald took control at the beginning of the third set with two kills and an ace to win Fisher its first three points. A 5-0 run that was capped off by an ace from freshman Alexis Mancha put the Cardinals in the driver's seat at 12-5. Later, Fisher strung together three points in a row with a kill from both Gilbert and Steigerwald as well as an ace by freshman Lindsey DeBonis to keep the Cardinals up by eight. On its first attempt at match point, Fisher finished off the match with Hay setting up Hepburn for the kill.

Over the entire match, the Cardinals never trailed against Elmira. Fisher ended up with 50 points total, more than double the amount of the Soaring Eagles. Steigerwald and sophomore Julia Halsey tied for a game-high three aces as the Cardinals had 12 aces as a team. This was Fisher's fifth-straight win over Elmira, with all of them coming in straight-sets fashion. The win was the Cardinals' first-ever victory in E8 tournament history.

Fisher prepares to play in the E8 Championship Final for the first time in program history. The Cardinals will host the winner of Houghton/Nazareth at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Clarkson Advances to Liberty League Championship with Sweep of SLU
clarksonathletics.com
Friday, November 8, 2019

Potsdam, NY – A raucous crowd developed when either team scored as the Clarkson University Volleyball team and St. Lawrence battled in the Liberty League Semifinals, but the Golden Knights held the Saints offense to 29 kills and just a .064 hitting percentage as the Green and Gold advanced to the championship match for the ninth straight year with a three-set sweep (26-24, 25-17, 25-17) Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights, ranked first in the New York Region, improved to 24-5 on the season and will face the winner of RIT/Ithaca at 4:00 pm on Saturday. St. Lawrence saw its season come to a close at 22-10.

The first set appeared as if the entire match could possibly go five sets as Clarkson came out a little uneven and the Saints fed off the crowd that traveled down Route 11 to cheer on the St. Lawrence team. The Saints fell behind by three early but rallied to take a 12-8 lead by going on a 6-1 run early in the match. The Knights took a timeout to settle in and won six of the next seven points to take the lead, but from that point on the two teams exchanged points, with neither gaining more than a two-point edge. On set point for Clarkson, the Saints were saved by an attack error, but back-to-back kills from Rachel Reusch ended the game, 26-24, for Clarkson.

The next two sets saw Clarkson enjoy some breathing room, but the team could hardly go on cruise control. St. Lawrence led 6-5 in the early going, but the Knights went on a 6-0 run thanks to two kills from both Maddie Bredehoeft and Gillian Kurtic. The Clarkson advantage expanded to seven points on two occasions (16-9 and 17-10), but St. Lawrence climbed back into the set with three straight scores. A timeout by the Knights forced the Green and Gold to refocus, and the team scored six of the next seven to create some cushion for the win.

The Saints raced out to a 7-2 advantage in the third set, forcing Clarkson to regroup once again, and the strategy worked as Clarkson picked up nine of the next 11 scores. The Knights would never relinquish the lead for the rest of the set, expanding on a two-point lead (15-13) midway through the game thanks to a diverse attack that saw five different players record kills down the stretch.

Rachel Reusch finished with 12 kills and a pair of aces while Maddie Bredehoeft chipped in 10 kills. Kate Isaksen and Kristen Werdine produced 17 and 14 digs, respectively, while Isabelle Crow ran the offense to the tune of 33 assists.

For St. Lawrence, Natalie Piper contributed eight kills and 17 digs and Julia Wagner had seven kills. Jenna Britton produced 24 assists.

Bulls Open Final Homestand With Four Set Win Over Bowling Green
ubbulls.com
Friday, November 8, 2019

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team accomplished a feat it had not done all season and that was not only play in a four-set match, but win that match in a 3-1 victory over Bowling Green. A win that will prove important in the final race for the MAC Tournament. UB is now 10-15 on the year and 6-7 in league play.

UB took the contest 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-16 as Buffalo outhit Bowling Green, .297 to .212. After the Falcons took the opening set, the Bulls answered in a big way.

UB would find itself trailing 21-18 in the second set, but two quick Buffalo points put the Bulls right back in the mix. A kill from senior Polina Prokudina tied the set up at 22-22 and it remained tied at 23-23 when the Bulls got back-to-back kills from Monika Simkova and Lexi Nordmann to clinch the set.

The third set was also close throughout with the teams finding themselves tied at 22-22. From there, Buffalo got a kill from freshman Abby Leigh and then a service ace from Leigh to take a 24-22 lead. A BG service error clinched the set, giving UB the 2-1 lead.

The Bulls dominated the fourth set, hitting .324 with 16 kills and just five errors. Trailing 5-4, the Bulls went on an 11-2 run, which was all they would need to secure the four-set win. UB got a pair of aces late from Leigh, which extended the advantage to 22-12 and a kill from Nordmann clinched the set and the match.

It was a balanced attack for Buffalo that saw four players finish in double figures in kills led by 17 from senior Rachel Sanks. Prokudina and Nordmann each added 12 kills as Nordmann had just one error, hitting .500 on the afternoon. Monika Simkova added 10 kills and Leigh finished with seven.

The balanced attack could be credited to senior setter Scout McLerran, who dished out 45 assists, while adding four kills, hitting .444. UB finished with five aces for the match, three coming from Leigh and two more from Simkova.

Defensively, sophomore Paige Beck finished with 15 digs, while McLerran added 11 and freshman Jenna Sonnenberg had 10. The Bulls finished with 8.0 total blocks, led by four each from Leigh and Nordmann.

Buffalo will conclude its home schedule tomorrow night when the Bulls host Miami at 6pm. Following the match, UB will honor its five seniors: Rachel Sanks, Hannah Watson, Kristina Nieves, Scout McLerran, and Polina Prokudina.

Williamsville South, Orchard Park volleyball teams take it to the top
By Dave Ricci, Buffalo News
Friday, November 8, 2019

Williamsville South's Julia Barr celebrates with her teammates after the Billies rallied
 to win the Section VI Class A volleyball title. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News)

Wow! That’s the only way to describe this match.

Captain Madison Popielski had 13 kills amd 28 digs as top-seed Williamsville South erased a 2-0 deficit to beat No. 3 Hamburg in five sets to claim the Section VI Class A championship that was played at North Tonawanda High School Thursday night.

Winning their first sectional title since winning states in 2014 the Billies now advance to the Far West Regionals at Daemen College on Nov. 17.

The Billies’ resolve to win actually began one year ago when they fell to Niagara Wheatfield in the sectional title game.
That loss created a burning desire to get the job done this time around.

“The hunger started (last year),” said Will South coach Tom Sproull. “Honestly, the kids felt nobody believed in us with the seniors that we lost, the players we lost. It’s been on the goal list. We told them it’s a possibility, but it took them a while to buy in. Halfway through the season probably. We finished the league undefeated. We played Hamburg twice. We beat them but we knew it was going to be a battle.”

Sophomore middle hitter Madelyn Harrison helped set the tone for the Bulldogs as they took the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-22.

The play of the Billies setter combo of Haley Marchewka (26 assists) and Riley Domin slowly but surely turned the tide in their favor as they took the next three sets 25-16, 27-25 and 25-18.

Popielski, still clutching the sectional championship close to her heart, agreed with her coach the journey to this championship moment began one year ago.

“I think we all just really wanted it. We’ve been waiting for this moment, especially coming back from last year. We lost sectionals. We wanted it more,” Popielski said. “Same thing happened last year we lost the first two, but we knew it wouldn’t happen this year.”

All five sets were emotionally charged, pressure packed moments that were highlighted by a sense that the next point could make the difference.

Even in the wake of this intense play both teams played remarkably relaxed throughout.

It came down to the old adage of who wanted it more.

“We knew in the back of our heads that we needed this and we wanted it more than they did,” Popielski said.

Hamburg coach John Crangle said that while this was certainly an emotionally draining and difficult result to digest, when it’s all said and done he wants his girls to leave with the perspective of what truly matters most in life.

“Are we better teammates? Are we better athletes? Are we better people today than we were a couple weeks ago, a couple months ago? The answer is yes,” said Crangle. “Life lessons. We told the girls even though we lost and it was a heartbreaking loss, it shows the passion they have and the fact that they came together in the end the character that we have. At the end of the day did they represent our program, each other and their class with integrity.”

Julia Barr also added 11 kills for Will South.

Class AA

Perfection continues.

Top-seeded Orchard Park’s unbeaten record remained intact as they knocked off No. 2 Clarence in four sets to claim the Class AA for a second consecutive year.

“I think we worked really hard to get to where we are,” said OP captain Abby Ryan. “We knew that it was gonna be a fight to clinch this game and I think we played really well and finished the game out strong.”

With final scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-20 and 25-23, the Quakers now advance to the Far West Regionals at Daemen College on Nov. 17.

The regionals is where the Quakers bowed out last year.

Rhodes Prep Talk Athlete of Week
Staff, Buffalo News
Friday, November 8, 2019

St. Mary’s volleyball player Marie Rhodes have been named the Prep Talk Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Sgroi Financial, in voting done by visitors to BuffaloNews.com.

Rhodes was named tournament MVP after leading the Lancers to their ninth straight Monsignor Martin championship with 14 kills in the final. She received 44% of the vote.

Voting is conducted on BuffaloNews.com, beginning each Monday. The voting concludes Thursdays at noon. To nominate an athlete, send an email to sports@buffnews.com.

Randolph wins D-1, Panama takes D-2
Staff, Buffalo News
Friday, November 8, 2019

Randolph girls volleyball defeated Cassadaga Valley Thursday night to win the class D-1 championship.

Randolph won in four sets, 25-9, 17-25, 25-16, 25-22.

The second set in Thursday’s win was the only one lost during the playoffs for the Cardinals. They defeated both Westfield and Maple Grove, 3-0.

Randolph will head to the Class D title game against Panama on an 11-game winning streak that has lasted a month. Their last loss came on Oct. 3 to Portville and the Cardinals finish the season at 18-3.

Cassadaga Valley’s Meghan LeBaron had six kills and five blocks, Heidi Williams recorded four kills and four digs, Kaitlyn Dahl had 18 assists and Brielle LeBaron had three kills and one block. Jocelyn Faulkner was perfect on serves making 24-24.

Panama took down No. 1 seed North Collins for the D-2 championship, three sets to one.

Prior to the game, the two teams combined for one loss the entire season. Panama heads to the Class D title game undefeated at 20-0. It will face Randolph in the crossover Tuesday at Jamestown Community College at 7 p.m.

Niagara Women’s Volleyball Takes Down Canisius
purpleeagles.com
Thursday, November 7, 2019

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Niagara women's volleyball team got its revenge against Canisius in a Battle of the Bridge rematch. After dropping the first set, the Purple Eagles won the next three to earn one more point to aid in Niagara's Canal Cup effort.

Match Summary

First Set
Niagara got one of its largest leads of the opening set when it went on a three-point streak to break a 6-6 deadlock. A kill from Taylor Allen, a block by Allen and Hetterscheidt, and an ace from Jessica Streuer put the visitors up, 9-6.

Caroline Leitch's third kill of the set and a dual block from Cameron Maris and Allen gave the Purple Eagles another three-point lead, 14-11.

After the Griffs tied the set at 14-14, Niagara got another three-point run in part from an Allen kill, an Emillie Wright ace, and a Canisius attacking error.

Canisius stayed neck-and-neck with the Purple Eagles the rest of the way, eventually eking out a 26-24 win.

Second Set
Level through the opening 12 points, the Purple Eagles began to get separation when the Griffs missed a serve and Maris registered a kill to make the score 8-6.

Jaycie Roberts pounded three kills in a four-point span to extend Niagara's lead. Roberts' kills sparked a 9-2 run, putting the team's lead at 19-10.

Big plays on the net from Roberts, Maris, Leitch, and Kovacevic helped quell the Griffs further as the Purple Eagles went ahead, 22-12.

Niagara won the set, 25-14, with a Maris kill and a Canisius hitting error to tie the match at 1-1.

Third Set
Trailing by four early in the third set, the Purple Eagles ripped off four consecutive points to even the score, 8-8. Two kills from Roberts, a third by Leitch, and a Canisius error were part of the 4-0 run.

Three straight Hetterscheidt kills capped off another four-point Niagara run to take a 13-10 lead.

Down 21-14, the Purple Eagles began climbing out of the deficit with five straight points. Leitch bookended the run with two kills, Wright notched an ace, and Hetterscheidt also registered a kill to help make it 21-19.

Facing set point, Niagara once again won five straight points to tie things up at 24-24. Leitch tallied three kills as part of the effort to stave off defeat.

Level at 28-28, Jaycie Roberts put Niagara up by one with a kill assisted by Streuer. An attack error by Canisius on the ensuing serve won it for the Purple Eagles, 30-28.

Fourth Set
The Purple Eagles got off to a hot start, with two Hetterscheidt kills helping open up an early 4-1 lead.

Big plays on the net fueled a six-point run for Niagara as it turned an 8-5 lead into a 14-5 advantage. Roberts collected two kills in the streak, as well as a block that was also assisted by Streuer and Maris.

Roberts and Maris earned back-to-back kills to make it 22-11 before Hetterscheidt aced Canisius to put Niagara two points away from victory.

The team's last two points came courtesy of Leitch and Roberts, as the Purple Eagles ended the Griffs' night with a decisive 25-13 win.

Eagle's Eye On…

Leitch ended the day with 19 kills. Roberts (16) and Hetterscheidt (15) also finished in double digits.

Roberts' 23 digs led the Purple Eagles defensively. Wright (21) also went over 20 for Niagara.

Allen and Maris each finished with a team-high five block assists.

Streuer accounted for 48 assists in the match.

Up Next

The Purple Eagles continue their stretch of three matches in five days when they host Marist for their second meeting of the season against the Red Foxes. Things will get underway at 12 p.m. inside the Gallagher Center.

Canisius Volleyball Defeated by Niagara in Weeknight Battle
gogriffs.com
Thursday, November 7, 2019

Caroline Leitch pounded down 19 kills for Niagara, as the Canisius volleyball team was defeated by their longtime rival, 3-1, on Thursday evening at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The Golden Griffins were able to beat the Purple Eagles in the first set, but then proceeded to lose the next three frames (26-24, 14-25, 28-30, 13-25).

The loss dropped the Blue and Gold to 12-14 overall and 9-5 in MAAC play, while Niagara improved to 11-13 on the season and 10-4 in league action.

Canisius senior Leah Simmons and sophomore Camila Vazquez both tallied 12 kills in the losing effort, as Simmons sported a .385 hitting percentage and Vazquez led the match with six block assists. Freshman Ella Loussia added 10 kills while senior Gabrielle Darnaby pitched in nine.

Both setters for the Griffs, senior Cassidy Ceriani and sophomore Ashley Kekeisen, recorded double-doubles as Ceriani had 16 assists and 12 digs while Kekeisen racked up 22 assists and 16 digs. Sophomore Hannah Nelson paced the squad with 17 digs and three aces on top of seven kills, and freshman libero Bree Long finished with 13 digs and six assists.

Leitch, Jaycie Roberts and Grace Hetterscheidt all recorded double-doubles for the Purple Eagles, as Roberts led the visitors with 23 digs in addition to 16 kills. Jessica Streuer paced all players with 48 assists, while libero Emillie Wright posted 21 digs and a match-best four aces.

In the first set, Canisius and Niagara traded points the entire frame, as the two teams sat even 13 times before Canisius was able to tally two-straight points and take the set, 26-24. The second set was all Niagara, with the Purple Eagles putting together a 15-5 run to cruise to a 25-14 win.

The third set was all about streaks, as an opening 7-2 stretch by the Griffs was matched by a 11-3 Niagara run. Down 13-10, Canisius then rattled off 11 of the next 12 points thanks in part to Nelson's three aces but gave up a pair of 5-0 surges by Niagara that tied the frame at 24-24, before the Purple Eagles eventually escaped with a 30-28 victory thanks to eight kills by Leitch.

Canisius could not gain back the momentum in the fourth set, as six-straight points by Niagara swelled the gap to 14-5, and the Purple Eagles eventually took the match-clinching set by a 12-point margin

Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments

"Niagara played a very aggressive game on the defensive end and on the offensive end, so we have a couple things to work on going into this weekend. It's a short turnaround but we'll make it happen.

"It's back to the basics, back to the little things in order for us to have that success and making sure that we are ready to finish. We were up on them twice, but they came back and were super aggressive not letting up defensively and they got us, so we have got to do better."

Game Notes

• Thursday brought the all-time series between the rivals to 52-49-2 in favor of Canisius.
• Ceriani's double-double is the 54th of her career, while Kekeisen earned her third career double-double.
• Vazquez has recorded three-plus blocks in 10-straight matches, and has 10-plus kills in three-straight contests.
• Nelson has registered multiple aces in 11 matches this season.

