Tuesday Roundup: Lady Lions outlast B-R in five-set track meet to pick up first win of the season; Lady Sea Lions stay hot in water, rout Livonia over road

Wellsville head coach Shannon Steiner, off-center, talks with her team during a break in the action of Tuesday night’s home opener against Bolivar-Richburg. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg’s Jianna Nix goes up for the ball, looking to return it back to Wellsville in the process, during Tuesday night’s road contest in Wellsville. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Maddy Parks sets the ball for her teammate, Marley Adams (10) during Tuesday night’s home opener against Bolivar-Richburg. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Jaelyn Knapp (7) returns the ball back over the net to Bolivar-Richburg during Tuesday night’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Marley Adams (10) goes up for the return back over to Bolivar-Richburg during Tuesday night’s home opener. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — The Lady Lions of Wellsville opened their season on the strongest of notes this past weekend with a tournament championship at Campbell-Savona. Up next was their home opener, and on Tuesday, it was a scene like no other inside the Lion’s Den.

For their home opener against Bolivar-Richburg, both schools were well represented on each set of bleachers. So much that at points, the decibel scale inside the gym was through its roof in what was a back-and-forth track meet all the way down to the finish.

Both the Lady Wolverines and Lady Lions would give it their all, and leave it all out on the court when it was finished. But one final run was made, and it was one the hosts made sure they finished strong on.

After Bolivar-Richburg continued the back-and-forth duel toward a 20-19 lead coming down the homestretch, the table was turned for the final time by Wellsville, as they went on to score five of the final six points to secure what was an epic five-set victory to clinch their first win of the season by a 25-9, 19-25, 9-25, 25-20, 25-21 count.

“The girls started out strong, and then they started to lose some spirit in the next couple of sets. But we were able to find a way through it and dig back in, and come back out strong to finish our match on the strongest of notes. Once they regained that spirit, the game was theirs for the taking.” said Lady Lions coach Shannon Steiner.

The Lady Lions (1-0) would start their 2021 campaign red hot in the opening set after fighting through a see-saw exchanging of pleasantries, as they built a run that put them by as much as six to begin, and then kept their foot on the gas pedal the rest of the way behind some key serves from the hand of Marley Adams. After a 14-8 lead, the hosts would wrap up shop with an 11-1 run to take the first set win.

Bolivar-Richburg (2-2) would bounce back in the next two sets, tying the match at one after starting the set with an early 8-4 lead. But it was erased rather quickly with six points in a row from the Lady Lions to grab their first lead of the second set. But the Lady Wolverines and their senior leader, Jianna Nix, began to rise, as they took the lead away from Wellsville for good behind her massive assortment of kills that saw them grab a lead by as much as nine at one point.

The Lady Lions did not give in however, as they provided a rally themselves a short time later to cut the deficit back down. But it was too much to overcome in the end, as the Lady Wolverines put it away to tie the match.

The momentum carried over into the third set, where they were able to take the overall lead in dominating fashion, as Nix continued to take charge on the offensive front to pace a 17-6 run after originally taking an 8-3 lead on Wellsville.

Nix would finish with a game-high 33 kills to pair with her five blocks up front, for the Lady Wolverines.

With the match on the line for the remainder of the night, the Lady Lions would find a way to climb back into the game and force a decisive fifth and final set, as they win the first of many back-and-forth battles in the fourth set by scoring four of the last five points.

The story would remain the same, as Wellsville continued to hold the fourth set momentum they had built to survive another nail-biting teeter-totter final set, as they scored five of the last six to pick up their first win of the season in dramatic fashion.

Leading the Lady Lions was Brooklyn Stisser, who had a team-high 13 kills to go with two blocks. Marley Adams helped the cause with 10 kills of her own to go with four blocks. Jaelyn Knapp provided nine kills of her own, while setter Maddy Parks dished out a team-high 29 assists at the net.

Finishing behind Nix for Bolivar-Richburg was Haley Mascho, who provided a sublime performance on defense, totaling a game-high 34 digs. The team’s setter, Kaitlyn Graves was also busy on the frontlines, dishing out a game-high 36 assists to chip in on the efforts.

Both teams are back in action Thursday night with 7:30 p.m. first serves, as the Lady Lions get set to visit Cuba-Rushford, while Bolivar-Richburg looks to get back on track back home with Houghton Academy in town for a visit.

Houghton Academy 3, Fillmore 2

HOUGHTON — There was another five-set affair elsewhere in Allegany County, Tuesday night. That took place at Houghton Academy for the first match this season for the Lady Panthers, as they welcomed in their crosstown rival Fillmore for a visit.

Through it all, it was a battle that the host Lady Panthers would manage to come out victorious in, as they edged their way past the Lady Eagles by a 25-18, 14-25, 25-11, 25-27, 25-21 count in a back-and-forth battle to the finish.

Team statistics were not made available upon publication.

