Monday Roundup: Chaotic 1st half sees GV/Belfast overcome slow start, net 4 goals in 8 minutes to end Houghton’s 7-game win streak; Olean hands B-R volleyball 1st loss in straight sets

HOUGHTON — Lessons were learned when the Houghton Academy Panthers first met Genesee Valley/Belfast for their very first game of the season, three short weeks ago.

Since then, both teams have been at the very apex of their game, with the Panthers winning the last seven in a row following an 0-2 start to the season, while Genesee Valley/Belfast has yet to make their first appearance in the loss column during regulation play, winning seven of their eight total decisions.

On Monday, the two foes met for a second and final time this year to settle the score once and for all.

The first 40 minutes turned into an electric factory on the pitch, as both teams combined to record all six goals the game would see. In the initial stages, it was the Panthers that struck first with the game’s lone lead. But as time went on, Genesee Valley/Belfast began to find more and more rhythm. How much exactly?

How about four straight goals in eight minutes?

Genesee Valley/Belfast showed no signs of slowing down whatsoever. When the heat was on, it was on for the visitors, as they swarmed the Houghton Academy net with an overzealous amount of speed, along with some finesse to keep the Panthers on their feet every step of the way, as they downed the Panthers to remain undefeated on the campaign along with ending their seven-game win streak by a 4-2 count.

The Panthers had held their own across the first several minutes of the opening half, keeping Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-0-1) at bay as much as they could until they could get their attack moving in the right direction for Josh Davidson. Near midway, the Panthers junior struck gold following a throw-in from near midfield. Davidson then picked up possession after a series of passes worked its way to him, including one from Huy Ho, who delivered the primary assist on the marker, as he scored it straight to the top shelf above Zach Thomas for a 1-0 lead.

With less than 15 minutes remaining in the half, Genesee Valley/Belfast managed to tie the game and then some, as they scored the first of four straight markers in an eight-minute span off the foot of Sal Gambino from the near corner, spinning his kick straight in on the Panthers (7-3) goal on the far side.

Just over a minute removed from that game-tying marker, Jordan White gave Genesee Valley/Belfast the lead behind his shot straight above to the top shelf of the Panthers net after a series of passes — one off the foot of Gambino, which served as the goal’s primary assist, near midfield made its way to him.

They provided two massive extensions to their lead right before the half concluded, as Ian McKenzie sent in a ball that slipped right through the hands of Jerry Pham and into the net, and then with nearly five minutes left, Gambino cashed in on his second of the game following a quick pass from Callahan Tallman near midfield, firing it home to the top shelf one more time to create a 4-1 Genesee Valley/Belfast lead.

The first half and the scoring overall between both clubs, reached its conclusion with less than a minute remaining, as David Jatta found the back of the net of a breakaway rush to the Genesee Valley/Belfast net, beating out the backend pressure to cut the deficit right down the middle going into the break.

The advantage for Genesee Valley/Belfast’s case — remained the same, as they went on to secure the victory behind another tough half of soccer in the second 40 minute session.

A combined 25 shots were posted between both teams, with Genesee Valley/Belfast claiming the advantage. In net, Zach Thomas recorded the win behind nine saves out of 11 shots faced from the Panthers, while Jerry Pham made 10 saves for the hosts in blue and white out of 14 total shots.

Both teams will march back onto the field on Wednesday, with Genesee Valley/Belfast heading back home to the Rich Sullivan Complex to host Cuba-Rushford in a 5 p.m. contest, while Houghton Academy heads up the road to visit crosstown rival Fillmore for battle at 7 p.m.

Fillmore 2, Andover/Whitesville 2

WHITESVILLE — After 100 minutes of complete soccer on both ends of the pitch, there was no outright decision to be had on a Monday night in Whitesville, as both the Eagles of Fillmore and host Andover/Whitesville raced to the finish line side-by-side to claim their second ties of the campaign, ultimately coming together to hand deliver a 2-2 tie when it was all said and done.

In Whitesville, the lead was Andover/Whitesville’s (4-4-2) to assume control of from the back end of the opening half until the very end of regulation, as they took the game’s first lead off a bold Colton Calladine marker off the foot of Gage Putnam near midway. But it was not long after until Fillmore formulated a response of swift nature themselves to immediately tie the game, as Jared Boon connected with the team’s first score on a solo rush into the offensive zone.

