Thursday Volleyball: In battle of local elites, B-R hands Wellsville 1st loss behind dominant finish in 4-set win; Fillmore wins 4th straight in sweep of crosstown rival Houghton Academy

BOLIVAR — Whenever both Wellsville and Bolivar-Richburg collide on the volleyball court, you’re pretty much guaranteed getting your money’s worth in attendance to witness a show like no other. Thursday night, like their previous thrillers in the past, it was absolutely no different. Especially when the gymnasium was packed, and the decibel level was proudly through the roof.

Just an added bonus to what has now become a yearly rivalry indoors between the two schools.

What started as a dominant opening sequence for the Lady Wolverines out of the gate, quickly hunkered and boiled down to a classic back-and-forth chess match as time went on. As both teams found their winning edge in the first two sets, the hosts found their groove in the late stages of the third set to push the Lady Lions to the brink.

That’s where the night’s shining moment arose. Bolivar-Richburg put together the big finish.

After an early 8-7 lead for Wellsville in the early stages of what would be the final set of the night, the Lady Wolverines went for every opening they could find on the other side of the net, led by a relentless attack conducted by Carmen Crowley, as they engineering a 13-4 run to pull away from the Lady Lions by as much as 10 points and towards the match victory by a 25-20, 17-25, 25-22, 25-16 count to hand their opposition their first loss this season.

“I thought my team played great defense and my hitters definitely were on tonight,” said Lady Wolverines coach Demi Elliott. “I was super proud of my team, and seeing them persevere with mental toughness after losing that second set was outstanding to make a two set comeback. It’s always a great game when we play Wellsville. They have great, tough servers, a setter that runs down everything and a great defense behind everything they do.”

It was a red hot start that the Lady Wolverines (5-1) were able to usher in against Wellsville, as they posted a massive 9-1 run in the game’s first 10 serves. But some resiliency was shown by the visitors in black and orange to jump back into the game and trim down the deficit to as little as one after being down by at most, 11 points. In the end, the hosts used seven of the set’s final nine points to claim a 25-20 win to go on top first.

The next set was all about providing the response in return for the Lady Lions (4-1), as they journeyed forward towards a strong start of their own and then some, grabbing a 20-11 lead late to take full advantage of the floor. The balance of power shifted slightly towards the Lady Wolverines down the stretch with Carmen Crowley beginning to heat up at the front of the net with a pair of kills, but Wellsville was able to hold strong for the rebounding 25-17 win.

Crowley, who served as a key cog in Bolivar-Richburg’s machine from start to finish, concluded the evening with a game-high 20 kills to go with 12 digs and nine aces from the service line.

“She was an absolute beast out there for us tonight,” Elliott said of Crowley. “She definitely came out of her shell tonight, and showed everyone what she is all about when she’s at her best. She played some seriously great volleyball, and I’m really glad that she and my setter clicked all night long.”

The third set was perhaps the most thrilling of the four sets to take place, as points were traded back and forth between both squads through the majority of a set that saw Wellsville trail by as much as seven before trimming it back down to within a stone’s throw of the lead. But the Lady Lions could not muster enough momentum to keep the power charged on their side of the net, as the Lady Wolverines scampered off on another run to claim a 22-16 lead going down the stretch.

Wellsville would not go down without a fight however, as the brilliant service of Natalie Adams from the back line allowed them to cut the deficit back down once more to two points, after a pair of aces led a strand of four consecutive points during their offensive sequence. But despite it, the Lady Wolverines were able to hang on for the 25-22 victory to push the Lady Lions to the brink.

To wrap up the night, the third set resilience from the hosts in red and black would carry over into the final set, where they escaped Wellsville’s grasp once and for all with a massive 13-4 run after an early 8-7 lead by the Lady Lions helped set up a big finish in what ultimately concluded as a 25-16 win.

Furthering Bolivar-Richburg’s cause behind Crowley was Kori Thomas, who also recorded 20 game-high kills to go with five blocks and three aces, while on defense, Brena Walp and Kylee Whiting combined to record 25 digs.

For Wellsville, Lindsay Stuck propelled both the offense and defense with 14 digs, 10 kills and four blocks at the front of the net to lead the way. Averee Palmatier chipped in with seven digs to couple alongside three kills, two aces and a block, while Natalie Adams followed up with six more digs, four aces and three kills. Setter Maddy Parks handed out 18 assists.

“Overall, I think it was a great game,” said Lady Lions coach Shannon Steiner. “Bolivar-Richburg is a really tough team, and we played them well. There are definitely some improvements that we can make, and we look forward to playing them again.”

On Wednesday, both teams will hop back onto the court after the weekend ahead, as Bolivar-Richburg prepares for a 7 p.m. first serve at Houghton Academy, while Wellsville heads back home to host the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford — winners of four of their first five games, at 7:30 p.m.

Fillmore 3, Houghton Academy 0

FILLMORE — While the incredible battle of two of the area’s finest of the volleyball court was underway in Bolivar, up north in The Rock, a meeting of longtime crosstown rivals separated by just a short drive down the road came to a boiling point Thursday night between Houghton Academy and host Fillmore.

There was plenty put on the line between both squads. For Houghton Academy, an opportunity to rebound after their first defeat of the young season to Wellsville, while for Fillmore — a chance to keep building more pieces after an 0-4 start to their season.

After the opening set, the tone was indeed set. The Lady Eagles were ready to play.

Fillmore unleashed their fury to begin the night, with strong service from three different Lady Eagles, as well as a strong offensive night becoming the key ingredients to brew up what was a fourth straight win at the end of the night, laying claim to a straight-set victory over the visiting Lady Panthers by a 25-9, 25-16, 25-13 count.

“After starting the season 0-4 and not winning a set, it feels good to be back to .500,” said Lady Eagles coach Lacie Fuller. “We’re just trying to continue to grow and take steps forward. Tonight was another move in the right direction. The girls were very consistent in all aspects of the match. I thought we passed the ball extremely well and really limited our mistakes.”

Charging the efforts for the Lady Eagles (4-4) was Eevie Cox, who had 11 service points to go with three aces. Following closely behind was setter Bri Santiago, who chipped in with 11 assists at the front of the net, pairing them with 10 service points and four aces, while Savannah Hosmer chipped in with eight more service points, four aces and a pair of kills. Jenna Austin rounded off the scoring with two kills on the attack.

Houghton Academy (3-2) was paced by Bella Stevens, who posted eight digs on defense, six kills and an ace from the back line. The Lady Panthers will look to bounce back with an 11 a.m. first serve Saturday against visiting Hinsdale.

Fillmore will now look to make it five in a row come Monday night, as they prepare to visit Hammondsport in a 7 p.m. contest.