Both teams are back on the floor with 7:30 p.m. first serves on Thursday, as Houghton Academy (1-0) hits the road to visit Bolivar-Richburg, while Fillmore (2-2) heads back home to host Hinsdale.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 3, Hinsdale 1

BELMONT — Genesee Valley/Belfast found a way to break a tie after the first two sets of play, as they collected the last two victories of the night inside the Jungle to successfully rebound off of Monday’s home loss to Section V power Hammondsport, taking the 3-1 win over visiting Hinsdale on Tuesday.

Set scores were not made available upon publication.

Leading the way for the hosts, Kaitlin Sadler provided another strong showing on offense with a team-high 11 kills to go with four kills and two assists. Cayla Mura added in four more kills to go with three aces of her own, while setter Addy Herring dished out 14 assists up front to pair with six aces and two more kills to round off Genesee Valley/Belfast (2-2).

“It was a good team effort on our part tonight, especially coming off a tough loss just last night to Hammondsport,” said GV/Belfast coach Darren Bradt. “This was a good building block, and a lot of the newer players are continuing to get some great playing experience.”

For Hinsdale (0-2), Hannah Sutton led the way on offense with five kills to go with six service points and two blocks. Jaylee Jimerson recorded 14 service points to go along with five assists up front, while setter Kylee Leonard handed out 18 assists of her own to pair with a duo of aces from the line. The Lady Bobcats will visit Fillmore for a 7:30 p.m. first serve on Thursday.

Genesee Valley will now wait for their return to action this weekend, as they host their annual mid-season tournament on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Bolivar-Richburg 2, Scio 0

SCIO — Both Bolivar-Richburg and Scio fought tooth and nail through a midfield battle across the first 40 minutes of play under the lights, Tuesday in Scio.

But then, the heat was turned up in the second half. Bolivar-Richburg ignited the fire with the only two goals of the game, as they broke the dugout and held onto a shutout for the rest of the way, as they picked up their fourth win in the first six games in a 2-0 shutout of the Tigers.

“It was a big time midfield game,” Tigers coach Dillon McFall said. “The kids played hard, and we did some good things. We were a little shorthanded, so we had to find a way to adjust. You can’t really ask for much more out of the 11 guys out there battling. They all did great things, and I feel as if we’re getting better.”

Hunter Stuck was the first to answer the call for Bolivar-Richburg (4-1-1), as he struck home on a penalty kick opportunity to get the team off and running. Later on, a big piece of insurance was added by Reiss Gaines, who was provided a feed from the middle on his way in toward goal, burying his chance along the way to extend the lead insurmountably.

Out of the nine total shots between the two teams, Bolivar-Richburg had the 6-3 overall edge over Scio (0-4), with David Abdo making all three stops for the shutout, for the visitors in white and black. On the other side, Landon Arnold made five saves for the Tigers.

Both teams are back on the field Thursday night with 5 p.m. first kicks, as the Wolverines head back home to Dunsmore-Latimer Field to take on Wellsville, while Scio hits the road to take on Houghton Academy.

Cuba-Rushford 5, Friendship 1

FRIENDSHIP — Nate Cole and Austin Clement helped Cuba-Rushford pick up right where they left off from their Consolation round overtime victory over Scio over the weekend, as they continued their road swing into Friendship and returned home with another win in their pocket, rolling past the host Golden Eagles with a 5-1 triumph.

Cole and Clement led the way for the Rebels (2-2) with a pair of goals each, with Cole breaking the ice with his pair of unassisted tallies coming in an eight-minute span to earn a 2-0 lead just past the 10 minute mark of the opening half, his first being scored just over three minutes in.

Jacob Smith would add to the cause with a goal of his own to give the visitors in white and blue a 3-0 lead to work with at the break. The scoring would be finished off by Clement with his pair of netters, his first coming off a Smith assist just past the 10 minute mark of the half, and later, with 10:48 left to play.

In between Clement’s goals, Friendship (0-5) managed to end the shutout with James Scranton’s first goal of the season, connecting with Jacob Golden at the midway mark of the half to cut the deficit to 4-1 at that point. The goal was just one of seven shots the Golden Eagles provided, as they were outshot by a 21-7 total count.

Jarrett Campbell would tally the victory in goal for Cuba-Rushford, stopping six shots. For Friendship, Hunter Hill made nine saves.

Both teams will have Andover/Whitesville up next on their schedules, with Friendship receiving first crack coming up on Thursday over the road in Andover in a 6 p.m. first kick. Cuba-Rushford will have their chance come Saturday in a 5 p.m. first kick back home.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 7, Andover/Whitesville 1

WHITESVILLE — One of Allegany County’s leading goal-corers continued to keep his flame ablaze when Genesee Valley/Belfast returned to action on Tuesday, as Matt Weaver recorded a first half hat trick that set the tone immediately in their 7-1 road win over Andover/Whitesville.