Right before the first half reached its conclusion, Andover/Whitesville would maintain their momentum going into the break with another go-ahead spark from Brody Vance, who found the back of the Eagles net with 13:55 left on the clock off a pass dished off by Carter Grice.

The one-goal advantage for the hosts would remain firmly in their control until Fillmore found their way onto the board one final time, as Carson Sanasith delivered an absolutely enormous strike to tie the game at two with 3:30 left to go, forcing ultimately every session of overtime possible — 20 extra minutes that could not aid in determining a winner, as Andover/Whitesville and Fillmore both settled on a deadlock, their second and third of the season respectively.

Between the two teams, 24 shots combined were applied on their respective cages, with the Eagles (5-1-3) claiming a narrow 13-11 advantage. In net, Brayden Hennard made nine stops for the Eagles, while Skylar Orpet made 11 saves for Andover/Whitesville.

Both teams are back on the pitch Wednesday night, with Andover/Whitesville heading over the hill to Andover to welcome in Avoca-Prattsburgh for battle in a 6 p.m. first kick, while Fillmore heads back home to host crosstown rival Houghton Academy beginning at 7 p.m.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Bolivar-Richburg 1

CUBA — With head coach Rob Wight away from the team due to a family matter, Monday night brought about an opportunity for assistant coach Keeton Sittig to record his first career victory in his place for the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford. Out of the gate, they set the tone right away in the first 40 minutes, scoring all three of their goals in the opening frame to set up a 3-1 home victory over visiting Bolivar-Richburg.

“My congratulations go to interim head coach Keeton Sittig on his first career win, as I was unable to attend due to a family matter,” Wight said. “I’m proud of the way the boys came out and put their foot on the gas early. Caleb Elliott made a huge penalty kick save early in the second half when Bolivar-Richburg had all the momentum. They could have made it 3-2 very easily, but we did a great job to see the game out from there against a tough county rival.”

The Rebels (4-4-1) survived a fierce battle for possession with Bolivar-Richburg across the first half leading up to the last 15 minutes of play, where they were able to finally provide a breakthrough on the attack, scoring all three of their goals in a span of five minutes. Their first stemmed off a Carter Brown rush led up the field, shifting his pass off moments later to Chase Haas to finish off for a 1-0 lead.

Just over two minutes later, the advantage was doubled against the Wolverines (1-8-1) with the first of two Robert Childs markers, with Haas having a helping hand on the first before Brown dished off a big helper of his own with 8:16 left to create a big 3-0 cushion. The lead would remain intact until Bolivar-Richburg found a way to remove the shutout on the scoreboard, as Landon Barkley connected with the back of the Cuba-Rushford net off a pass from Gary McDowell.

The Wolverines were granted a massive opportunity to close the gap to one with 20:20 left in regulation, garnering a penalty kick. But Caleb Elliott would stand tall at the end of the chance, as he put his mitts on a fantastic save to keep the two-goal cushion glued together until the end of the game. The save was one of eight Elliott had in between the posts to record the victory.

Cuba-Rushford proceeded to record an 11-9 outshooting of Bolivar-Richburg in net, with Ayden Music making eight saves for the Wolverines.

Both teams are back in action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with the Rebels traveling to the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast to meet Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Bolivar-Richburg heads back home to Dunsmore-Latimer Field to host Friendship/Scio.

Jasper-Troupsburg 2, Friendship/Scio 1

JASPER — Jasper-Troupsburg’s James Ainsworth had the first and final say for the Wildcats against Friendship/Scio on Monday. With all three goals between both teams being scored in the first 40 minutes of play, Ainsworth helped deliver the team their first lead before regaining in before halftime with his second score, as he allowed them to remain out in front with what was a 2-1 home win.

Ainsworth got the Wildcats going on a hot start with his first of two markers for Jasper-Troupsburg, finding the back of the net first just past the three minute mark of the opening half. The score would remain a one-goal difference, as the two teams battled for possession across the field. But with 4:27 left in the frame, Connor Blouvet broke the goose egg on the scoreboard for Friendship/Scio (0-10) in a big way with a game-tying score.

But as quick as Ainsworth got the Wildcats on the board, he was even quicker trying to give them the lead before the break, as he recorded his second of the game just 1:27 later to score what was a 2-1 lead that Jasper-Troupsburg never lost again.