Up Next

The Golden Griffins continue their season-ending homestand with Siena and Marist this weekend in a pair of 1 p.m. contests. The Saints come to town on Saturday, with the Red Foxes visiting the Koessler Athletic Center the following day.

Cheektowaga, Olean girls advance in Class B volleyball
By Dave Ricci, Buffalo News
Thursday, November 7, 2019

Olean's girls volleyball team won the Class B-2 title over Springville in straight sets Wednesday. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)

It was tough to find the proper words to describe the moment. No words were needed. The smiles on their faces said it all.
Alisiana Muscoreil dominated the front row as No. 2 Cheektowaga upset top-seed City Honors in four sets to win the Section VI Class B-1 volleyball championship at North Tonawanda High School.

“It’s been insane the ride from freshman year all the way to here,” Muscoreil said.

“How much coach has allowed me to improve and the team in general is insane. All of us have gone so far it’s been a real honor playing with all of them.”

Posting final scores of 26-24, 25-22, 13-25 and 25-22 the Lady Warriors claimed their first sectional title since 2011 and advance to Friday’s overall Class B championship where they will face B-2 champ Olean, also at North Tonawanda High School at 6 p.m.

“I would say adversity,” Cheektowaga coach Denee Hickson said. “This was only the fifth game all year we’ve played with our entire team healthy. We won our division. My outside hitter (Angelina Garcia) was out for five weeks and Alisiana Muscoreil went down and my libero Brooklyn Lawrence was sick. So every girl had to switch and play different positions and they’ve just been used to it. They fill in the gap when needed and do their job.”

From the opening serve the match had the making of an instant classic as the Lady Warriors (19-1) edged out a hard fought 26-24 win. But even as the Lady Warriors built a 2-0 lead they knew there was no way that City Honors would quietly fade into the night.

What stood out the most was the composure the Warriors showed as a team. No matter how high pressure the game got they never unraveled.

“We knew we had more weapons than they did. However City Honors has a real good way of sucking the energy out of you,” Hickson said. “Whether its through points or their fans rallying behind them. So getting a 2-0 lead was huge for us. Game three we sat back a little bit and didn’t pass well which didn’t allow us to attack and game four we found it. And they just had to believe in themselves. There’s a lot of love on this team. These girls love each other and they fight for each other.”

Muscoreil’s play was a huge part of why the Warriors kept it together and she proved herself to be the game changer her team needed.

“She’s amazing. She’s so smart,” Hickson said. “She’s a smart, strong hitter. She knows what to do. Where to put the ball. She’s got great hands if she has to step in and set for us. She’s a threat behind the line serving. She has the complete package.”

City Honors coach Deborah Matos said there was never a doubt that her girls would battle to the end because that sense of compete is the essence of who they are as a team.

“The character and heart of this team has been a thrill all season,” Matos said. “So much fun to watch them battle and to watch them play the style that they played.”

City Honors ends 15-2 with their only other loss coming against AA Lancaster.

Class B-2

Senior setter Sophia Renaud (27 assists) paced the offense as No. 4 Olean best No. 2 Springville in three straight sets, 25-14, 25-19 and 25-22 to claim the Class B-2 title.

“Unbelievable,” Renaud said seconds after the win. “It’s crazy.”

The Huskies knew that after taking the first two sets they had to put Springville away and not give them a chance to claw back into the game.

“It’s that ball control,” Olean coach Carrie Peters said. “What do we know how to do? We know how to control the ball so let’s start doing that. Let’s start finding spots because we’re smart volleyball players. We’re not just here for muscle.”

Destiny Custer has 45 digs for Olean while Adele Dwaileebe had 13 kills and Grace Parr added another 10 kills. Olean has a chance at redemption after falling in the Class B crossover game last year.

Portville, Eden to meet again in Class C girls volleyball final
By Staff, Buffalo News
Thursday, November 7, 2019

Two-time defending state champion Portville and perennial contender Eden will face off for the Section VI Class C girls volleyball championships on Friday after their victories Wednesday night at Jamestown Community College.

Portville swept past Allegany-Limestone in straight sets, 3-0, to gain a place in the Class C final for the fourth year in a row. The Panthers had a difficult first set before vanquishing the Gators, 25-23, but got stronger as the match went on winning the next two sets, 25-13 and 25-17.

Eden won in more routine fashion over Niagara-Orleans League co-champion Akron in three sets as well.

Friday night’s match at JCC will be the fourth in a row between Portville and Eden for the sectional Class C championship. Eden triumphed in 2017, but Portville has won the last two.

The Panthers have won three straight championships in Class C in the first four seasons under coach Kelly Unverdorben. The school has five state titles in all.

Before Portville arrived on the Class C scene in 2015, moving up from Class D, Eden dominated girls play among state public schools. The Raiders won three state championships in Class B and then in Class C, the last in 2016.

Portville did not lose a set to a CCAA East opponent all season. The Panthers were unbeaten in regulation matches. Most of their set losses came in tournament play outside Western New York.

This year’s Portville roster of 15 players includes nine who played on the 2018 state championship team including 6-foot co-captains Shayla Wilhelm and Laura Wilhelm, outside hitter Hailey Keim and outside hitter Tori Unverdorben who played as an eighth grader. Libero Olivia Emley, a junior, is a defensive star who usually leads in digs.

Most of the Portville Panthers played on the Octane Panthers, who played in the USA Volleyball Girls National Championships last
spring.

Third-year head coach Hailee Herc’s Eden team played an independent schedule. Most of the Raiders’ losses were in tournament play or to local powerhouse teams, St. Mary’s, Orchard Park and Clarence.

Eden’s roster lists only three seniors and two eighth-graders, one of whom, Ashley Ballou, had seven aces and 10 assists in Wednesday night’s match. Junior Eve Musielak had 12 kills and six digs for the Raiders while Lainey Overhoff, another junior, had six kills and five aces. Senior Emma Sutfin, usually a standout with her floor game, had six digs.

Wildcats Can't Solve PSAC Powerhouse Gannon
By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications, daemenwildcats.com
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

ERIE, Pa. - The Daemen College women's volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to highly-touted Gannon University this evening at the Hammermill Center, falling to 14-10 on the season in the process. Gannon took control from the start, scoring a 25-12 win in the opening set. The Golden Knights went on to earn wins in the second (25-16) and third (25-21) sets to complete the sweep.

Gannon, which has authored 11 consecutive 20-win seasons, improved to 22-5 this season. 

HIGHLIGHTS

The Golden Knights racked up 42 kills and attacked at a .279 clip.

Junior middle blocker Ashley Kerestes led the way with 13 kills on 26 attempts. She committed just one attack error and finished the match with a .462 hitting percentage.

Ally Smith (nine kills, 13 digs), Ashley Beyers (33 assists) and Toni Leitshuh (14 digs) all contributed for Gannon.

Junior outside/right-side hitter Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) led Daemen with 10 kills - her ninth match this season in double figures.

Junior setter/defensive specialist Georgia Wicker (Woodstock, Ill.) notched a season-high 23 digs - her first match with 20+ since Oct. 21, 2018.

GAME NOTES

Gannon has traditionally been one of the top teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region. The Golden Knights have advanced to the NCAA tournament in 10 straight seasons, and they entered today's matched ranked No. 2 in the latest Atlantic Region poll. 

Gannon extended their winning streak to seven straight matches. The Golden Knights have won 18 of their last 19 contests.

The loss dropped Daemen to 1-11 all-time against Gannon, and was their 11th straight defeat in the series which dates back to 1998. The teams have now met in four straight seasons.

UP NEXT

Daemen returns to Lumsden Gymnasium to host the University of Bridgeport in a key East Coast Conference contest this Sunday, Nov. 10. The match marks Daemen's annual Senior Day celebration as graduating players Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y.) and Courtney Bernard (Lancaster, Ohio) will be honored in a pre-match ceremony.

St. Mary’s wins Monsignor Martin girls volleyball title
by BRYAN JACKSON Reporter, Lancaster Bee
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The St. Mary’s of Lancaster girls volleyball team took down Sacred Heart three sets to none to capture another Monsignor Martin High School Athletics Association championship on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

The Lady Lancers took the title to lock up an undefeated 12-0 league schedule and improve their overall record, including tournaments, to 39-4-2.

Marie Rhodes, a senior, had 14 kills in the title game to lead the Lady Lancers. Rhodes clocked in with a kill percentage of over 60% in the championship match.

Fellow seniors Madison Nuttle and Torrie Jenkins added seven and six kills, respectively.

Head coach Don Pieczynski said the Lady Lancers benefitted from having a fully healthy squad, which, after a slow start in the first set, which St. Mary’s took, 25-21, he said the team began to fins tis stride.

“They were a little rusty to start,” he said. “Once we got the wind under our sails, our ball control pretty much just took over. We were able to run our [middle hitters], and our middles are unstoppable.”

St. Mary’s would have an easier time in the second and third sets, with the Lady Lancers taking them by scores of 25-10 and 25-11, respectively.

Senior Jasmine Brundage had 17 digs to lead the Lady Lancers, while Rhodes and Jenkins added two blocks apiece to help out on defense.

St. Mary’s now travels to York College in Jamaica, Queens to take part in the state tournament this coming weekend.

Four teams qualify for the tournament. Those teams first play each other in pool play before they are seeded for the semifinals and finals.

With the other teams still being determined, Pieczynski said practices leading into the tournament will get the Lady Lancers back to basics.

“It’s a lot of ball control drills and keeping our setters in rhythm with our hitters, keeping them fresh,” he said.

Central boys volleyball wins playoff opener
by JASON NADOLINSKI, Reporter, Cheektowaga Bee
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Wins proved to be tough to come by for Cheektowaga’s boys volleyball team this season. So Friday’s 25-20, 26-24, 25-16 triumph over Lafayette in a Section VI Division II-B prequarterfinal felt pretty darn good for the Warriors and their first-year coach, Courtney Scanlan.

“It was such a great feeling seeing their hard work throughout the season finally pay off Friday,” Scanlan said. “The guys played hard and controlled the ball, but most importantly played every ball as if it was their last. It was extremely rewarding seeing how happy the guys were after the win and how proud they were of what they accomplished.”

Scanlan said the Warriors showed more of a team-centric approach against Lafayette, which ultimately led to Cheektowaga making plays that night that they seldom had made during the regular season. Seniors Desani Simmons and Austin Chandler took the leadership reins and ran with it, pushing their teammates to stay aggressive throughout the match.

Simmons in particular “played extremely well at the net for us,” Scanlan said, while Chandler racked up close to 30 assists for the match. David Douglass and Andrew Bridge played very well defensively, which made it much easier for the Warriors to run their offense.

“I have been wanting to get Desani to be a bigger part of our offense, and he delivered for us in the playoff match,” Scanlan said. “The guys, as a whole, played well as a team, and we started getting to balls that we normally didn’t during the regular season and we started making plays that we don’t normally make. I think the guys are in a whole new mindset now that it is playoffs and they realize there is no time to let off of the gas pedal, that we have to be on our game at all times.”

Cheektowaga returned to action Tuesday at fourth-seeded Starpoint, but information on that quarterfinal round match was not available at press time. The winner of the match will move on to play the winner of the quarterfinal pitting top-seeded Eden against eighth-seeded Iroquois in a semifinal-round contest Saturday at Lackawanna.

“We don’t know too much about Starpoint other than that they are an experienced team with height on their side, but that’s kind of what all of the teams that we’ve faced this year have had all season long,” Scanlan said. “We just need to play with a lot of discipline if we want to keep our run alive. If the boys can play the way they did against Lafayette on Tuesday, and if we can put up a solid block that frustrates their hitters, we’ll be in good shape.”

Late-season work helps Chiefs win boys volleyball playoff opener
by JASON NADOLINSKI, Reporter, East Aurora Bee
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Iroquois boys volleyball coach Mark Schlabach had his eighth-seeded squad focus on their first-swing kills and some specific rotations that they’ve had some trouble escaping leading up to Friday’s Section VI Division II-B pre-quarterfinal with ninth-seeded City Honors, and that work paid off to the tune of the Chiefs’ 25-9, 25-11, 25-15 victory.

A good number of the Chiefs had strong efforts on the baseline over the course of the match, with Lucas Mages in particular getting into a groove with his jump serve. Mages, who also had seven kills on the night, starting putting some pace on his serves, which City Honors had a difficult time controlling.

Tyler Allen, who had been working on getting his jump float serve more consistent, did just that on Friday to help with the Chiefs’ attack from the service line. Jacob Cantie, meanwhile, added seven kills.

“We showed a lot of improvement in those two areas that we had been working on in practice leading up to the playoffs during that match against City Honors, but we know there is more we need to do to continue on in the postseason,” Schlabach said. “These boys have worked hard this season and they know that any team is beatable. We look forward to the challenge of continuing to play our best volleyball here in November.”

Iroquois (5-9 overall) returned to action Tuesday against top-seeded Eden, but information about that quarterfinal round contest was not available at press time. The victor will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round at Lackawanna, where it will face an as-yet undetermined opponent.

“Eden has always had a strong program and this year is no different,” Schlabach said. “Their ball control, court awareness and overall volleyball IQ are all very strong. Simply put, those guys have just played more volleyball than most other teams. But sometimes when you’re at the top that long, you let your guard down a little bit and a team like Iroquois — which has something to prove — can come up and bite them. So, we’re going to go in to that match focusing on us and the things we need to do well and let the cards fall how they will.

“They don’t make a lot of errors and they don’t let the ball hit the floor without someone going after it, so we’re going to have to pass the ball well in serve receive and minimize our errors,” Schlabach continued. “We’ll all need to step up our game for this match, and we all need to be on the same page. If Max Dargavel, Jacob Cantie and Lucas Mages keep us in system, it will give Mitchell Carlson the ability to move the ball around on offense. Being in system will be a key for us. I know our guys will work hard for every point and leave it all on the floor, and maybe we’ll come out with the upset no one is expecting.”

EA boys volleyball tops Olmsted
by JASON NADOLINSKI, Reporter, East Aurora Bee
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

East Aurora’s 10th-seeded boys volleyball team got its playoff run off on the right foot Friday, defeating seventh-seeded Olmsted in a Section VI Division II-B pre-quarterfinal by 25-15, 25-16, 25-19 marks.

Caleb Heigl was strong in the passing game on a night where passing was otherwise tough to come by, and he was also tough from the service line, connecting for four aces and no errors. Heigl’s four kills also tied for the team lead on the night.

Colton Kingston pitched in with four service aces, as well, to highlight the part of the Blue Devils’ game that coach Brian Lombardo called “probably the highlight of the match for us” and “a trend we’re going to need to continue.”

“We were happy to get through that match, and at the same time we can’t take some of the things we were doing well for granted,” Lombardo said. “We have to be able to pass the ball first before we can rely on anything else.”

Passing and serving were going to be crucial factors when East Aurora returned to the court Tuesday to face second-seeded West Seneca East in Tuesday’s quarterfinal-round match, but information about that contest was not available at press time. The winner of the match will advance to Saturday’s semifinal, to be held at Lackawanna against an as-yet undetermined opponent.

“We saw them at Eden’s tournament and played a couple of close matches with them in pool play, and we played them at their place and were swept – but we’re a better team now,” Lombardo said. “We had a real clunker in the second game of that match at their gym, but if we do what we’ve been doing and execute, it’ll be an interesting match. It’s going to come down to whether or not we pass well. We’re at a different level than we were at before, and there’s definitely a belief that we can win in the playoffs – but now we just have to go out and do it.”

Orchard Park, Clarence to meet for Class AA girls volleyball title
By Staff, Buffalo News
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Section VI girls volleyball Class AA championship will be a rematch of 2018 opponents.

Defending champion Orchard Park and Clarence each won their semifinals Tuesday night and will meet again in the championship match on Thursday night at North Tonawanda.

Orchard Park defeated ECIC I rival Lancaster in three straight sets to move to the championship round. Abby Ryan had 17 kills and Summer Harris put away 13 for the Quakaers. Brooke Shiveley had 27 digs and Haley Callahan 21 while Sarah Lucas had 56 assists for OP.

Olivia Walczak had 18 kills and 16 digs to lead Clarence to its 3-0 sweep over Lockport.

Hamburg gained a place in the Class A girls volleyball section final for the fifth time in 10 years, defeating No. 2 seed Niagara Wheatfield in four sets. The Bulldogs lost the opening set, 25-22, before winning 25=22, 25-23 and 25-16 over the Falcons.

The Bulldogs will face No. 1 seed Williamsville South, which triumphed over Starpoint, 25 -22, 25-8, 25-19 with Maddy Popielski putting away nine kills and Molly McKinnon recording eightkills and six aces.

Panama earned a berth in the Class D-2 final against North Collins on Thursday night at Jamestown Community College.

