Tuesday Sectionals: No. 1 Lady Eagles sweep No. 4 Ark/Can to advance to D3 Finals, will face No. 3 Houghton Academy in Allegany County fight for brick
GENESEO — A rare opportunity to potentially create some history for Fillmore stood at the other side of the spectrum coming up on Friday. All the top-seeded Lady Eagles had to do was get there.
Tuesday night, they faced a familiar foe in No. 4 Arkport/Canaseraga for a chance to play for it all. Right from the start, they did not let it slip through their grasp.
From the first set in Geneseo, Fillmore started out with as dominant of a set you could imagine, holding the Lady Wolves to just seven points to come away triumphant with the night’s first lead. It would prove paramount coming down the stretch, continuing to keep their opposition in check the entire night, as they rolled toward a spot in Friday’s Class D3 Finals with a straight-set, 25-7, 25-11, 25-15 win to punch their ticket.
“I can’t believe it,” said Lady Eagles coach Lacie Fuller. “I thought the girls, with their focus and energy, it was the best level it’s been all season tonight. Our passing was sharp, which allowed Zoe (Hubbard) to feed our hitters with good results all night. We are peaking at just the right time, and we are excited for the opportunity to play for a Championship on Friday.”
The Lady Eagles (11-6) saw Hubbard set everything up for her fellow teammates on offense, remaining relatively active behind her 23 assists at the front of the net to pair with her three kills. Garnering the most of that offensive production was Emma Cole, who recorded a game-high 22 kills, coupling them with nine aces from the line and one block.
Helping further the team’s cause was Jadyn Mucher, who added in three more aces of her own to pair with two kills and an assist, while Haylee Holmes recorded six aces.
Fillmore will look to record some history come Friday when they head to LeRoy. With the boys and girls soccer teams having already won Sectional titles, the Lady Eagles will look to complete the Fall season trifecta with the Triple Crown’s final jewel when they square off with No. 3 Houghton Academy in an all Allegany County battle for the Class D3 title.
The third-seeded Lady Panthers defeated No. 2 Notre Dame-Batavia in four sets on LeRoy earlier in the evening, taking the 25-23, 14-25, 25-20, 25-20 decision to advance and claim the final spot in the Finals this weekend.
No stats were provided for Houghton Academy upon publication.
The Lady Panthers and Lady Eagles, who have split their two-game set in the regular season, both in five sets, will do battle one last time beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Class D2 Semifinals
No. 1 Harley Allendale-Columbia 3, No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg 0
GENESEO — The fourth-seeded Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg gave top-seeded HAC everything they could handle on Tuesday. After coming out strong with one of their best opening set performances, the Lady Wolves found a way to be resilient however.
After finding a way to come out on top with the early match lead, the top seeds built upon it later on down the stretch, finding a way to slow Bolivar-Richburg down to force a straight-set Semifinal victory in the Class D2 Tournament, as they flew toward a Finals berth with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-17 victory.
“The girls had a great season overall. They knew how they wanted their season to go this year, and I say they did a great job with several accomplishments along the way,” said Lady Wolverines coach Demi Elliott. “They played together year round, and ended their season making it to the Semifinal game where they fought back and forth with the number one seed. We have always been just the little town of Bolivar, but I thank this group for finally making Bolivar known and on the map when it comes to volleyball.”
In the team’s final game of what has been an extraordinary season on the floor, the Lady Wolverines (14-5) were led by the offensive efforts of Jianna Scott, who recorded 11 kills and six blocks on the attack. On defense, Haley Mascho and Kori Thomas each collected 12 and 10 digs, respectively.
Up front at the net, setter Kaitlyn Graves handed out 12 assists to pair with her nine digs on defense.
The Lady Wolverines season is officially in the books, as they conclude a marvelous 2021 season on the floor with a record of 14-5. The team will graduate just two Seniors at the end of the school year in Scott and Graves.
After the game, Elliott says she’s already looking forward to seeing what her team will bring next year.
“Jianna Scott will be furthering her career by playing on a number one travel team out of Rochester, and has set school records with her stats this season. I wish both her and Kaitlyn all the best of luck. I know my underclassmen are ready to get back to work, and see what we have in store for next year. I’m excited to see what it brings.”