A 10-5 shots advantage was held by Friendship/Scio at the end of all 80 minutes, with Deacon Brown making three saves in between the posts.

Friendship/Scio will return to the field on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. visit to Bolivar-Richburg.

GIRLS SOCCER

Dansville 2, Wellsville 1

WELLSVILLE — After a wildly competitive first half of play, the action set up the stage for an exciting conclusion to the night in the Lion’s Den on Monday.

Between Dansville and the host Lady Lions of Wellsville, all three goals were scored in the last 20 minutes of play, following a scoreless battle on the attack heading into the break. But the Lady Mustangs were able strike first, setting the tone the rest of the way despite the Lady Lions carving their deficit in half in the last five minutes of play, as Dansville held on until the bitter end to secure a 2-1 victory.

With both teams exchanging scoreless barbs through the first 40 minutes of play, it would ramp up in the back half of time remaining with the Lady Mustangs and their search to find the back of the net first. Crossing midway in the stanza, Peyton Allison provided a throw-in right in front of her to Mya Hayes. The rest was history, as Hayes dribbled from the far sideline to the middle of the Wellsville (4-6) net, juking a trio of Lady Lions defenders before roofing her shot straight to the top shelf to break the ice.

Six minutes later, the lead was doubled for Dansville, as they supplied a monstrous piece of insurance from the foot of Baylee Hayes, who took advantage of an errant Wellsville goal kick by intercepting it near the 30-yard line. After taking a 15-yard dribble back into the offensive zone, Hayes ripped a shot in the same spot as the last goal — directly to the top shelf above Lydia Kaye in between the posts, finishing off the scoring with a 2-0 lead and 14:22 left to play.

The Lady Lions would continue to work, trying to trim the deficit down as fast as they could. Their best opportunity to do just that, succeeded with under five minutes remaining in the battle, as Alexa Hennessy picked up a loose ball in front of the Dansville 18 following an Ayla Faulkner corner into the offensive zone. Hennessy with possession, shook off a Dansville defender before ripping a shot straight home to the far side of the cage to cut the lead in half.

But despite the marker, Dansville was able to hold the fort down for the last 4:22 on the clock, as they escaped town with a big victory over their Class B counterparts.

Both teams recorded 13 shots on their respective nets, with Lydia Kaye making 11 saves for the Lady Lions.

Wellsville is back on the pitch come Wednesday night, hosting Campbell-Savona in a 5 p.m. first kick.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Olean 3, Bolivar-Richburg 0

BOLIVAR — For the first time this season, the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg had met their match on Monday. After visiting Olean staved off a late first set rally, the Lady Huskies went on to buckle down and keep their opposition at bay for the remainder of the match, as they rolled to a straight-set sweep by a 25-20, 25-16, 25-21 count.

Bolivar-Richburg (6-1) and Olean battled back-and-forth in the early stages of battle, working towards an early 7-7 deadlock before the Lady Huskies were able to unearth some vacancies on the opposite side of the floor, netting the next five points in a row to branch out their advantage. The lead would eventually cross into double-digit territory, reaching as high as 11 points, but despite it, the Lady Wolverines were not out of reach by any means.

Down the home stretch of the opening set, they would chip away at their deficit, led by some enormous blocks at the front from Carmen Crowley, along with a couple of big aces — all playing part of an 8-1 run to close their gap to a 21-17 deficit. The Lady Wolverines would get to within a pair of points of the Lady Huskies, but Olean went on to fend off and secure the 25-20 win.

Olean carried the momentum forward in a strong debut within the second set of play, as they went up by an early 11-4 count against Bolivar-Richburg. The Lady Wolverines once more, would close the gap again to a pair of points, but remained in neutral from that point on, as the Lady Huskies closed out the set on a 9-2 run while in control of a 16-14 lead.

The Lady Huskies closed out the game with one more fierce battle with Bolivar-Richburg in the last set, holding their control with a 25-21 win.

Leading Bolivar-Richburg was Danika Loucks on defense, as she posted a team-high 10 digs to go with a pair of aces from the back line. Jayna Thomas collected six more digs to pair with five aces and three kills, while Crowley finished with six digs, four kills and an ace.

The Lady Wolverines will look to bounce back on the road Wednesday night in a 7:30 p.m. visit to Andover/Whitesville.