Panama’s Panthers made quick work of Pine Valley, triumphing 25-5, 25-16, 25-4. Panama is the defending overall Class D champion.

In Class D-1, No. 2 seed Cassadaga Valley swept Ellicottville, 3-0, as Kaitlyn Dahl led the attack with 27 assists and two kills. Meghan LeBaron, Heidi Williams and Grace Warsitz had six kills each and Kaylee Pattyson and Brielle LeBaron had five each. Meghan LeBaron also had six blocks and five digs.

The CV Cougars, seeded No. 2, will face No. 1 seed Randolph, which survived a tough three-set match over Maple Grove, 29-27, 25-21 and 25-13.

Alyssa Adams (8 kills, 2 aces), Jill Stahley (7 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace), Brynn Pagett (7 kills), Mya Abrams (8 assists) and Eve Adams (7 assists) led Randolph to its second straight D-1 final. Randolph lost to Chautauqua Lake in the D-1 final last year.

Grand Island, Ken West advance in boys volleyball
By Staff, Buffalo News
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

No. 2 Orchard Park survived its first test in the sectional Class AA boys volleyball playoffs. Orchard Park swept Williamsville North in three sets. The Quakers and Clarence had the same rating, but the Red Devils won a coin flip to decide the No. 1 seed and drew quarterfinals bye. Clarence will face Frontier, which defeated Niagara Falls in three straight sets.

Grand Island, in three sets, and Kenmore West in four moved on to the semifinals in Division II-A. The Vikings defeated Hamburg, 25-12, 25-13, 25-17, while the Kenmore West Blue Devils needed four sets to defeat Hutch-Tech, 25-13, 17-25, 25-14 and 25-14.

In Division 11-A, North Tonawanda eliminated Sweet Home, 3-0, while West Seneca West triumphed over Williamsville East, 3-1.

West Seneca East and Starpoint advanced to the semifinals in Division II-B with straight set wins over Cheektowaga and East Aurora.

Brad Converse served 11 aces and had 22 assists in Starpoint’s victory, Ian DeWilde had 11 kills and Kyle Lemma seven for the Spartans.

South girls volleyball wins playoff opener
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter, Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Williamsville South’s girls volleyball team, the top seed in the Section VI Class A Tournament, started off its postseason run Friday with a four-set home win over ninth-seed Sweet Home in the quarterfinals.

South dropped its first set, 20-25, but then won the next three, 25-8, 25-23, 25-18.

Sweet Home, East, Amherst win playoff openers
Boys volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter, Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Sweet Home, Williamsville East and Amherst boys volleyball teams were all successful in their Section VI playoff openers Friday.

In Division 2A, Sweet Home (6-7), seeded sixth, beat 11th-seed Kenmore East 25-5, 25-10, 25-20 and fifth-seed Williamsville East (7-6) and downed 12th-seed McKinley, 25-0, 25-13, 25-9.

In Division 2B, 11th-seed Amherst (6-9) upset sixth-seed Maryvale 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 25-9.

Kenny Naples led Sweet Home’s offense with 16 kills and two aces. Shawn Romanowski added seven kills and Ben Brown recorded three kills.

East’s Josh Weissert served 25 points in a row in the first game against McKinley.

Freshman JV call-up John Weissert set the second and third games and set a point for his older brother.

Amherst came out strong in the fourth game against Maryvale and led 7-0 after seven straight serves from captain Sam Greco to secure a 25-9 victory.

“The team finally put together three strong games and competed in all areas,” Amherst coach Richard Greco said. “All of the little things we have been working on all season came together Friday evening. It was a good start to the playoffs with still some things to improve as the competition only gets stronger.”

All three teams played road matches in the quarterfinals Tuesday — Sweet Home at North Tonawanda, East at West Seneca West, Amherst at Lake Shore — but results about the matches were unavailable before press time.

“I have said all season that we can compete against any team in Western New York as long as we play three strong games,” Greco said. “We did that this past Friday evening; now we have to do it again with some additional improvements. I am very happy that our nine seniors have been able to enjoy the ride to this point. Hopefully, we can continue it for them.”

Williamsville South

The Billies’ season ended with a 21-25, 25-22, 13-25, 25-27 road loss to Kenmore West in Friday’s Section VI Division 2A prequarterfinals.

“Other than the third game, it was a really competitive match for both teams,” South coach Thom Knab said.

Senior middle hitter Matt Angello led the Billies with a season-high 21 kills and three blocks.

Senior Tom Binda added six kills and four blocks, senior Ryan Setlock totaled six kills and three blocks, and senior Ryan James added five kills and two blocks.

Knab noted the play of sophomore Tanner Seelbinder, a JV call-up, in the fourth game.

South closed out the regular season with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-14 home win over Hutch-Tech Oct. 29.

“We did a nice job of passing and taking advantage of Hutch-Tech’s mistakes,” Knab said.

Angello led the Billies with 15 kills, four blocks and one ace. Binda added 10 kills, three blocks and one ace. Setlock added eight kills.

South finished with a 4-15 overall record and a 1-9 mark in ECIC II. Nine players return and nine JV players will move up.

For the season, Angello led the Billies with 181 kills, 48 blocks and 22 aces.

PINK OUT
Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Sweet Home modified girls volleyball team pinked out the court against Mill Middle Oct. 28. The Lady Panthers ended their season with a 10-2 record. From left, first row, are team members Carlee Palmer, Riley Herbert, Bella Klein, Payton Lowe, Dakota Klipfel, Gracie Fuqua and Ella Hubert; second row, Amber Murak, Erin Clemens-Regan, Anna Wrobel, Alexa Fadale, Maggie Paluch, Ava Veneziano, Camryn Smith and coach Paul Strefeler.

Sacred Heart volleyball falls in league final
Amherst Bee
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Sacred Heart’s girls volleyball team saw its season come to an end against St. Mary’s of Lancaster in Wednesday’s Monsignor Martin Association league final at St. Mary’s.

The Sharks lost 21-25, 11-25, 10-25.

Lady Lumberjacks volleyball falls to Sweet Home in playoff opener
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

North Tonawanda girls volleyball coach Katie Harrington was confident that Sweet Home would do some certain things when the eighth-seeded Lady Lumberjacks hosted the ninth-seeded Lady Panthers in a Section VI Class A prequarterfinal on Oct. 30, but that instinct – which proved to be fairly spot on – wasn’t enough to prevent the Lady Lumberjacks from being eliminated from the playoff title hunt by 25-15, 25-16, 25-16 scores.

North Tonawanda played well in spurts in all three games, but the Lady Panthers managed to string together a few more runs of points – runs that were longer than North Tonawanda’s – over the course of the match to persevere and hold North Tonawanda off anytime the Lady Lumberjacks appeared ready to make a serious rally.

“I felt like we were well prepared for all that came our way – we were mentally ready and had our plan in action – but unfortunately we fell a little flat with our footwork and communication,” Harrington said. “We fought hard, doing some really great things and having some good volleys, but we just let them string together too many points at times. That just made it difficult for us to come back from those kinds of holes.”

Both Emily NcNeill and McCartney Geartz finished with seven kills for North Tonawanda, while Emily Anastasi had seven digs. Jessa Krull and Brianna Starr served up a pair of aces each for the Lady Lumberjacks, who plan to hit the weight room during the offseason and get together to do some volleyball-specific training during the winter when schedules permit it.

“This season really was a great season with growth made by all,” said Harrington, who loses seven seniors – Geartz, Alina Kisner, Anastasi, Selena Couto, Katrina Russell, Kira Dewey and Jessa Krull – off a squad that finished 9-10 overall.

“This was my first group that came up with me since transitioning to varsity, so it was a special group that I will never forget. I had such a special group of seniors who I wish all the best to and who I know will all do great things in their futures. But as for the girls who will be coming back from this team, there are a lot of girls who are interested in playing club volleyball, which will certainly be a big help for the program.”

Western New York 2019 Boys Top 10 Poll - 11/5/19
Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Western New York 2019 Girls Top 10 Poll - 11/5/19
Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

WNY Boy's High School Standings
Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

WNY Girl's High School Standings
Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Olean girls volleyball upsets defending champ Alden
By Staff, Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Alden, the No. 1 seed in the bracket and defending overall Class B Section VI champion, was upset by visiting Olean in the B-2 semifinals Monday night of the sectional girls volleyball playoffs.

Alden defeated Olean a year ago for the overall Class B final.

It was different outcome this time as Adele Dwaileebe (8) and Holly Vincent (7) had 15 kills between them in the three-set sweep by the Huskies. Destiny Custer had 25 digs and Sophia Renaud 23 assists and nine digs for Olean.

The Huskies, seeded No. 4, will face No. 2 seed Springville/West Valley for the B-2 championship on Wednesday at North Tonawanda. The winner of that match will go on to face the B-1 winner on Friday, also at North Tonawanda.

Springville/West Valley had the most grueling match of the night, needing four sets, including a 32-30 triumph in the second set, to defeat Depew.

Ella Wittman had 15 assists and five kills for Springville/WV and Rachel Stressinger had 25 digs and eight kills.

City Honors advances to Class B-1 title match
By Staff, Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The B-1 finals were set by semifinal victories by City Honors and Cheektowaga.

Coach Deborah Matos’ City Honors Centaurs, who went 12-3 competing as an independent this season, swept East Aurora 25-14, 25-17 and 25-23 to advance to Wednesday’s B-1 championship at North Tonawanda.

Maddie Root had 17 digs and Kyra Wood 10 kills for the Centaurs. Wood also had three blocks. Lauren Scott contributed five kills and three aces.

Cheektowaga defeated Lewiston-Porter, 25-16, 25-20 and 25-14.

Eden and Akron advanced to the C-1 championship game on Wednesday at Jamestown Community College. The Eden Raiders defeated Southwestern 25-10, 25-18 and 25-12 to advance. Eden was the C-1 bracket champion a year ago, but lost to Portville in the overall Class C championship.

Eve Musielak had 13 kills and Emalee Ballou 12 and Lainey Overhoff eight kills to lead the Eden attack. Emma Sutfin had 24 digs for the Raiders.

Akron, which tied for the Niagara-Orleans League championship with Wilson, triumphed in three sets over Fredonia as Madison Kaczmerak was strong at the net with nine kills and seven blocks. Elsie Logan had six aces and three kills and Jesse Jonathan had 17 assists and three kills for the Tigers.

Maddy Marsh had 12 digs for Fredonia.

Portville girls will defend title in Class C-2
By Staff, Buffalo News
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Portville, the defending state Class C champion, triumphed over Falconer 25-13, 25-9 and 25-16 and will face Allegany-Limestone in the C-2 championship game Wednesday at Jamestown CC. The Panthers are the No. 3 seed and Falconer No. 7, but an upset winner over No. 2 Wilson last Friday.

Hailey Keim led the Lady Panthers with 8 kills, 5 aces and 3 digs. Laura Wilhelm added eight kills. Tori Unverdorben had 4 kills, 4 aces and 7 digs, while Olivia Emley tallied 13 digs and 2 aces for coach Kelly Unverdorben’s team.

Serena Camarata stood out for Falconers with 15 digs and four assists.

Western New York Boys Volleyball Hall of Fame - Class of 2019
Jon Bednasz, wnyathletics.com
Monday, November 4, 2019

The 10th Induction Class to the Western NY Men's Volleyball Hall of Fame will take place on Friday, November 15th at Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant (3785 South Park Avenue Blasdell, NY 14219) at 6pm. Tickets cost $31 and are available until November 8th by calling Dennis Gooch at 683-7204. Joining the Hall of Fame this year are Brian Carroll (OP player and Hamburg Coach), Frank Cwiklinski (official) and Scott Leary (OP player).

Brian Carroll

While attending Orchard Park High School, Brian Carroll excelled as a player under the coaching of Walt Stefani. In 1988, he was selected as an ECIC Division 1 First Team All-Star. During that season, Brian had 366 assists while accumulating 127 kills, hitting .635 from the floor. In 1989, Brian again led the team in assists and kills, once again earning All-WNY 1st Team honors as well as a selection on the Empire State Games Squad.

Carroll was a two-time captain at OPHS (1988 and 1989) and was a member of the National Honor Society.

In 1996, Brian Carroll became Coach Carroll when Charles Amo hired him as an elementary PE teacher and varsity volleyball coach at Hamburg High School. Coach Carroll would become the face of Bulldog Volleyball and was an influential fixture in the WNY Volleyball Community for the next 23 years. Two other mentors that Coach Carroll looked to were Joe Gillespie at Eden Volleyball Club (played in AAU National Finals in 1988) and Randy Syracuse, court coach at OPHS and at Northeastern Volleyball Camps.

His coaching scorecard was 391-188 including six ECIC Division titles, seven Section VI Titles, two NY State Championships, and over 25 All-WNY Selections. Coach Carroll founded and directed The Southtowns Volleyball Club for 15 years and focused not only on coaching the X’s and O’s to thousands of young men but also taught them how to be excellent teammates.

Brian retired from coaching after 2018 to focus his attention and energy on his wife Mary and their four children: Mary, Patricia, Brian and Evelyn. Upon retiring, Coach Carroll said, “These five are the only people that made retiring from coaching easy. It was clear to me that I was only a great coach when they were in the crowd. They showed me that I had a team at home that needed to be tended to. My kids will only have a few memories of their dad as a volleyball coach. But they will know that I gladly gave it all up… for Mary and them.”

Frank Cwiklinski

Despite Frank Cwiklinski never playing high school or college volleyball, he has become one of the most respected officials in the sport.

His first experience came during a tour of duty in Vietnam. Frank watched and learned the game of volleyball from a group of Airmen from New Mexico. Years later, he picked up the sport again with a group of his fellow officers at Wende State Correctional Facility. This time, the love of volleyball was cemented in his heart. Frank spent countless hours training on his own time and seeking the help of more skilled players, especially Rich Becker and Tom Reimer.

Frank joined every team he could find in an effort to try and hone his skills. Frank would become a setter for the Wende State Correctional Facility team and then became a member of a police team that went on to compete and win the NY State Police Olympics eight years in a row. This team then went to the International Police Olympics in Salt Lake City, where they were introduced to International volleyball rules and competed against teams from Hawaii, California, Sweden and Russia.

Cwiklinski began his officiating career as an umpire for softball and baseball in various WNY organizations and continued this for over four decades. Frank had the honor of working with players from all over the country in Cooperstown, NY. His volleyball officiating career began a decade later, starting as a high school junior varsity official, then a varsity official for both the girls and boys organizations in WNY. Frank continued on to become a PAVO state college official. Having officiated at every level of high school and college volleyball, participating in local, regional and state championships at both the high school and college levels, Frank is most proud of volunteering time at community events, such as the Scholastic and Senior Empire State Games, the Special Olympics and the World Heritage Games.

Frank became a member USA Volleyball with the Western Empire Volleyball Association (WEVA) Officials Group, attaining a Junior National rating in Dallas in 2008. This has allowed him to officiate at several prestigious events in many cities across the U.S., one of which is the Pop Idell Invitational Tournament. Held at Kutztown University; this event is the oldest continuously running tournament in the country.

Frank also travels across the state to volunteer at both the Boys and Girls State Championships.

Cwiklinski’s latest endeavors have included the training and advancement of referees within our WNY Girls High School organization. On the USAV side, Frank has been selected by WEVA as their referee chairperson. Frank said “My plan is to continue giving back to the game in any way I can for as long as they will have me.”

Scott Leary

The pinnacle of Scott Leary’s volleyball career was the 1991 season, his senior year. The ‘91 Orchard Park team, which Scott co-captained, accomplished an incredible undefeated 25-0 record, winning every tournament they participated in. Incredibly, the team won every match never having to play a deciding tie-breaker set in the best of three.

Scott was also named the Most Valuable Player in each of those tournaments. That was an accomplishment that Western New York had never seen at that time.

Awards came to Scott in 1991 in droves – Tournament MVP four times, Channel 7’s Super 7 Athlete of the Week three times, Mizuno All Star Team, Orchard Park’s MVP – Maroon Key, and the All-WNY Squad – 1st Team.

Scott had what many would call a “Dream Season!”

Orchard Park took their undefeated season into the Sectional Championships, destroying all opponents, sweeping all victories in three sets in the best of five format. Scott led the Quakers to their fourth Section VI Class A Championship. After being crowned WNY Volleyball Champions of Class A, the Quakers moved to compete for the New York State Championship Class A title that was held in Syracuse, NY. Scott raised the level of his game against the best teams in the state that night.

In the State Semifinals, Orchard Park whipped Half Hollow Hills from Long Island, 15-7, 15-3,15-9. The Quakers then moved on to play a mighty Gates Chili squad from Rochester, NY. Gates had three athletes playing on that team that would go on to collegiate fame. Scott acknowledged that those athletes were really good and that it was time to compete for the NYS Title.