Stiven Lopez added to Genesee Valley/Belfast’s (4-1) lead along the way with the team’s fourth goal to take a 4-1 lead at the break. Conner Philips provided Andover/Whitesville’s (0-4) lone goal off a feed from CJ Estep to erase the shutout before the half came to a close.

After the break, Genesee Valley/Belfast would go on to add three more goals led by Lopez’s second of the game off a Joe Ward helper. Luke Snyder and Trent Scott would add goals of their own to help the cause, with Jacob Buchholz grabbing an assist on Snyder’s goal.

Scott would also assist on Weaver’s hat-trick clincher from within a 17-3 outshooting of Andover/Whitesville on offense.

Both teams will return to action Thursday night, with Genesee Valley/Belfast aiming to remain hot with a 7 p.m. visit to Fillmore, while Andover/Whitesville plays host to Friendship in a 6 p.m. battle in Andover.

SWIMMING

Wellsville 103, Livonia 77

LIVONIA — It was a date on the calendar that Lady Sea Lions head coach Steve Hand said, had their eyes on for quite some time. But on Tuesday, the time had arrived to face their Livingston County League rival — Livonia, a team that has had Wellsville’s number in years past.

But recently, an enormous flip of the script began in recent years for Wellsville, and it would continue onward over the road, as they used seven first place finishes to their advantage to break away from the Lady Bulldogs down the stretch in the second half of the meet, rolling toward a 103-77 victory.

“Tonight was a night that the girls have been watching on the calendar for a while now,” said Hand. “Livonia always has a big team, and this year was no different. It was good to see the girls swim up to the challenge. They swam some of their fastest times, and even had some personal and lifetime bests along the way. It’s a lot easier to get the team to work harder when they are getting results. We got some good races tonight, and came away with good times and a nice win in League play. I don’t want to rush the season, but I really want to see how ready we are for the LCAA Meet, and how fast we are going into Sectionals.”

The Lady Sea Lions (3-0) would split the first half down the middle with Livonia, winning three of the first five events including the 200 Medley relay, where the team of Grace Kinnicutt, Isabelle Hart, Hayden Waldon and Morgan Mattison swam their way toward victory with a 2:11.48 winning time. Individually, Tiernee Brandes and Kaylee Oswald rounded off the victories with wins of their own in the 200 Freestyle (2:17.04), and off the diving board (168.38) respectively.

Brandes would be the only Lady Sea Lion to record two individual victories in the water, as she added her second out of the team’s four-win second half to help pull away from Livonia’s grasp, garnering the winning time in the 100 Backstroke (1:09.46). Grace Kinnicutt and Kennedy Ewing would finish off Wellsville’s individual wins with one each, as Kinnicutt raced toward gold in the 100 Butterfly (1:13.36), while Ewing medaled in the 500 Freestyle (6:09.16).

The Lady Sea Lions would add one more relay victory from the team of Hart, Mattison, Waldon and Allie Bidzerkowny in the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:56.72).

Wellsville will now have a week off from action, as they now get set to take part in dual-meet action in Dansville next Tuesday.

Results

200 Medley – 1. Wellsville (Kinnicutt, Hart, Waldon, Mattison) 2:11.48, 2. Livonia, 3. Wellsville.

200 Free – 1. Tiernee Brandes (WLSV) 2:17.04, 2. Ellie LaBenne (WLSV), 3. Amara Evans (LIV).

200 IMR – 1. Angela Tewksbury (LIV) 2:33.20, 2. Isabelle Hart (WLSV), 3. Allie Bidzerkowny (WLSV).

50 Free – 1. Lila Meyers (LIV) 26.75, 2. Hayden Waldon (WLSV), 3. Morgan Mattison (WLSV).

Diving – 1. Kaylee Oswald (WLSV) 168.38, 2. Ashley Oswald (WLSV), 3. Lindsey Johnson (LIV).

100 Fly – 1. Grace Kinnicutt (WLSV) 1:13.36, 2. Isabelle Hart (WLSV), 3. Kaelyn Crawford (WLSV).

100 Free – 1. Lila Meyers (LIV) 59.12, 2. Hayden Waldon (WLSV), 3. Morgan Mattison (WLSV).

500 Free – 1. Kennedy Ewing (WLSV) 6:09.16, 2. Ellie LaBenne (WLSV), 3. Meredith Swarts (LIV).

200 Relay – 1. Wellsville (Hart, Bidzerkowny, Mattison, Waldon) 1:56.72, 2. Livonia, 3. Wellsville.

100 Back – 1. Tiernee Brandes (WLSV) 1:09.46, 2. Grace Kinnicutt (WLSV), 3. Emily Budinger (WLSV).

100 Breaststroke – 1. Angela Tewksbury (LIV) 1:18.33, 2. Sophie Beikrich (LIV), 3. Kaelin Bastian (LIV).

400 Free – 1. Livonia (Sicker, Noragong, Evans, Bajan) 4:44.70, 2. Livonia, 3. Livonia.