Fillmore 3, Arkport-Canaseraga 2

ARKPORT — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore have caught fire on the volleyball court. Although they were taken the distance by Arkport-Canaseraga on Monday, they would remain vigilant by using some strong game-tying momentum in the fourth set to their fullest of advantages to finish the night strong, claiming the five-set win all for themselves by a 25-17, 21-25, 21-25, 25-15, 15-7 count over the Lady Wolves.

Mya Keeler delivered another exceptional night of offense to aid Fillmore’s (7-3) fueling of the fire, as she posted a team-leading six kills to pair with four aces from the service line. Michaela Lewis furthered the service’s cause with six aces of her own, adding three more kills at the front along the way. Alivia Kiff had three aces, while setter Eleanor Reitnour handed out 18 assists to get the offense set up for business at the net.

The Lady Eagles march back home to welcome in the Wellsville Lady Lions on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Keshequa 3, Hinsdale 2

HINSDALE — Keshequa evaded some late pressure from host Hinsdale in a second set that allowed them to push the Lady Bobcats to the brink on Monday.

But their opposition fought back with back-to-back wins themselves, including a resilient finish to a third set that reached extra serves. When it was all said and done, the balance was shifted one more time by the Lady Wildcats to score the five-set win by a 25-13, 25-23, 24-26, 22-25, 15 12 count.

Statistics for the Lady Bobcats (1-6) were not made available to report upon publication.

Hinsdale is back on their home floor on Thursday, as they prepare to host Ellicottville in a 5 p.m. first serve.

Allegany-Limestone 3, Cuba-Rushford 0

ALLEGANY — It was a hot start out of the gate by the Allegany-Limestone Lady Gators that they managed to maintain control of from the first serve all the way to the last on Monday, as they set up shop for what was a straight-set, 25-17, 25-21, 25-16 victory over visiting Cuba-Rushford.

Statistics for the Lady Rebels (4-5) were not made available to report upon publication.

Cuba-Rushford will return to the floor back on the road Wednesday night, paying a 6:30 p.m. visit to Houghton Academy.

GIRLS TENNIS

Wellsville 3, Avoca-Prattsburgh 2

WELLSVILLE — It was a 3-2 split between the two teams before the weekend took full effect.

On Monday in their second match in just over as many days — their third overall in the last four, history would repeat itself once again in Wellsville, as the defending Class B2 Champion Lady Lions received another tough challenge from Avoca-Prattsburgh and warded it off for their 11th win of the season in a 3-2 victory over the Lady Titans to record the season-series sweep.

The Lady Lions (11-1), fresh off a victory at Aquinas this past Saturday, kept the momentum rolling with an automatic victory from Peyton Cawley at third singles, as she won via forfeit. They would advance forward and collect two more victories — one more singles and a second doubles victory along the way, with Hanna Miles taking control of a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Avoca-Prattsburgh’s Mariah Bryan at second singles.

At second doubles, the tag team of McKenna Wonderling and Shayla Cowan delivered a strong 6-1, 6-1 win over Nataley Patoine and Gabrielle Wheaton to help capture the match win.

Avoca-Prattsburgh gathered two wins, including a second straight win from Genevieve Dabby at first singles over Wellsville’s Samantha Bidzerkowny, as the two tennis stars fought tooth and nail across all three sets of action, with Dabby rebounding in the last two to come away victorious in a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 decision. The first doubles team of Camryn Moore and Olivia Mullen claimed a 6-3, 7-5 win over Caitlin Bittel and Sarah Mattison to round off the Lady Titans wins.

Wellsville will remain at home for their Senior Night celebration on Wednesday, hosting Alfred-Almond at 5 p.m.

Singles

1. Genevieve Dabby (A-P) def. Samantha Bidzerkowny (WLSV), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

2. Hanna Miles (WLSV) def. Mariah Bryan (A-P), 6-0, 6-0.

3. Peyton Cawley (WLSV) by for.

Doubles

1. Camryn Moore/Olivia Mullen (A-P) def. Caitlin Bittel/Sarah Mattison (WLSV), 6-3, 7-5.

2. McKenna Wonderling/Shayla Cowan (WLSV) def. Nataley Patoine/Gabrielle Wheaton (A-P), 6-1, 6-1.

Fillmore takes two from Alfred-Almond

HOUGHTON — It can be a tough task to pick up where you left off several matches ago, because of the weather washing out the tennis court. But three weeks later, the Lady Eagles of Fillmore made sure it was well worth the wait come Monday night at Houghton University, as they not only took a 5-0 victory from their suspended match, but they wound up recording a complete sweep in doubleheader action with a 3-2 second match win.