Again, the Quakers showed their incredible talents, destroying Gates Chili in straight sets (15-6, 15-6, 17-15) to capture Orchard Park High School’s 2nd State Title. Scott was named the Class A NYS State Title Most Valuable Player for the two matches. He was a dominant force during the State Title matches accumulating an ace (24-24 serves), four blocks, four digs, and 38 kills and hitting .613! He was only blocked three times during those high-level matches.

Scott is considered one of the all-time great volleyball players at Orchard Park High School. In two varsity seasons, Scott showed what he was made of. He led by example and hard work. Scott has remained in the Western New York area as an entrepreneur and can still be found playing an occasional match with his comrades. His high school coach, Walt Stefani, said that it would not surprise him to see Scott Leary selected for the Hall of Fame at Orchard Park High School in the near future – he certainly is deserving! 

This article was submitted by Jon Bednasz.

Alabama Wins Five-Set Thriller Sunday vs. Ole Miss
rolltide.com
Sunday, November 3, 2019

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama and Ole Miss battled through five hard-fought sets Sunday in Foster Auditorium, with the Crimson Tide coming out victorious over the Rebels, 3-2.

Alabama (12-9, 4-6 SEC) and Ole Miss (14-8, 6-5 SEC) split the first two sets, with the Crimson Tide taking the opener, 25-23, before falling to the Rebels in the second, 25-20. A 25-18 victory in the third gave Alabama a 2-1 match advantage but Ole Miss pulled through in a close fourth set, 25-22, to force a deciding fifth.

The Tide saved its best performance for last, taking an early lead in the fifth set and building on it throughout. As a team, Alabama hit .444 in the deciding frame while holding Ole Miss to a .056 clip. With the support of a raucous Foster Auditorium crowd, the Tide cruised to a 15-9 victory to win the match in five.

As a team, Alabama tallied a season-best 67 kills and stuffed 18 blocks, its second-highest total of the season.

With 17 kills and 11 digs, junior Doris Carter earned her fourth double-double of the season, while freshman Alyiah Wells earned her first boasting 15 kills and 11 blocks. The block total was a season high for the Memphis, Tenn., native. Senior Ginger Perinar added 14 kills on offense, one short of her season high, along with a career-best five blocks.

In the back row, freshman PG Garrison dug a season-high 15 balls and added a pair of service aces. Senior Kaylee Thomas led all players with 21 digs, putting her 39 away from 1,000 for her career.

FROM HEAD COACH LINDSEY DEVINE

"The key was the way we prepared for this match all week. We were emphasizing the block and using the eyes to gather information from the opponent. The carryover from practice was excellent. I was proud of the way they followed the game plan and executed it. They trusted what we were telling them all week."

STAT LEADERS
Kills – Doris Carter (17)
Assists – Meghan Neelon (38)
Aces – PG Garrison (2)
Digs – Kaylee Thomas (21)
Blocks – Alyiah Wells (11)

SET-BY-SET

Set One (Alabama 25, Ole Miss 23): Alabama jumped ahead to an early 6-2 lead but Ole Miss rallied back with a 7-1 run to move in front 9-7 before the Tide took a timeout. Later trailing 11-8, Alabama scored four in a row to take a 12-11 lead. After three more lead changes, Ole Miss held a two-point lead at the 20-point mark. Back-to-back kills from senior Hayley McSparin and graduate transfer Eva Borrowdale tied the score and the Rebels took their first timeout. Ole Miss spent its second timeout after Alabama reached set point, 24-22, and the Tide closed it out two points later winning 25-23.

Set Two (Ole Miss 25, Alabama 20): The momentum was all Alabama to start set two, with three service aces helping the Tide to a 6-1 lead before Ole Miss called a timeout. The Rebels continued to chip away at the deficit, eventually taking the lead at 13-12. The Tide briefly took the lead back at 15-13 but the advantage quickly swung back to Ole Miss with an 8-3 run putting the visitors ahead 21-18 before Alabama called its first timeout. The Tide's second timeout came three points later, trailing 23-19, and Ole Miss held on to win 25-20 and even the match at 1-1.

Set Three (Alabama 25, Ole Miss 18): After five tie scores early in set three, Alabama took the lead at 7-6 and held it until a 3-0 run later by Ole Miss gave the visitors a 14-13 edge. The Tide responded right back with four-in-a-row to lead 17-14. A 7-2 run further extended the lead to seven at set point, 24-17, and Alabama closed it out two points later winning 25-18.

Set Four (Ole Miss 25, Alabama 22): Set four was another tightly-contested affair, with five tie scores by the 10-point mark. Later with Ole Miss leading 15-12, a pair of Alabama blocks plus a Rebel attack error knotted the score back up at 15-15. The teams traded evenly until the closing moments, tied again at 22-22. An Ole Miss kill sparked a 3-0 run for the visitors, giving them the 25-22 victory and forcing a fifth set.

Set Five (Alabama 15, Ole Miss 9): Tied at 1-1, three-straight kills gave the Crimson Tide the momentum and a 4-1 advantage. Each team scored four points as a kill from McSparin made it 8-5 at the mid-set switch. Soon after, ahead 9-7, Alabama scored four unanswered to triple its lead to six points. After a Tide service error, a kill from redshirt junior Ashley Homan made it match point, 14-8, and a kill from Perinar two points later ended it at 15-9.

KEYS TO THE MATCH

Alabama limited Ole Miss kills leader Emily Stroup's effectiveness, balancing her 13 kills with 15 attack errors to limit the senior to a -.038 clip.

Each team had four players with at least 10 kills, but Alabama's group of four hit a combined .285 while the four from Ole Miss hit .212

Alabama held a 18-11 advantage in blocks

PLAYERS OF THE MATCH

Doris Carter (Jr. – Lexington, Ky.)
Posted her team-leading fourth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 11 digs

Alyiah Wells (Fr. – Memphis, Tenn.)
Earned her first career double-double with a season-best 11 blocks along with 15 kills

UP NEXT

Alabama hosts a pair of matches next weekend at Foster Auditorium, welcoming 24th-ranked Missouri (14-6, 6-4 SEC) on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. CT and Tennessee (10-12, 4-8 SEC) on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. CT.

Daemen Women's Volleyball Falters At Mercy
By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications, daemenwildcats.com
Sunday, November 3, 2019

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. - Clinching an East Coast Conference Championships berth will have to wait for another day as the Daemen College women's volleyball team fell in straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-16) to host Mercy College at Victory Hall today. 

Daemen entered the match with a chance to clinch their third conference tournament berth in the last four seasons, but the upset-minded Mavericks had other ideas. After trailing 6-1 early in the opening set, Mercy rallied for a 25-21 win and virtually never looked back. The Mavericks moved to 12-16 overall and pulled even with Daemen at 4-4 in league play. Both teams sit in a tie for third place in the ECC standings. Daemen dropped to 14-9 overall.

The Wildcats powered down 44 kills in the match, compared to just 33 for the Mavericks. But, Daemen committed 24 hitting errors, including 11 in the third set alone. Mercy committed just four hitting errors, posting a .377 hitting percentage in the match. It marked the most efficient hitting effort against Daemen this season, and the first time the Wildcats have allowed a .375 hitting percentage or better since Oct. 21, 2017 vs. University of Bridgeport.

Loreto Nunez Casal recorded a game-high 14 kills for Mercy, and did so without committing an error in 28 attempts (.464 hitting percentage). Imani DeBose, the ECC leader in kills, chipped in with nine kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Natalia Garcia ran the offense with 26 assists.

Redshirt-freshman Ali Cousins (Eldred, Pa.) put down a career-high 11 kills for Daemen. Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) (eight kills) and Courtney Bernard (Lancaster, Ohio) (seven kills) combined for 15 kills. Hannah McKee (East Highland, Calif.) contributed a match-high 40 assists.

Mercy snapped a nine-game losing streak in the all-time series with Daemen, defeating the Wildcats for the first time since the 2014 season. Daemen holds an 11-3 advantage in the series. 

Daemen plays a non-conference match Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Gannon University, and the Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium to host Bridgeport next Sunday, Nov. 10. 

Niagara Women’s Volleyball Swept At Rider
purpleeagles.com
Sunday, November 3, 2019

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, N.J. – The Niagara women's volleyball team was beaten in straight sets in its weekend finale at Rider. The Purple Eagles had three players record at least 10 kills, while Jessica Streuer had 38 assists and two kills of her own.

Match Summary

First Set
Niagara went up 2-0 when Caroline Leitch and Grace Hetterscheidt combined to stuff the outside hitter for Rider.

The Purple Eagles stopped a 5-0 run by the Broncs and got two points back on kills from Leitch and Taylor Allen, the latter coming on an overpass off a short serve into the five spot.

Hetterscheidt got her second kill of the set to knot things up at 12-12. The Purple Eagles won the point after a tremendous chase to peel the ball back from right in front of the Niagara bench.

Second Set
Niagara started up 2-0 again thanks to a fantastic dig on a Rider attack before Hetterscheidt returned the favor and buried a kill of her own.

The Purple Eagles extended their lead to 7-3 on a five-possession rally that ended with Leitch slamming home her third kill of the set.

Mirna Kovacevic made it 9-4 on a solo block from the right side. Emillie Wright then made it 10-4 with an ace, forcing Rider to call a timeout.

Rider went on a 12-5 run to tie the set at 18-18. Kills from Roberts (5), Leitch (4), and Hetterscheidt (3) helped keep the Broncs in check after that point, but Niagara ultimately fell, 37-35, in the marathon set.

Third Set
Niagara opened up a 7-1 lead to start set three. Hetterscheidt got a kill and ace in sequence, Leitch and Allen combined to roof a Rider attack, and Allen got a kill as part of an early 6-0 run.

After Rider pulled to within 10-9, a service error, a Hetterscheidt kill, and a block by Hetterscheidt and Allen helped restore Niagara's momentum and set the score at 14-10.

Tied 17-17, the Broncs and Purple Eagles stayed within one point of each other over the next 15 serves until Rider narrowly came out with a 25-23 win.

Eagle's Eye On…

Leitch ended the day with 15 kills, averaging 5.0 per set. Roberts (13) and Hetterscheidt (12) also finished in double digits.

Roberts' 20 digs led the Purple Eagles defensively.

Up Next

The Purple Eagles enter a stretch of three matches in five days when they travel to Canisius on Thursday for their second meeting of the season against the Golden Griffins. Things will get underway at 6 p.m. from the Koessler Athletic Center.

Canisius Volleyball Closes Road Swing with Win at Saint Peter’s
gogriffs.com
Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Canisius volleyball team picked up a win in its last road match of the 2019 regular season, defeating Saint Peter's in four sets Sunday afternoon at the Yanitelli Center in New Jersey, N.J. The Golden Griffins dropped the first set before fighting back for three-straight set victories (23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-16).

The win improved the Griffs to 12-13 overall and 9-4 in MAAC play, while the Peacocks shifted to 3-23 on the season and 1-13 in conference action.

Canisius sophomore Ashley Kekeisen set career highs with 27 assists and six digs to go with 17 digs and a service ace, while classmate Hannah Nelson powered through for a match-best 18 kills in addition to 19 digs. Three Griffs recorded 10 kills to compliment Nelson, as senior Leah Simmons, sophomore Camila Vazquez and freshman Ella Loussia all had five-plus blocks as well. Senior Cassidy Ceriani joined Kekeisen and Nelson in registering a double-double, tallying 16 of her 18 assists in the first set on top of 17 total digs. At libero, freshman Bree Long put together another strong defensive effort with 24 digs.

Saint Peter's was led by Angeleyshka Curbelo's 16 kills, as Wildalys Soto notched 40 assists on the day. Libero Karla Seda led all players with 38 digs, while Carolina Ruiz posted 21 digs and two digs.

Despite the Griffs taking the early lead, Saint Peter's climbed back to take the advantage at 13-12. Canisius came back with a 4-0 run late, but the Peacocks matched it with a 5-0 stretch of their own to take a 24-21 edge, eventually ending the set with a 25-23 win. The second set went much better for the Blue and Gold, due in large part to an opening 7-1 stretch, as the Griffs were able match any Saint Peter's run afterwards with one of their own en route to a 25-19 victory in the second frame.

In the third set, a 7-2 run by the Peacocks to make it 15-12 proved not enough to hold off the Griffs, as Canisius took the set, 25-23, off the back of six kills from Nelson during the frame. The Blue and Gold continued their momentum in the fourth set with an 8-0 streak that gave them a 13-7 advantage, then closed out the stanza by stringing together eight of the last nine points and earning the 25-16 match-clinching win.

Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments

"Today's win showed our flexibility and resiliency. The Saint Peter's libero was on fire and our offense did a good job of making adjustments to be able to score. It will now be great to be at home for the rest of the regular season."

Game Notes

• Sunday marked the 49th meeting all-time between the two schools, as Canisius now leads the series by a 35-14 margin.
• Ceriani's double-double is the 53rd of her career, while Nelson earned her 10th career double-double.
• This was Kekeisen's second career double-double, previously doing so in her college debut last season.
• Loussia's five block assists matched her season high from Oct. 13 at Siena.
• Vazquez has recorded three-plus blocks in nine-straight matches, and has 10 kills in two-straight contests.
• With a .245 hitting percentage, this was the first match Canisius hit above a .200 clip since Oct. 6 against Rider.

Up Next

The Golden Griffins return to the Koessler Athletic Center Nov. 7 for the second half of the "Battle of the Bridge" series, taking on Niagara at 6 p.m. The rivalry contest is the start of a five-match homestead for the Griffs to close out the regular season.

Girls Volleyball Roundup - Section VI Qtr Finals
Matt Todaro, wnyathletics.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

Ashley Dogal had a team-high eight kills to help top-seeded Orchard Park advance past Jamestown 3-0.

The Quakers will face a Lancaster team that won a 5-set thriller over Williamsville North on Friday. Meghan Vona had team-highs in kills and digs with 16 and 18, respectively. Kayli Rabent had seven kills. Vanessa Uhteg tallied 38 assists.

Semi #2 on Tuesday will feature Clarence and Lockport - both teams won their quarterfinal matches 3-0.

Williamsville South dropped the first set to Sweet Home but would go on to win the next three.

Senior Madison Popielski paced the Billies with 26 digs, five kills and a pair of aces. Junior OH Molly McKinnon had 21 digs, nine kills and an ace. Claire Montgomery had 23 digs.

Williamsville South will go up against twelfth-seeded Starpoint who upset a Grand Island team that went 13-3 in the NFL during the regular season.

Katie Putney led Starpoint with 18 kills. Emily Reed had 15. Kailey Schwab tallied 28 assists and recorded 11 digs.

Semi #2 will pit Niagara Wheatfield against Hamburg.

Both teams advanced through the quarterfinal round after winning in three sets.

East Aurora and Lake Shore split the first two sets but it was East Aurora that would go on to win sets three and four.

The Blue Devils advance to face top-seeded City Honors who advanced past Iroquois in a 3-set win.

Kyra Wood led City Honors with 14 kills and four blocks. McKenzi Alvira tallied 28 assists. Maddie Root had a team-high 17 digs and a pair of aces.

Cheektowaga moved past Maryvale in three sets and will face Lewiston Porter in the semifinal round.

Emma Wlostowski led top-seeded Alden past Tonawanda with 12 kills, five aces and four digs. Jenna Kersten tallied 14 assists.

The Bulldogs will host Olean on Monday; Olean advanced past Lackawanna in three sets.

Holly Vincent led the Huskies with six kills, followed by Adele Dwaileebe (5) and Grace Parr (4). Sophia Renaud tallied 16 assists and had a team-high four digs. Maggie McClelland had a team-high seven aces.

The second semi will feature Depew and Springville / West Valley.

Briana Lelonek led Depew with 15 kills in their 3-0 quarterfinal win over Medina. Mya Bush tallied 24 assists.

Rachel Stressinger had 7 kills in Springville / West Valley's 3-0 win over Albion.

Top-seeded Akron moved past Olmsted in three sets.

Elsie Logan and Ella Hill had five kills for the Tigers. Jessee Jonathan tallied 14 assists and a team-high 17 aces.

They will host a Fredonia team that took down Roy-Hart in a 5-set thriller in the quarterfinals.

Rhayna Myers led Fredonia with 10 kills and six aces. Rebecca Piede had a team-high 25 assists. Nagely Vazquez had nine kills, six aces and a pair of blocks. Anna Valone had nine kills and a team-leading 13 digs.

Eve Musielak had nine kills and seven aces in Eden's 3-0 win over Newfane. Bri Rigley had six kills.

Eden will host Southwestern on Monday in the semifinals.

Lauren Cotter led Southwestern with 11 kills in their 3-1 win over Cleveland Hill. She also had seven digs and a pair of blocks. Anna Rauh had six kills, four aces, six digs and four aces. Megan Cotter had five kills, four aces and five blocks. Maddy DuBois chipped in five kills, three aces and a dig. Arrington Restivo tallied 19 assists, three digs and a trio of aces.