In the continuation between both Lady Eagles squads, Fillmore (6-4) took care of business with a 5-0 win, headlined by two outstanding performances in both fields of competition on the court, with Indigo Knapp and the first doubles team of Kirra Bentley and Lena Tucker provided third-set super-tiebreaking victories each, with Knapp overcoming a second-set fall to provide a resilient rebound in a 12-10 win over Alfred-Almond’s Lily Geiger.

Bentley and Tucker followed later on with a third-set follow-up after a tight finish in the previous set to tie the match, as they went above and beyond to record an irrepressible victory of their own, taking a 14-12 super-tiebreaking win over Eleanor Drozeski and Ezi Backer.

Claire Schilke and Molly Mahoney each rounded off a perfect sweep of the singles matches with wins of their own, with Schilke claiming a 6-0, 6-4 win over Beatrice Beaudry at first singles, while Mahoney scored a 6-2, 6-1 win over Izzie Willard at second singles.

To finish off the doubles victories, Greta Kettinger and Tori Tetta delivered a big victory over Alexandra Gagne and Layla Shelley at second doubles, consisting of a first-set tiebreak and a dominant close in the next, in a 7-5, 6-0 decision — a first for Tetta in her Varsity career.

“It is always tough to restart a match from three weeks ago, but we really got off to a strong start,” said Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “Claire won four straight to close out a tough opponent. Kirra and Lena, as well as Indie, did a great job of winning their matches in third-set super breakers 14-12 and 12-10 respectively. Also, Tori and Greta teamed up to secure Tori’s first Varsity win.”

In match two, the momentum continued despite another strong fight from Alfred-Almond, including three close matches in the singles department. Fillmore was able to come away with one of them from Schilke, who went on to record a clean sweep at first singles with a 10-8 edge over Beaudry — a game that ultimately sealed match victory for the Lady Eagles.

The last two wins for the hosts came with another sweep of the doubles matches, as Bentley and Tucker swiped away a dominant 10-2 win over Willard and Geiger at first doubles, wile Kettinger and Summer Friedl rolled to a 10-4 win over Allegra Bordeaux and Monica Harriger at second doubles.

Alfred-Almond collected their two lone wins from Drozeski and Rose Schreiber at second and third singles respectively, as Drozeski scored a 10-6 win over Mahoney, and Schreiber won by a 10-8 count over Knapp at third singles.

“Our doubles teams came out of the gates strong to get us two quick wins,” Crouch said. “The match came down to two nail-biters at first and third singles. Unfortunately, Indie fell behind early 0-3, and fought back, but just couldn’t quite get it done. Claire was behind by one, but dug deep and won the final three games to clinch the win for us.”

Fillmore is on the road tonight with a 5 p.m. visit to Addison.

Match 1 (continuation from 9/9)

Singles

1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Beatrice Beaudry (A-A), 6-0, 6-4.

2. Molly Mahoney (FIL) def. Izzie Willard (A-A), 6-2, 6-1.

3. Indigo Knapp (FIL) def. Lily Geiger (A-A), 6-4, 3-6, 12-10.

Doubles

1. Kirra Bentley/Lena Tucker (FIL) def. Eleanor Drozeski/Ezi Backer (A-A), 4-6, 6-4, 14-12.

2. Greta Kettinger/Tori Tetta (FIL) def. Alexandra Gagne/Layla Shelley (A-A), 7-5, 6-0.

Match 2

Singles

1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Beatrice Beaudry (A-A), 10-8.

2. Eleanor Drozeski (A-A) def. Molly Mahoney (FIL), 10-6.

3. Rose Schreiber (A-A) def. Indigo Knapp (FIL), 10-8.

Doubles

1. Kirra Bentley/Lena Tucker (FIL) def. Lily Geiger/Izzie Willard (A-A), 10-2.

2. Greta Kettinger/Summer Friedl (FIL) def. Allegra Bordeaux/Monica Harriger (A-A), 10-4.