The first semifinal game will feature Allegany Limestone and Gowanda. Both teams won their quarterfinal matches in three sets.

Maura Vossler led Allegany Limestone over Leonardo da Vinci with 10 kills. Madison Smith had six kills and three aces. Cameron Riordan had a team-high 24 assists.

Miya Scanlan led Gowanda over Tapestry with six kills and 11 aces. Bailey North had three. Emma Luther had a team-high 10 assists.

Falconer will host Portville in the second semifinal game.

Falconer defeated Wilson 3-2 in the quarterfinal match.

Rachael Harper led the team with 27 kills and five blocks. Emily Melquist had 13 kills and a team-high 25 digs. Ava Fenton tallied 24 assists. Serena Camarata led the team in aces with five.

Portville continued their undefeated season with a 3-0 win over Chautauqua Lake on Thursday.

Laura Wilhelm led Portville with 10 kills. Kylie Blessing and Hailey Keim had seven kills apiece. Kylie Blessing also had a team-high 37 assists and a pair of aces. Olivia Emley recorded 18 digs. Shayla Wilhelm contributed three blocks.

Jillian Stahley led Randolph in their 3-0 win over Westfield with nine kills, followed by Brynn Paget (5) and Sydney Hvizdzak (4). Mya Abrams had a team-high six assists. Eve Adams had a team-high five aces.

They'll face Maple Grove in the semifinals. The Red Dragons moved past Silver Creek after a 3-0 win.

Bre Hill led Maple Grove with 15 kills, 11 aces and a block. Erin Mansfield had a team-high 12 assists. Kelsey Tarbrake recorded 10 digs.

The flip side of the bracket will have Cassadaga Valley hosting Ellicottville.

Cassadaga Valley moved past Salamanca in three sets.

Brielle LeBaron led the team with six kills. Kaitlyn Dahl had a team-high eight assists. Heidi Williams had a team-high seven aces and recorded five digs.

Ellicottville dropped the first set to Holland but was able to recover and take the next three.

Heli Kongats led Ellicottville with 10 kills and a trio of blocks. Makenna Smith had three kills and led the team in aces with four. Jenna Hadley had three kills and paced the team in aces with 14. Allison Rowland recorded 17 digs.

There were no quarterfinal games in the Class D2 bracket. Panama will host Pine Valley on Tuesday. The winner will compete for the D2 championship against North Collins.

Spartans Close out Season at La Roche
dyouville.prestosports.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

Pittsburgh, PA - The D'Youville women's volleyball team ended their 2019 season on Saturday afternoon by falling to the La Roche Redhawks by the final of 3-1.

Set number one of the afternoon was a back-and-forth affair from the two teams. The set was tied 10-10 before La Roche would start to pull away. Their lead was at three at 18-15 before growing to 23-16 and eventually a first set win at 25-17.

D'Youville would respond by scoring the first six points of the second set, but the Redhawks would respond with the next four points to trail 6-4. The gap remained at two at 13-11 before La Roche tied up the second at 19, However, the Spartans would rally to score six of the next seven points to take the second 25-20.

The third set was equally as competitive as the first two as the score was tied early at 10-10. From that point on, La Roche would begin to take control as they went ahead 18-13. Still trailing by five at 21-16, D'Youville would come back to trail by one at 21-20 and then tie the third at 21-21. Unfortunately for the Spartans, the Redhawks would gain some late momentum to take the third 25-22.

Continuing their late success in the third, La Roche opened up the fourth with a 12-5 lead. The Spartans would not give up as they came roaring back to tie the fourth at 14-14. However, the Redhawks would close out the fourth strong to win the set 25-19 and the match 3-1.

McKenna Cartonia (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) led the team with 33 assists while Samantha Murray (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) led the team with 10 kills. Carly Milleville (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara-Wheatfield) recorded a team high 19 digs while Talia Wright (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) tallied 18 with Mikaela Milleville, NY/Niagara-Wheatfield) added nine.

Sarah Wittek (Elma, NY/Iroquois) was second on the team with 10 kills as Julia Peinkofer (Elma, NY/Iroquois) and Brianna Damstetter (Buffalo, NY/CIty Honors) each had six. Lauren Conley (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) added one with seven digs.

Hilbert Volleyball Honors Two on Senior Day
hilberthawks.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Hilbert College women's volleyball team closed the 2019 season today with a 3-0 loss to Franciscan University.

Prior to the first serve, the Hawks honored and thanked their two seniors for their service to the program over the years. Graduate student Hannah Prenoveau and senior Ashley Repine shared a few minutes with their families before the game.

Hilbert (0-22) played down in numbers with injuries sidelining two starters this afternoon.

The Hawks who did dress certainly gave it their all as they have all season long. Though the 25-9, 25-8, 25-15 set scores don't reflect the improvement in victories, Hilbert has shown great strides in their attacking confidence with limited free ball passing. 

Coach Bret Stothart has instilled a well-rounded concept of team passing and setting up the right hitters for attacks this year.

Franciscan won the game at the net, finished with a .259 attack percentage and were credited with four blocks and 12 service aces.

Hilbert collected 11 team kills, and three services aces.

Casandra Thompson (team-high eight digs) and Makenna Anastasia each posted three kills and Ashley Page dished seven assists.

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament opens November 9 with #3 hosting #6 and #4 hosting #5. Penn State Behrend, as the #1 seed, will host the Championship weekend with #1 battling winner of #4/5 and #2 squaring off against winner of #3/6 on Saturday, November 12. The AMCC Champion will be crowned November 13 and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Buff State Women’s Volleyball ends season with losses to Wooster, Case
buffalostateathletics.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

CLEVELAND, Ohio— Buffalo State saw its women's volleyball season come to an end today with a pair of losses, falling in four sets to Wooster, before dropping a straight-sets decision to host Case Western.

MATCH 1 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Wooster def. Buffalo State, 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19)
LOCATION: CWRU – Cleveland, Ohio
RECORDS: Wooster (12-15), Buffalo State (7-16)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Kayla Wolinski (Lancaster/Lancaster) led Buffalo State with 11 kills, while Brooke Federko (Jamestown/Jamestown) had 29 assists.

Eimile O'Brien (Marietta/Marcellus) added eight kills and a team-best four blocks.

Darion Jonathan (Akron/Akron) registered 19 digs and a career-best six aces.

Buffalo State overcame a 14-6 deficit in the first set to win 25-22, but could not carry the momentum as Wooster won the next three sets, 25-17, 25-19 and 25-19.

FOR THE FOES

Hayley Nash led Wooster with 17 kills, and Meghan Botsch had 40 assists.

MATCH 2 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Case Western def. Buffalo State, 3-0 (25-9, 25-5, 25-17)
LOCATION: CWRU – Cleveland, Ohio
RECORDS: Case Western (11-15), Buffalo State (7-17)

HOW IT HAPPENED

O'Brien had five kills to lead the Bengals, and Federko finished with 14 assists.

Case Western cruised through the first two sets, winning 25-9 and 25-5. The Bengals battled hard in the final set, evening the score at 14-14, but the Spartans used a late run to pull away.

FOR THE FOES

Brianna Lemon finished with nine kills, two aces and one block to lead Case Western.

Medaille Women's Volleyball Drops Regular Season Finale
Mavs lose match in three sets
medaillesports.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

CRESSON, PA – The Medaille Women's Volleyball team headed to Mount Aloysius for a pivotal AMCC match that their playoff odds relied on. The Mavs would need to defeat the Mounties in the last match of the year to better their chances of advancing to the AMCC playoffs.

The Mounties, looking to carry some momentum into the postseason came out firing. The Mounties jumped out to an early (8-3) advantage and never gave up their lead and took down the Mavericks in set one.

The Mavs bounced back early in the second set. Both teams traded volleys and points went back and forth. Stephanie Ciesla (Hamburg, NY, Hamburg) came up with two big-time kills and the Mavs found themselves on top (13-12). However, the Mounties had a response for the Mavericks momentum. Mount Aloysius went on to take the next eight points to make the score (20-13) in favor of the Mounties.

The Mavs dropped set two (25-18)

With the Mavericks desperately needing some momentum, Medaille got out to a (4-1) lead to start the third set. But again, the Mounties scored eight unanswered. The set would end (25-15) in favor of Mount Aloysius, closing out the match.

Seniors Lindsay Howell (Macedon, NY, Palmyra-Macedon) and Ciesla led the Mavs in kills with eight and five, respectively. Savannah Berry (Livonia, NY, Livonia) led the Mavs with (12) assists.

The regular season will come to a close for the Mavericks as they finish the season (6-22; 4-6 AMCC).

The Mavs will now wait for the remainder of games to be played to see if they have clinched the postseason.

However, the Medaille community would like to extend well wishes to the seniors and thank them for their efforts on and off the court in the blue and gold.

Wildcats Inch Closer To Postseason Berth With Crushing Win At Queens
Daemen Holds Knights To Just 9 Kills In Straight-Sets Victory
By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications, daemenwildcats.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's volleyball team was able to shake off the sting of consecutive five-set losses, regrouping today with a 3-0 road win (25-13, 25-10, 25-14) at Queens College. The win pushes Daemen to 14-8 on the season as they jump back over .500 (4-3) in East Coast Conference play. The home-standing Knights dropped to 2-16 overall while remaining winless (0-7) in conference matches.

HIGHLIGHTS

Three players reached double-figure kills for the Wildcats, led by senior Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y.). Hitting on the right side today, Ballou powered down a season-high 12 kills and attacked at a .364 clip. She's now had 10+ kills in four matches this season, including the last two in a row. 

The Wildcats also got solid efforts in the middle today as junior Tirzah Peters (Amherst, N.Y.) recorded a season-high 10 kills and a career-best .909 hitting percentage, and freshman Loren Alberts (Huntley, Ill.) contributed a career-high 10 kills. 

Sophomore setter Isa McCaffrey (North Royalton, Ohio) saw her first action since Oct. 16, posting a season-high 38 assists.

Outside hitter Ali Cousins (Eldred, Pa.) chipped in with eight kills and a team-best 13 digs, both career-high efforts for the redshirt-freshman.

Daemen totaled 48 kills as a team while limiting Queens to just nine and a -.068 hitting percentage.

HEAD COACH STEPHANIE ALBANO POST-GAME COMMENTS

"We did a very good job with our serve and serve receive which resulted in a very efficient middle attack. That was good to see, and we'll need to bring that into tomorrow's match at Mercy."

MATCH NOTES

The win moves Daemen one step closer to clinching a berth to the upcoming East Coast Conference Championships. The Wildcats can clinch that with a win tomorrow at Mercy College.

Daemen has now won four straight meetings with Queens, improving to 10-4 in the all-time series. 

The Wildcats are a perfect 4-0 against teams occupying the bottom three positions in the ECC standings this season. Daemen has not dropped a set in those contests. 

Daemen has won 17 of their last 21 ECC matches dating back to the start of the 2018 season.

UP NEXT

Daemen remains in the NYC metro area for a Sunday matinee vs. Mercy College at Victory Gymnasium.

Purple Eagles Sail Past Saint Peter's For Fourth Straight Win
purpleeagles.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Purple Eagles extended their win streak to four matches with a 3-1 victory over Saint Peter's on Saturday.

Match Summary

First Set
Niagara scored five straight points to open the fifth set and allowed the Peacocks two points before going on a 4-0 run to take a 9-2 lead.

The Purple Eagles remained in the lead, going on another 4-0 run, including a kill from Grace Hetterscheidt and an ace from Molly Jandris, late in the set to take an eight-point lead, 21-13.

Niagara allowed Saint Peter's two more points and a kill from Hetterscheidt earned NU the 25-15 set one win.

Second Set
Saint Peter's took control of the second set early, going on a 5-0 run to take a 5-2 lead over the Purple Eagles.

The Peacocks led, 18-11, but kills from Caroline Leitch and Taylor Allen brought the Purple Eagles back within five points of the lead, 18-13. Saint Peter's, however, remained in control and took the second set, 25-16.

Third Set
Niagara went on a 7-0 run early in the third set, including four straight kills from Hetterscheidt, to take the lead, 8-1.

The Purple Eagles led, 18-9, before Saint Peter's scored six straight points to come within a few points of the lead, 18-15.

Niagara, however, held the Peacocks off and another kill from Hetterscheidt and an ace from Cameron Maris won the set for Niagara, 25-19, to put the Purple Eagles back in control of the match, 2-1.

Fourth Set
Niagara once again took an early 8-1 lead in the fourth set and continued to gain momentum to lead by nine, 17-8.

Saint Peter's went on a 4-0 run, cutting Niagara's lead to four points, 17-13.

Niagara led the Peacocks, 23-16, late in the set and two straight kills from Allen earned the Purple Eagles the set and match win.

Eagle's Eye On…

Leitch recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 15 kills, which was a team-high, and 16 digs.

Jaycie Roberts led the team in digs with 26, which is a career-high.

Hetterscheidt added 14 kills.

Maris and Roberts each had two service aces.

Jessica Streuer led the Purple Eagles in assists with 43.

Up Next

The Purple Eagles face Rider on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:00 p.m.

Canisius Volleyball Falters in Four-Set Loss to Rider
gogriffs.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

In its second-to-last road match of the regular season, the Canisius volleyball team lost to Rider in four sets Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.J. The Golden Griffins dropped the contest by scores of 25-27, 28-26, 15-25, 19-25.

With the loss, the Griffs fell to 11-13 overall and 8-4 in MAAC play, while the Broncs improved to 12-13 in 2019 and 9-4 in league action.

Senior Leah Simmons led the Canisius attack with 11 kills in addition to three block assists, while sophomore Camila Vazquez followed behind with 10 kills at a .400 hitting percentage on top of a team-high five block assists. Falling just short of a double-double, sophomore Hannah Nelson finished with nine kills and 16 digs. Senior Cassidy Ceriani was able to record a double-double, notching 38 assists and 15 digs in the loss, and freshman libero Bree Long registered a team-best 17 digs on her 18th birthday.

For Rider, Morgan Romano tallied 25 kills and 16 digs while Anilee Sher posted 59 assists and 21 digs, as both Broncs recorded double-doubles. Rachelle Runyon added 30 digs from the libero position.

Canisius held the lead for much of the early going in the first set, but Rider put together a 5-1 run that gave them their first lead of the match. The opening frame would need extra points to decide it, but seven kills from Romano gave the Broncs a 27-25 win.

The second set saw the script reversed, as Rider took an early 8-4 lead before a 9-3 Canisius run gave the Griffs the lead at 13-11. The two teams would keep it close the rest of the stanza, but the Blue and Gold proved victorious in extra points at 28-26.

Rider was able to hold off Canisius for most of the third set after the score was tight to begin, as the Broncs closed on a 6-0 surge to take the frame, 25-15. In the fourth set, the Griffs brought the frame even at 15-15, but Rider managed to immediately rip off three-straight points in what eventually became a 10-4 run to end the set and the match. 

Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments

"Defense wins. Rider out-defended us today. Camila performed very well today, she showed up in transition and created opportunities for herself offensively. It was great to see her drive. Bree led team in digs, which was a nice birthday treat for her as she turns 18."

Game Notes

• Saturday marked the 40th all-time meeting between the two schools, as the Rider victory ended a run of four-straight wins for the Griffs over the Broncs and cut the series lead to 29-11 in favor of Canisius.
• The double-double was the 52nd of Ceriani's career.
• This was just the second match of the season for Vazquez with double-digit kills and is the 10th time she has done so in her career.
• Nelson was now recorded 15-plus digs in back-to-back matches.

Up Next

Canisius will close out the weekend with its last road match of the regular season on Sunday when the Griffs play at Saint Peter's. Match time is set for 1 p.m.

Bulls Fall In Tough Five-Setter At Ball State
ubbulls.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

MUNCIE, IN – For the third match in a row the University at Buffalo volleyball team went to five sets, but the Bulls came up short, losing at Ball State, 3-2. It was the 12th time this year that Buffalo has played in a five-set match.

The Cardinals took the contest 21-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-14, 15-13 as Ball State narrowly outhit UB, .279 to .241. A kill from freshman Abby Leigh gave Buffalo a 15-10 lead midway through the opening set. A block from Leigh and senior Polina Prokudina extended the Buffalo lead to 17-11, but the Cardinals would cut it back to one at 18-17. A kill from senior Rachel Sanks finally clinched the set, giving Buffalo the early edge.

The Cardinals came back to take the second set, tying the match up at 1-1, but UB would regain the advantage following the break. Buffalo raced out to a 7-2 lead and a Ball State attack error would extend the UB lead to 20-13. A kill from senior defensive specialist Hannah Watson ended the set, giving the Bulls the 2-1 lead in the match.

The Cardinals came back with a big performance in the fourth, winning it easily 25-14, sending the match to a fifth set.

The two teams traded the lead back and forth for the first half of the set as they found themselves tied at 8-8 before Ball State scored three straight to take an 11-8 advantage. A 4-1 run by the Bulls tied the set back up at 12-12, but the Cardinals scored the next two. A kill from Prokudina fought off one match point, but a kill from Natalie Risi clinched the set and the match for the Cardinals.

It was a big night for Prokudina who had a season high 26 kills, hitting .295 for the night. Leigh and Sanks both finished in double figures in kills with 10 each. Senior Scout McLerran finished the evening with 52 assists and five kills.

Defensively, sophomore Paige Beck led the Bulls with 19 digs, while sophomore Monika Simkova added 14. UB added 11.0 total blocks, led by Leigh, who had eight blocks, including four solos. Simkova finished with five block assists.

Geneseo Women's Volleyball Finishes 1-2 at Carnegie Mellon; Cergol Breaks Career Kills Record
geneseoknights.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

PITTSBURGH - SUNY Geneseo senior outside hitter Grace Cergol broke the Knights' all-time kills record during a 1-2 weekend at Carnegie Mellon, Friday and Saturday.

Cergol surpassed Kate Barth '08, who compiled 1,558 kills from 2004-07, in Saturday's match with Southwestern (Texas) and has 1,567 kills to date. Cergol also became the fifth player in program history with over 1,300 digs with 1,314 following the weekend. 
Senior outside hitter Abby May moved into 13th place on the career kills list with 945 to date. She also logged her 500th career dig in Friday's match opposite Ohio Wesleyan.
 
GENESEO LEADERS

FRIDAY

Geneseo 3, Ohio Wesleyan 2 (25-18, 26-28, 21-25, 26-24, 15-7)
Kills: Grace Cergol 20, Abby May 16
Digs: Sam Mendelsohn 28, Cergol 14, Grace Thomas 13, Alexandra Frank 12
Assists: Thomas 45
Service Aces: Thomas 3

SATURDAY

Carnegie Mellon 3, Geneseo 2 (25-14, 17-25, 28-26, 21-25, 15-6)
Kills: Cergol 18, May 18, Kiersten Colvin 10
Digs: Mendelsohn 25, Thomas 12
Assists: Thomas 33, Morgan Michalski 13
Service Aces: Colvin 3

Southwestern (Texas) 3, Geneseo 1 (25-12, 18-25, 25-17, 25-12)
Kills: Cergol 11, May 9
Digs: Frank 12, Thomas 12
Assists: Thomas 20

WHAT'S NEXT

Geneseo (17-11) is the top seed for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and will host either Potsdam or Plattsburgh this Friday (Nov. 8) at 7:00 p.m. in the semifinals.

SJF Women's Volleyball Finishes Regular Season With Pair of Losses
athletics.sjfc.edu
Saturday, November 2, 2019

BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches at the Brockport Invite on Saturday. The Cardinals fell to Clarkson, ranked second in the New York Regional Rankings, in straight-sets (25-15, 28-26, 25-22). Fisher would then be swept by the host Golden Eagles, ranked 10th in the New York Regional Rankings by a score of 25-15, 25-20, 25-21. The Cardinals end their regular season with a record of 21-10.

CLARKSON 3, FISHER 0

The first set was a tight affair with the Cardinals trailing 16-15. The Golden Knights would go onto win the next nine points to claim the opening frame.

Fisher started the second set off well with earning a 5-1 advantage. The two teams would go back and forth with exchanging leads throughout the stanza. A kill from sophomore Alea Steigerwald gave the Cardinals a 22-20 edge and they would later have set point at 24-23. However, Clarkson would win five of the next seven points to come back and win the set.

The Cardinals looked to mount a comeback with holding a steady lead throughout the third set. At 20-16 Fisher, the Golden Knights won four straight to tie things up at 20-all. Clarkson was able to close things out with five of the last seven points.

Freshman Lindsey DeBonis had a game-high 15 kills while junior Rebecca Hay had a game-high 31 assists. Sophomore Julia Halsey had team-high 15 digs.

BROCKPORT 3, FISHER 0

The Golden Eagles controlled the start of the match until a 4-0 run by the Cardinals knotted things up at 16 each. Brockport got on another run though and took the opening set.

Fisher started the second set cold and the Golden Eagles took advantage by taking a commanding lead that they would not surrender. Brockport won the stanza by 10 points to earn a two-sets-to-none advantage.

Brockport got off to another large lead to kick off the third set as they looked to earn the sweep. The Cardinals fought back thought to cut the lead to three at 23-20. The Golden Eagles were able to finish off the match with winning two of the next three points.

Steigerwald led the team in kills with nine. Hay had the most assists in the game with 19. Freshman Alexis Mancha led Fisher in digs with 13.

The Cardinals now prepare for the Empire 8 Championship. As the Regular Season Conference Champion, Fisher will be the No. 1 seed and host the tournament next weekend.

Clarkson Takes Two at Brockport Tournament
clarksonathletics.com
Saturday, November 2, 2019

Brockport, NY – A day after suffering a defeat to the hosts, the Clarkson University Volleyball team rallied back to take a pair of three-set matches against Keuka College and St. John Fisher College at the Brockport Tournament Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights swept the Wolves in three (25-17, 25-13, 25-11) and immediately followed with a second sweep against St. John Fisher (25-15, 28-26, 25-22). Clarkson improved to 23-5 on the season and will be back at home next weekend when the team hosts the Liberty League Championship Tournament, hosting St. Lawrence, Ithaca and RIT at Alumni Gymnasium.

Clarkson's offense struggled on Friday in its lone match, but found a groove late Saturday morning against Keuka, hitting .302 (41-9-106), including .333 in the first set and .342 in the third set. The Wolves were held to a .038 hitting percentage, amassing just four more kills (22) than attack errors (18).

Junior Gillian Kurtic hit at a .667 clip to lead Clarkson, striking for 11 kills with just one miscue in 15 attempts, while Maddie Bredehoeft hit .400 on a 9-1-20 line. Ocean Bryan also produced five kills and four total blocks, and Haley Aud scored 29 assists and two aces. Kate Isaksen notched 15 more digs in the win.

Clarkson stifled the Cardinals' Alea Steigerwald, who entered the weekend averaging 4.55 kills per set, the fourth-best figure in the nation. Steigerwald was held to just eight kills and a .094 hitting percentage, as Clarkson kept the Cardinals to just a .103 hitting percentage overall.

The Knights hit .273 in the first set and rattled off a .371 hitting percentage in the second set to keep things rolling. Three players hit better than .300 overall with Ocean Bryan hitting .389 (9-2-18), Gillian Kurtic striking at a .357 rate (6-1-14) and Rachel Reusch producing in both rate (.345) and volume (12-2-29). Haley Aud ran the offense with 25 assists and Kate Isaksen contributed 15 digs and a pair of aces.

SJF Women's Volleyball Defeats Regionally-Ranked St. Lawrence in Four Sets
athletics.sjfc.edu
Friday, November 1, 2019

BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team took down the St. Lawrence Saints in four sets (25-14, 22-25, 25-19, 25-12) on Friday night at the Brockport Invite. The Empire 8 Regular Season Champion Cardinals moved to 21-8 on the year while St. Lawrence, ranked ninth in the New York Regional Rankings, drops to 21-8 this season.

Sophomore Alea Steigerwald led all players in kills and digs with 15 and 14 respectively. Junior Rebecca Hay earned a game-high 26 assists while adding 11 digs.

Fisher hit .312 in the opening set. A 4-0 run and a 6-0 run fueled a commanding lead for the Cardinals. A Steigerwald kill earned set point which Fisher converted on the first attempt.

The Saints started the second set hot but the Cardinals stormed back and scored 10-straight points to take a 17-14 edge. St. Lawrence would later recapture the lead and take the stanza to tie things up at one set a piece.

The pivotal third set was back and forth until at 20-19 the Cardinals took advantage of four straight attack errors by the Saints to earn set point at 24-19. Sophomore Kara Kingsbury would set up her fellow classmate Steigerwald for the point, giving Fisher a two-to-one lead.

The Cardinals kept the momentum of the third going into the fourth set with earning a 12-3 advantage to open things up. Fisher would never trail as a six-point run pushed the lead to 19-6. Freshman Lauren Gilbert had the kill on match point with sophomore Julia Halsey recording the assist.

Freshman Lindsey DeBonis put up 11 kills while Gilbert had 10 kills while hitting .320 on the night. Steigerwald hit .294 and also led the team in service aces with three.

Fisher finishes it regular season schedule on Saturday with a pair of matches at Brockport. The Cardinals face Clarkson University at 1:30 p.m. and then go head-to-head with the host Golden Eagles at 3:30 p.m.

Knights Suffer Four-Set Defeat at Brockport
clarksonathletics.com
Friday, November 1, 2019

Brockport, NY – Getting off to a slow start on offense, the Clarkson University Volleyball team was unable to fully reverse its early doldrums as the Golden Knights lost in four sets to Brockport, 17-25, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25 on Friday evening.

The Golden Knights fell to 21-5 on the season, suffering their second straight loss, while Brockport improved to 15-10. Clarkson will look to recover on Saturday with matches against Keuka College and St. John Fisher College.

Clarkson hit just .045 in the first set, scoring eight kills against six attack errors. By the middle of the second set, the Knights were hitting negative with just 11 kills and 12 hitting errors. Clarkson began to right itself down the stretch with six kills and no errors in the waning moments of the game, but the Knights were buried in too much of a hole to tie the match.

In the third set, Clarkson's offense woke up with 14 kills against just two errors in 45 attacks, allowing the Green and Gold to pick up a win and put pressure on Brockport. However, the Golden Eagles put up 15 kills against only three errors in the fourth set for a .300 hitting percentage to gain the win.

Rachel Reusch finished with 13 kills and a .233 hitting percentage while Maddie Bredehoeft also chipped in 13 kills and 13 digs. Haley Aud recorded 27 assists and 10 digs and Kate Isaksen produced 24 digs.

For Brockport, Meaghan Mastro scored 22 kills and 12 digs and Lindsey Luce added 14 kills. Ellen Paddock was busy in the back row with 38 digs.

Flames Move On With Straight Sets Win Over Kenmore West
Dave Ricci, , wnyathletics.com
Thursday, October 31, 2019

Madison Smith had 12 kills to lead No.6 Williamsville East over No.11 Kenmore West in three straight sets in their Section VI Class A pre-quarterfinal game played Wednesday at East.

Winning by scores of 25-12, 25-19, and 25-17 the Flames advanced to Friday's quarterfinals where they will play No.3 Hamburg.

With 11 underclassmen on the roster, the Flames' season was a long and winding road of trying to build confidence each day. There has been no such thing as an easy night or a meaningless win.

"I think it's really important especially with a younger team to build confidence in our younger players," said sophomore Lily Mucica, who had nine assists for the Flames. "Our seniors Maddy (Smith), Grace (Dates), and Emma (Vande Velde) really help out with that. "

The Flames cruised in the opening set holding a 10 point margin most of the time. The second and third sets were a much different story as the Blue Devils played more efficiently. East was happy to be pushed to the limit because the last thing they wanted at this stage of the season was a pushover win.

"We started the year with the notion that we'd be better off by the end than we were in the beginning of the year," East coach Scott Wright said. "We started off 0-3 against good competition. We really started clicking and turning it around and we ended up 8-8 with four of our wins against top (Class) AA competition so I couldn't be more happy with the steps we've been taking during the year."

Along with having a slight edge in height, the Flames ran a solid 6-2 offense which allows them to get multiple hitters involved in their attack.

"I think it's a great weapon to have three hitters at all times," Mucica said. "Our lefty, Summer Clark, she's really good. And with our senior Maddy Smith-that sets up our hitters to do really well."

Ken-West coach Brittany Lis said the final score did not reflect the sense of battle her team showed. Even when they lost a point the Blue Devils remained confident they could win the next point or set.

"I couldn't be more proud of the energy that they had coming out here and their will to win," Lis said. "Just to be on the court and play with each other...its the best we've played all season."

St. Mary's, Canisius Extend Monsignor Martin Championship Streaks
Mike Pidanick, wnyathletics.com
Thursday, October 31, 2019

St. Mary's remains the queen of Monsignor Martin Athletic Association girls volleyball.

The Lancers rolled to a surprisingly lopsided 25-21, 25-10, 25-11 win over Sacred Heart in the championship game on Wednesday night for the team's ninth consecutive Monsignor Martin title.

"It feels really good. We worked really hard all season to get to where we are today," senior outside hitter Madison Nuttle said. "I thought they'd put up more of a fight but we played really, really well."

The first game was a tight one - but once the Lancers got rolling, they really got rolling.

"When our ball control is as good as it was today, I'll take our chances against anyone in the state," coach Don Pieczynski said. "Our ball control made it all possible, we served tough, we played great defense. If we can do that and let our middles do their thing, we're pretty much unstoppable."

And now the quest continues to bring the state championship back to St. Mary's. The Lancers were two points away from a third straight state championship last season but Long Island's Sacred Heart rallied from 23-18 down to steal the fifth and decisive set.

St. Mary's hasn't forgotten.

"That's our ultimate goal," Pieczynski said. "We let one slip away last year and, we didn't want to overlook this game, but our goal is to win states."

Amherst's Sacred Heart was the only MMAA team to take a set from St. Mary's this season in a match on Oct. 21. The Sharks were up for the challenge in the first game on Wednesday but the last two were all Lancers.

"They made adjustments to what they were doing and we just couldn't counter it," Sharks coach JT Ripper said. "That’s my feeling. Hat's off to them, they're No. 1 in the league for a reason."

Marie Rhodes earned playoff MVP honors, collecting 14 kills in the finals. Jasmine Brundage led the way in digs with 17, and setter Courtney Kurkowiak dished out 34 assists.

St. Mary's improved to 39-4-2 on the season and 14-0 against Monsignor Martin foes, winning 42 of 43 sets.

"It's really good, considering it's my fourth one. It's a feeling I can't even describe," said senior captain Kelly Cleversley, playing with a brace after hyper-extending her knee on Oct. 19. "I couldn't have done this without any of my teammates. We have a great team."

On the boys side, an expected blowout turned out to be the biggest challenge powerhouse Canisius has seen from a league rival in some time. But the Crusaders were up to the task, claiming a 20th straight MMAA championship with a 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19 win over St. Francis.

"It feels really good to win another one,” playoff MVP Eric Geisler said. “Yeah, there’s pressure. But pressure and nervousness just shows that you care. Credit to St. Francis. Everyone upped their competitiveness. That's what it comes down too in a championship game. They wanted it a lot, too, and you could see that."

Bulls Put Scare Into The MAC; Down Second Straight Division Leader
ubbulls.com
Thursday, October 31, 2019

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo volleyball team had plenty of tricks up their sleeve on Thursday night and in the end they were treated to a 3-2 road victory at Akron, their second straight road victory over a division leader. The Bulls improve to 9-14 on the season and 5-6 in MAC play.

For those that witnessed the first match between these two teams, it was no surprise that another classic was brewing inside of Rhodes Arena. However, this time it was the Bulls who were victorious, taking the contest 30-28, 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-9. Buffalo narrowly outhit Akron, .204 to .169.

The Bulls had to fight back from an early deficit in the first set as they trailed 8-5, but they weren't spooked by the slow start using a 5-1 run to take the 10-9 lead. A kill from junior Lexi Nordmann extended the Buffalo advantage to 15-12, before the Zips regained the lead 20-17. UB fought off the first set point as Akron led 24-23, but it was then the Zips who fought off three set points, tying it up at 28-28. A kill from freshman Abby Leigh followed by a block from Leigh and senior Rachel Sanks clinched the opening set for the Bulls, 30-28.

Akron answered back with a win in the second set, but in the third it was the Bulls who carved out another victory. The Zips held on to a 13-11 edge when UB scored three straight as a block from Nordmann and sophomore Monika Simkova put Buffalo ahead 14-13. A kill by senior Polina Prokudina extended the lead to 17-14 and an ace from sophomore Paige Beck put Buffalo ahead 22-17. The Bulls continued to lead 24-19 before Akron fought off three set points to pull within two. A block from Leigh and Simkova clinched the set however, giving Buffalo the 2-1 lead.

Buffalo had a match point in the fourth set, but Akron fought it off and scored the final three points to send the match into a fifth set. It was the 11th fifth set match of the year for Buffalo.

UB quickly shook off the cobwebs and dominated the final set. Akron led 3-2 early when the Bulls scored three straight to take the 5-3 lead. Leading 6-5, Buffalo ran off four straight points, which left the Zips seeing ghosts. A kill by Sanks put UB ahead 10-5.

A block from Leigh and Simkova extended the Buffalo advantage to 13-7 and a kill by Prokudina clinched the set and the match.

For the second straight match, Prokudina and Sanks both had 20-kill nights, led by 23 from Prokudina, who hit .242 on the night. Sanks added 20 kills, while Leigh had eight and Nordmann and Simkova each finished with seven.

Senior setter Scout McLerran had 57 assists on the night to go along with three kills.

UB put forth a huge defense effort that included 81 digs and 12.0 total blocks. Beck finished with a team-high 21 digs, while senior Hannah Watson added 12. Simkova and freshman Jenna Sonnenberg each added 10 digs.

Leigh and Nordmann each had six blocks in the match, while Simkova added five and Sanks and McLerran each finished with three.

Buffalo will close out its four-match road trip on Saturday night when it heads to Muncie, IN for a 7pm match at Ball State.

Canisius boys win 20th straight MMHSAA volleyball title
By Mike Pidanick, Buffalo News
Thursday, October 31, 2019

Canisius celebrates its victory over St. Francis in the Monsignor Martin 
volleyball championship Wednesday. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)

The Canisius High School volleyball team was challenged like never before – not this year, not in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association. But in the end, it was business as usual.

The Crusaders (16-1) continued their domination, posting a 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19 win over St. Francis in the league championship match on Wednesday at St. Mary’s in Lancaster.

The title was the 20th straight for Canisius.

“It feels good,” said Canisius senior Eric Geisler, the tournament MVP. “We worked really hard for it. It wasn’t easy. Credit St. Francis, they made it really hard tonight. Every time we’d get a lead, they’d battle back. But I love my team, we persevered and it feels really good to win this again.”

The Crusaders’ lone loss was to Class AA Clarence. Orchard Park was the only other team to take a set from Canisius in the regular season. In two regular season matches, Canisius swept St. Francis and the Red Raiders didn’t score more than 16 points in any of the six sets.

“This is the best volleyball we played all season,” St. Francis coach Andrew Lanigan said. “We went toe-to-toe with them. To get down against a good team like that, we had that never give up attitude.”

Canisius stormed to a 6-1 lead in the first set, forcing St. Francis to burn an early timeout. The Red Raiders hung around, trailing just 23-18 late but the Crusaders put it away on a kill by Geisler.

The Red Raiders led 23-21 in the second game but the Crusaders scored the final four points. In the third game, St. Francis was able to finish the task, beating Canisius in a set for the first time this year on a clinching kill by junior Peyton Consigli.

Canisius put things away in Game 4 and completed a two-decade sweep in the league. Geisler slammed home the winning kill over two defenders.

“These kids weren’t born when the streak started,” Canisius coach Tom Weislo said. “Each team is different, the personality is different and they all like to carve a little piece of the history.

Noah Weislo had 24 kills and two aces for Canisius. Geisler had 15 kills, two aces and two blocks, Connor Booth had 13 kills, three aces and three blocks and Ethan Weislo had 51 assists, five aces and five kills.

All of the losses this season for St. Francis (14-3) were to Canisius.

“To their credit, we knew they weren’t going to go away,” Tom Weislo said. “We just had to be patient and stick to our game plan and by in large, we did that.”

Another title for Lancers
By Staff, Buffalo News
Thursday, October 31, 2019

St. Mary’s of Lancaster lost only 16 sets and season, just one in league matches so the Lancers’ ninth straight Monsignor Martin Association girls championship came as no surprise Wednesday night.

Coach Don Pieczynski’s team defeated Sacred Heart, 25-21, 25-10 and 25-11, to wrap up the title.

The Lancers are 100-16 in set results and 39-4-2 in matches counting tournament play. Sacred Heart is 34-10-2.

Tournament MVP Marie Rhodes led the Lancers with 14 kills, Jasmine Brundage had 17 digs and Courtney Kurkowiak 34 assists.

“When our ball control is as good as it was today, I’ll take our chances against anyone in the state,” Pieczynski said proudly.

The Sharks gave St. Mary’s some difficulty in a competitive first set, but the Lancers soon took charge.

“We just had to keep our energy up,” Rhodes said. “There’s definitely a lot of pressure to keep it up. Everyone’s after us, so we have to be ready.”

Sacred Heart coach JT Ripper knew his team face a difficult challenge.

“They made adjustments to what they were doing, and we just couldn’t counter it,” Ripper said. “Hats off to them. They’re No. 1 in the league for a reason.”

News Staff contributed to this report.

Former Quakers set to be inducted into volleyball Hall
Orchard Park Bee
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The 10th induction class to the Western New York Men’s Volleyball Hall of Fame will take place Friday, Nov. 15, and will feature Brian Carroll, a former Orchard Park player; Hamburg coach Scott Leary, a former Orchard Park player; and Frank Cwiklinski, a long-time official.

While attending Orchard Park High School, Carroll excelled as a player under the coaching of Walt Stefani. In 1988, he earned ECIC Division 1 First Team All-Star status. During that season, Brian had 366 assists while accumulating 127 kills and hitting .635 from the floor. In 1989, he continued to show his stuff, leading the team in assists and kills, and once again earning All-Western York First Team honors, as well as selection to the Empire State Games squad. He was a two-time captain at OPHS.

In 1996, Carroll became Coach Carroll, and in his coaching tenure, during which he became a fixture in the WNY volleyball community, he racked up a record of 391-188 including six ECIC Division titles, seven Section VI Titles, two New York State Championships, and more than 25 All-WNY Selections. Carroll founded and directed The Southtowns Volleyball Club for 15 years.

He retired from coaching after 2018 to focus his attention and energy on his wife, Mary, and their four children, Mary, Patricia, Bria, and Evelyn.

The pinnacle of Leary’s volleyball career was the 1991 season, his senior year. The 1991 Orchard Park team, which Leary co-captained, accomplished an incredible, undefeated 25-0 record, winning every tournament in which they participated. The team won every match without having to play a deciding tie-breaker set.

He was named Most Valuable Player in each of those tournaments, an accomplishment that Western New York had never seen until that time. Awards came to Leary in 1991 in droves, earning tournament MVP honors four times and Channel 7’s Super 7 Athlete of the Week three times, earning a spot on the Mizuno All-Star Team, being named Orchard Park’s MVP, receiving the Maroon Key and earning a spot on the All-Western New York First Team.

Orchard Park took its undefeated season into the sectional championships, dominated all opponents and sweeping all victories in straight sets. Leary led the Quakers to their fourth Section VI Class A Championship.

After being crowned section champions, the Quakers moved to compete for the New York State Championship Class A title in Syracuse, where Leary raised the level of his game against the best teams in the state that night.

In the semifinals, Orchard Park whipped Half Hollow Hills from Long Island, 15-7, 15-3,15-9. The Quakers then moved on to play a mighty Gates-Chili squad from Rochester. Gates had three athletes playing on that team who would go on to collegiate fame. Again, the Quakers showed their talents, tackling Gates-Chili in straight sets, 15-6, 15-6, 17-15, to capture Orchard Park’s second state title.

Leary was named the Class A New York State title most valuable player for the two matches. He was a dominant force during the matches, accumulating an ace on 24-24 serves, four blocks, four digs and 38 kills, while hitting .613. Despite the activity around the net, he was blocked just three times during the two matches.

The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant, 3785 South Park Ave., Blasdell.

Tickets cost $31 and are available through Nov. 8 by calling Dennis Gooch at 683-7204.

Central girls volleyball team caps best effort in years with regular-season championship
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Cheektowaga Bee
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Cheektowaga’s girls volleyball team put the finishing touches on one of its best campaigns in years by securing the ECIC III regular-season title on Oct. 18 via its 25-17, 25-16, 25-15 triumph over Lake Shore.

The Lady Warriors “came out on fire,” coach Denee Hickson said, with their hitters attacking the net, their defenders picking up everything sent their way, and all of them executing flawlessly from the service line.

“It was a great feeling to end our regular season being division champs and securing a top seed heading into postseason play,” Hickson said. “I was so proud of the girls, as they stayed focused on one game at a time the entire year, and played through more adversity than any other team I have coached. They all rose to the occasion, whether they played the whole game, didn’t play at all, or played part time. I am just so proud of all of them.”

The Lady Warriors continued to thrive in the face of adversity on Oct. 21, defeating Amherst by a 25-21, 22-25, 25-18, 25-17 count even though the team’s starting libero did not play due to illness. Since there really hasn’t been any kind of extended stretch where the entire starting lineup has been on the court at the same time, the Lady Warriors just rolled with it and adjusted to the different positions they were put in to cover for the libero’s absence.

“I had to shuffle the lineup around for Amherst, as I have had to do all season except two games, and it worked out very well for us,” Hickson said. “The girls have adapted to all different lineups and have become used to it being the norm.”

Cheektowaga then capped its regular season on Oct. 23 with a 25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23 Senior Night victory over West Seneca West. Natalie Ruhlmann was strong from the service line for the Lady Warriors, as was Ally Alvira, while Alisiana Muscoreil and Aaliyah Jones attacked the net with proficiency.

“The first game was a bit of a battle, but after that it just was more of a back and forth kind of effort,” Hickson said.

Cheektowaga, which grabbed the two seed for the Class B-1 bracket of the playoffs, will host the winner of Wednesday’s prequarterfinal between seventh-seeded Dunkirk and 10th-seeded Maryvale on Friday. The winner will advance to Monday’s semifinal round, which Cheektowaga will host if it succeeds on Friday.

“The playoff bracket looks to be in our favor, so long as we stay focused on the task at hand,” Hickson said. “We have done this all year, and I foresee us doing this until the end.”

email: jnadolinski@beenews.com

East boys volleyball aiming to peak for postseason push
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, West Seneca Bee
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

West Seneca East’s boys volleyball team entered its final stretch of the regular season hoping to be playing its best volleyball of the season, and though coach Dave Kutina concedes that there are still some areas for improvement, he’s also confident the Trojans are on the right path toward making a significant run this postseason.

“Our goal from day one was to be playing tougher teams towards the end of the year in order to get ready for our playoff run, and while we’ve improved greatly over the course of the season, we’re still making some mistakes that we’re trying to fix,” Kutina said. “Our consistency on both offense and defense is some of that, but the best way to remedy that is by playing tough opponents, and I feel like that’s what we did to close out the regular season.”

One way to get in a bunch of contests against quality opponents is to play in a tournament, which is what the Trojans did Saturday when they traveled to Grand Island to take part in the Vikings’ annual gathering. East finished the morning’s pool play second after sweeping Amherst and Niagara Falls, but dropping two back and forth, “very close and very tough” games to North Tonawanda, Kutina said.

The top two teams in each pool went to the first round of the playoffs, where each group of three teams did a round-robin format of one game each against the other two squads. That’s where the tournament ended for the Trojans, however, as they were defeated by both the hosts and by Williamsville East.

“I think some of the best volleyball that we’ve played all year was against North Tonawanda, and they’re a good team so that’s certainly encouraging,” Kutina said. “I thought Jackson Strong played really well all day long, too; he was lights out defensively to where very little got by him.”

The tournament appearance was East’s first time on the court, in a competitive sense, since its 25-23, 21-25, 17-25, 9-25 loss to St. Francis on Oct. 21. Cole Ignaszak finished the match with 14 kills, two blocks and an ace, while Strong chipped in with eight kills, four aces, 11 digs and a block. Kaden Strong had four digs and served up five aces of his own, while Sean Tucci dished out 24 assists.

“St. Francis is a really tough team and they really kicked it into another gear after the first game to where we struggled to hang with them,” Kutina said. “They helped us identify things we need to work on, though, and fortunately we have some time to work on those things.”

East came into the St. Francis match feeling good about its chances after wrapping up a 9-1 mark in ECIC II play – which was good for the regular season title – on Oct. 18 with a 25-15, 27-25, 25-17 victory over Iroquois. Colin Buisch was brought up from the JV team – and will remain with the varsity squad for the postseason – and recorded two aces and seven assists. Ignaszak, meanwhile, had eight kills to guide the offense.

Troy Ignaszak chipped in with six kills and six digs, while Strong had seven digs, six aces and three kills. Tucci dished out 14 assists to go along with his two blocks and two kills.

“The Iroquois match went well for us,” Kutina said. “We were able to work on the things we wanted to work on, from a team standpoint, in the first and third games, and we were able to get our backup setter in during the second game and he did a great job of running things for us.”

East, which finished the regular season 13-5 overall, was set to learn its playoff fate Tuesday evening, but that information was not available before The Bee went to press. Regardless of who the Trojans draw for their opener – Kutina believed his squad was a lock for a first-round bye – they should be in a good spot to make a significant run throughout the playoffs.

What makes East so confident ahead of the playoffs, you ask? The play of its mainstays certainly helps: Heading into the postseason, Tucci had already set school records for most assists in a match (43) and season (467), while Cole Ignaszak did the same for kills in a match (24) and season (246). Jackson Strong has also set school records for most aces in a match (12) and season (95).

“One of the bigger things we need to be ready for is the three-week break between our final divisional match and our first playoff match,” Kutina said. “We need to be sure that we keep things up with the team. That’s one of the reasons we lined up a scrimmage with Frontier on Thursday, so that we can test ourselves in a setting where we don’t have to worry about the outcome if we want to try some different things out.

“We just need to make sure, once we get going, that we don’t revert to our old ways,” Kutina continued. “It can be tough under pressure to remember all of the lessons we learned over the course of the season and to stick to the game plan, especially as the competition gets better. That’s why the theme of our practices from here on out will include developing strong new habits and correcting old mistakes.”

email: jnadolinski@beenews.com

Clarence wins coin toss for top seed
Buffalo News
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Clarence gained the No. 1 seed by a coin flip over Orchard Park and received a first-round bye in the boys volleyball Division 1 tournament in brackets announced for the sectionals. Clarence will take on the winner of next Tuesday’s Niagara Falls-at-Frontier match, on Friday, Nov. 8.
Grand Island in Division 2A and Eden in 2B are the other top seeds in the sectional brackets. They are the defending champions in their brackets but Eden won the overall Division 2 championship last season.

SUCCESS
Amherst Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Williamsville South’s JV girls volleyball team won the silver bracket at the Lancaster Volleyball Tournament Oct. 12. Team members include from left, bottom row: Meeghan Peterson, Kylee Storch, Sarah Taggart, Jillian Kneis and Grace Lawida; top row: head coach Morgan Waple, Ameliyah Bastein, Abby Brooks, Tori Nalbach, Jillian Donahue, Bella Styn, Leah Solomon, Caroline Peter, and assistant coach Jon Hoy.

East boys volleyball takes runner-up at GI tourney
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter, Amherst Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Williamsville East took runner up at Saturday’s annual Grand Island Boys Volleyball Tournament, losing to host school, Grand Island, 15-25, 12-25, in the finals.

“We ran out of gas and our serve receive shut down,” East coach Chris Conrad said. “If we had a fresh attempt and our serving was strong, we might have given them a run for their money.”

The tournament was a grind for the Flames.

To reach the finals, East beat West Seneca West, 25-23, 25-23, in the semifinals. David Campbell, Ryan Szymendara, Jack Winterhalter and Joe Mack combined for 13 blocks in each game. Szymendara, a middle hitter, and Mack, a right-side hitter, were both named to the all-tournament team.

“It was a triple block party,” Conrad said. “We shut down their middle. We had touches on everything.”

Mack finished the West match with 16 kills.

“He ended the second game against West with a block and a kill,” Conrad said. “It was probably the best two consecutive points I have seen in East volleyball. He was on fire.”

In pool play, the Flames came back to beat Kenmore West, 25-19, 25-19; and then lost to West Seneca West, 23-25, 23-25; and beat Williamsville South, 22-25, 15-25.

That advanced the Flames into playoffs where they dominated West Seneca East, 25-17 and lost to Grand Island, 21-25.

Mack recorded six blocks against West Seneca East.

Leading up to the match, East won in three games over Amherst Oct. 15, lost in five to Sweet Home and St. Joe’s, Oct. 18 and Oct. 22, and lost in three against Clarence Wednesday in a match that they led 6-0 to start the first game.

Williamsville South

The Billies went 1-5 in pool play at the Grand Island Invitational, falling to West Seneca West, 19-25, 22-25; Williamsville East 22-25, 15-25 and Kenmore West 25-27, 25-23.

“We were very competitive all day long,” South coach Thom Knab said. “We just didn’t have enough.”

Matt Angello recorded 14 kills and three blocks throughout the day.

Ryan Setlock added nine kills and Tom Binda had seven kills and three blocks.

Earlier in the week, South dropped non-league matches against St. Francis 14-25, 12-25, 12-25, Oct. 23, and North Tonawanda, 9-25, 23-25, 11-25 Wednesday.

Knab said his team did not pass well and could not build an attack against St. Francis. Setlock had four kills and Binda contributed three kills.

Knab said North Tonawanda’s passing and hitting did not allow his team to generate a lot of attack.

Setlock tallied four kills and four blocks, and Angello added four kills.

South hosted Hutch-Tech in its senior night Tuesday, but information about the match was unavailable before press time.

Sacred Heart girls volleyball splits final regular-season matches
Tudor records 1,000th dig
Amherst Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Sacred Heart’s girls volleyball team split its final two home matches of the regular season, losing to St. Mary’s of Lancaster, 13-25, 14-25, 25-23, 19-25 on Oct. 21, and beating Grand Island 25-16, 25-16, 15-22 on Oct. 22.

The Sharks didn’t start out strong against St. Mary’s, allowing the Lady Lancers to easily take the first two games. The Sharks battled back to win game three and played game four well but lost the match.

Senior captain Hannah Tudor recorded her 1,000th dig during the second game of the match.

Sophomore Isabella Allen led the offense with 11 kills and two aces. She also contributed 10 serve receptions and five digs.

Tudor led the defense with 16 serve receptions and 16 digs. She also recorded two assists.

Also contributing for the team were senior captain Siobhan Ryan (8 kills, 17 serve receptions, 10 digs); junior Grace Meyers (10 assists, 2 aces, 5 digs); sophomore Blair Kuzniarek (12 assists, 1 ace, 3 digs); senior Catie Grable (10 kills,1 dig); senior Megan Vincek (3 kills, 3 digs); junior Kayleigh Colleary (2 kills, 1 dig); junior Erin Trapper (2 kills); and junior Charlotte Collard (1 kill).

The Sharks “pinked the court” for their final game of the regular season against Grand Island Oct. 22.

Ryan led the Sharks’ offense with 12 kills. She also recorded eight serve receptions and six digs.

Tudor again led the defense with 24 digs and 16 serve receptions. She also contributed four aces and three assists.

Also contributing to the win were Blair Kuzniarek (10 assists, 3 aces, 1 kill, 3 digs); Allen (5 kills, 6 serve receptions, 4 digs); Meyers (4 assists, 1 ace, 3 digs); Collard (4 kills, 1 ace, 2 digs); sophomore Isabella Judge (3 assists, 1 ace); senior Alexis Kuzniarek (3 digs, 1 serve reception); Vincek (2 kills, 2 digs); Grable (3 kills), Colleary (2 kills); and sophomore Kathryn Tocke (1 kill).

The Sharks finished the regular season with a 13-5 overall record and 9-3 mark in the Monsignor Martin League.

The Sharks finished second in the Monsignor Martin League, earning a bye for the quarterfinals. The Sharks played Nardin Academy in the semifinals Monday at St. Mary’s, but additional information was unavailable before press time. If they win, they advance to the championship game on Wednesday at St. Mary’s against the winner of the other semifinal between St. Mary’s and Mount St. Mary.

East girls volleyball beats North
Amherst Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Williamsville East’s girls volleyball team heads into the Section VI playoffs as winners of four of its previous five matches after downing Williamsville North 20-25, 25-18, 25-11, 16-25, 25-11 Thursday. The win over North improved East’s overall record to 8-8.

“It’s a good win for a lot of reasons, such as preparing for playoffs and getting back to an 8-8 record after an 0-3 start,” East coach Scott Wright said.

Juliet Scinta led the Lady Flames with a season-high 12 kills. She also recorded two blocks.

“When we pass at a high rate, we are able to use the middle more,” Wright said. “She is really improving every day in practice and in games.”

Outside hitter Madison Smith added nine kills and five digs.

Trinity Sullivan, who has secured an outside position opposite of Smith, added six kills and seven digs.

Setters Summer Clark and Lilli Mucica also had strong games.

Clark tallied six kills, 14 assists, six digs and four blocks, and Lilli Mucica had two kills, 15 assists and six digs.

Defensive specialists Diana Stone and Alexa Stutzman chipped in 13 and 12 digs, respectively.

East is the sixth seed for the Section VI Class A Tournament and hosts 11th-seed Kenmore West in a prequarterfinal match at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Clarence Boys volleyball tops Will East, Hamburg
Clarence Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Clarence’s boys volleyball team entered Monday’s regular season finale with West Seneca West with plenty of momentum on its side after defeating both Williamsville East and Hamburg last week.

Information about the match with the Indians (8-8, 7-4 ECIC I) was not available at press time, but with a victory,

Clarence will have earned a share of the regular-season league title for the first time since 2016 – when the Red Devils went on to win the Section VI championship.

“Monday’s match with West is a big one, and I certainly think we have what it takes to do what the 2016 team did if we stay focused and keep working hard,” coach David Hill said. “I am certainly excited to see what the next couple of weeks have in store for us.”

Clarence (14-1, 10-1 ECIC I) kicked off its final leg of the regular season by posting a 25-17, 25-15, 27-25 victory over league foe Hamburg on Oct. 21. Johnny Bly and Logan Fish (five blocks) each had nine kills on the day to pace the Red Devils, while Andrew Ratzel chipped in with four kills and five aces. Teddy Payne dished out 22 assists and also had a pair of blocks.

Two nights later the Red Devils took down Williamsville East by 25-17, 25-20, 25-18 scores to successfully mark this year’s senior night match. Payne had eight kills, 23 assists and four aces to lead the way, while Zach Ciraolo chipped in with six kills. Andrew Schlabach had 11 assists to go along with his seven kills, while Matt Sausen chipped in with another 10 kills. Ratzel contributed eight kills, while Fish had five kills and seven blocks.

“It was a great way for the seniors to celebrate their careers, as they all played a big part in the win,” Hill said. “They are a great group of seniors, and it was an honor to coach them the past two years.”

Information about Clarence’s initial playoff opponent was not available before The Bee went to press.

NT boys volleyball uses tourney as playoff prep
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

North Tonawanda’s boys volleyball team got a chance to do some early playoff scouting Saturday when it took part in Grand Island’s 17th annual tournament, which helped make an already fun day of competition even more meaningful for the Lumberjacks and coach Luke Hodgson.

North Tonawanda, which was upended by the hosts by 25-16, 25-14 marks in the semifinal round, received strong play all day long from Lumberjack stalwarts Josh Roy and Noah Fox. The tournament also served as an opportunity for Hodgson to see just how far his squad has come since the beginning of the season, and it’s safe to say he liked what he saw.

“A tournament like this Grand Island one is a huge gift because you get to see a lot of the teams that you might wind up playing in the playoffs, and the biggest thing in terms of that is how we got to see that we can play with a lot of the ECIC schools that are out there,” Hodgson said. “We saw that we can keep pace with them or even beat them. There are still some things we can work on, like being faster and always pushing on offense to be as efficient as we can be. Things can sometimes get a little slow, and that tends to make things out of system some, so if we can be more efficient and increase our speed of play on offense, I truly thing we can be pretty good.

“And it was no surprise that Josh and Noah had nice tournaments for us, as they shoulder so much of the burden for us every single match,” Hodgson continued. “Noah is an absolute godsend with his athleticism and drive to get the point; he just seems to hang in the air for three or four seconds whenever he’s going after the point. And Josh, he can just hit through or around blocks, and just the way that he gets to the ball and terminates it is impressive. On top of them, though, I thought it was really nice to see Joe Milioto continue to stand out as an all-around player Saturday. He’s worked really hard all year long and found his way into the back row as someone we can rely on as a consistent and constant passer.”

North Tonawanda came into the tournament looking to do well after taking down Williamsville South two days earlier in this year’s senior night match, winning by 25-9, 23-23, 25-11 marks. Hodgson’s players were amped up not only by the prospect of sending their senior teammates off on a high note, but also thanks to the presence of the school’s pep band keeping the atmosphere charged during timeouts and in between games. North Tonawanda found itself playing in what Hodgson called a college-like atmosphere.

Roy led the way for the Lumberjacks – and the squad’s senior class – on the night with 15 kills and four aces, while Fox put down 11 kills as well. The seniors, a group that also includes Josh Trenchard, Hayden St. Cyr, Ryan Plumer and William Schwab this season, closed out the match in the third set; Schwab elicited tons of cheers from the crowd every time he collected his left-handed kills from the right side of the net, while Plumer – who came out for the team for the first time last year after previously playing soccer – “had the other guys pumped up over the moon” when he recorded his blocks and kills.

“No one wanted to let anyone down, especially going up against an ECIC team, so everyone picked their games up,” Hodgson said. “Hardly any balls hit the ground, and we terminated the ball on about 80% of the plays. It was just a great way to close out the home portion of our schedule.”

North Tonawanda was primed for a good showing against the Billies after defeating Starpoint to start the week, 25-10, 25-19, 17-25, 25-21, on Oct. 21. That match provided tangible proof to the Lumberjacks about the value that speed and intensity to start a contest can bring to a team, as Hodgson said his squad came out focused to the point of playing virtually flawless volleyball in the first game. North Tonawanda’s serving, especially to start the match, “was sharp and in the spots where we wanted it to be,” Hodgson said.

Starpoint refused to go down without a fight, though, and rallied in the third game to make things interesting, but the Lumberjacks recovered and played with their earlier toughness in the fourth game to close out the decision.

“When we react to other teams, that’s when we have more of a fight on our hands,” Hodgson said. “I wanted us to use the last week of the regular season as an opportunity to build up our speed and play our offense, and with Starpoint specifically, having split with them in tournament play earlier this season, we collectively wanted to do well. But, our hats off to them for not giving up and giving us a great fight and great match down the stretch. It just reinforced the mindset you need for the playoffs of continuing to fight for your points and finding a way to come back if you drop a game.”

Roy led the way for North Tonawanda with 16 kills, while Fox added 13 kills. Trenchard dished out 33 total assists on the night for North Tonawanda, which finished the regular season 9-3 in NFL league play – good for second place – and 11-4 overall.

Information about whom the Lumberjacks will play in their first playoff match was revealed after The Bee had gone to press, but no matter who lines up against North Tonawanda once the Division II-A bracket gets underway, Hodgson is confident his squad will be ready for the challenge.

“We’ll spend this week working on all types of situational things in practice, focusing on certain situations and places on the court,” Hodgson said. “We’ll fine-tune our serve and our defense, and then once we know who our foe. is we’ll look at film – if we can get it – and tailor our approach to that certain team to get in the right frame of mind. No matter who we play, though, our goal has always been to be as successful as we can be, and we feel we have a shot at going quite far in the playoffs this season.”

Thunder quieted by Lancers in semis
Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Mount St. Mary volleyball team could not follow up their quarterfinal playoff win against Mount Mercy Academy with an upset win over St. Mary’s of Lancaster, as the Thunder dropped the semifinal match against the top-seeded Lancers in straight sets on Monday night.

The Lancers took the first set 25-12, the second set 25-10 and the definitive set 25-12 again.

Mya Shotwell had 3 kills, Sophia Young had 8 assists, Gabby Giglia had 2 blocks and Sam Hare had 23 digs to lead the Thunder.

Mount St. Mary was coming off of a straight-set win of their own in the quarterfinals against Mount Mercy Academy, which the Thunder took by scores of 25-16, 25-15 and 27-25.

Shotwell had 5 kills, Young recorded 10 assists, Morgan Feyko had 4 blocks and Sam Hare finished with 15 digs to pace the Thunder in their win versus the Wizards.

Lady ’Jacks looking to bounce back after falling in regular-season finale
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter, Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

An off night in the passing game prevented North Tonawanda’s girls volleyball team from ending its regular season on a winning note Oct. 22, as the Lady Lumberjacks were upended by Starpoint by 19-25, 18-25, 21-25 marks to fall to 9-9 overall on the season.

Emily McNeill had six kills on the night, while McCartney Geartz added four kills and two aces for the Lady Lumberjacks, who struggled to find a rhythm offensively due to the night’s tough passing.

“It can be difficult to run your offense when you’re struggling with your passing,” coach Katie Harrington said. “The girls worked together all night, though, and did their best to correct their errors, but while we knew what we needed to fix, we just unfortunately couldn’t get things to click in our favor. It was nice to play a team we had not seen yet going into playoffs, though.”

The finale at Starpoint was North Tonawanda’s return to the court following its own annual tournament that it hosted on Oct. 19. The Lady Lumberjacks achieved their goal of reaching the gold bracket for the playoffs, but in the end, Sweet Home squeaked out a narrow win to end North Tonawanda’s run in the semifinal round.

“We knew with it being a tournament that we needed to be loud and quick, and we did just that,” Harrington said. “We did not let mistakes linger over our heads. The tournament always comes after our homecoming week, though, so it is always crazy and exhausting for all – but we did a nice job of staying focused.”

Prior to the tournament, North Tonawanda was able to take down Lew-Port by a 25-15, 25-19, 25-15 count on Oct. 16. The Lady Lumberjacks had a lineup of all seniors except for the setter for the first and third games of this year’s senior night match, and they all performed in a manner befitting the accomplishments and leadership that they have collectively provided during their tenures with the varsity squad.

Paige Book dished out 12 assists on the night for the victors, while Emily Anastasi had 11 digs. Kira Dewey had 15 digs and served up a pair of aces, while Geartz finished with five kills and two aces.

“It was definitely a nice night to celebrate our seniors, who will truly be missed next season,” Harrington said. “Things have been going well for us in general as of late, and it feels like our heads are in the right spot to have us clicking at the perfect time. The girls are finding their confidence and are able to trust their teammates. They do not let a small mistake or small string of points throw them off.”

North Tonawanda, which finished the year with a 9-7 record against NFL teams, begins its Class A playoff run at 6 p.m. tonight with a prequarterfinal round contest against ninth-seeded Sweet Home.

Should the Lady Lumberjacks get revenge on the squad that ended their tournament run a couple of weeks ago, they will move on to face top-seeded Williamsville South on Friday.

“Having played them twice, actually, in our tournament, we know what we need to do to prepare for them,” Harrington said. “And, it’s great that we have home-court advantage, since we have not had a home playoff game in a few years. We’ve already had some simple yet productive practices since the Starpoint match, and the attitude, effort and vibe are all right where we need them to be going into Wednesday’s match.”

East tops West in cross-town clash
by BRYAN JACKSON Reporter, Ken-Ton Bee
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The gridiron wasn’t the only venue playing host to the latest round of the rivalry between Kenmore East and Kenmore West this past weekend, as the Bulldogs and Blue Devils squared off on the volleyball court on Friday night.

With senior night festivities for Kenmore West hanging in the air, the Bulldogs and Blue Devils battled through a close five-set match, with Kenmore East pulling out the win by way of a 15-13 victory in the decisive final set.

“My boys were ready for battle,” Kenmore East head coach Nick Sereday said. “Every member of the team contributed in their own individual way. Everyone put in the necessary effort needed in each situation.”

Kenmore East took the first set 25-18 before dropping the next two to the Blue Devils by counts of 25-21 and 25-22, respectively. However, the Bulldogs bounced back in the fourth set, winning 25-22 to knot the contest at two sets apiece, before taking the fifth set and the match 3-2.

The Bulldogs (6-11, 1-11 Niagara Frontier League) were led by Mike Greiner, who recorded 30 assists, five blocks, three kills and an ace against Kenmore West. Sereday said Greiner’s importance during the match against the Blue Devils extended beyond the stat sheet.

“Mike Greiner, my two-year captain and starting setter, stood out during the whole game,” he said. “He was able to get his team up when their morale was low by digging deep and pushing with everything he had.”

The loss was certainly not the way Kenmore West (5-8, 5-7 NFL) wanted to end its league season, the Blue Devils’ head coach Daniel Norton said he was proud of the effort his team put in on Friday.

“I think my guys were ready for the challenge of this rivalry game,” he said. “At every practice they play hard, diving for digs or tips, just as if they were playing in a real match. The work effort in the group shows that they want to not only improve but win matches. These young men are a family and they push each other hard, but at the end of the day when we either win or lose they’re always working to bring their teammates up. It’s a great feeling as a coach to know you have a group of young men that would do anything for the guy next to them.”

Norton said small communication errors in the fifth set led to the loss for the Blue Devils.

Kenmore West had been coming off a win against Niagara Wheatfield, their likely opponent in the coming sectional tournament, in which the Blue Devils were led by Chris Falzone (9 kills, 4 blocks); Jonah Tramont (10 kills, 3 blocks); Will Hudson (8 kills); Tyler Barlow (10 digs); and Dylan Kaiser (32 assists). Kenmore West did not record stats on senior night.

The Blue Devils will compete in the Grand Island Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 26, and both teams will head into sectionals soon thereafter. However, seedings for sectionals have not yet been finalized.

Western New York 2019 Boys Top 10 Poll - 10/29/19
Buffalo News
Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Western New York 2019 Girls Top 10 Poll - 10/29/19
Buffalo News
Tuesday, October 29, 2019