Wednesday Volleyball: Lady Rebels remain at peak of Allegany County, sweep Wellsville to post big Senior Night win; B-R claws past Houghton Academy, Fillmore blanks Hinsdale on the road

CUBA — Senior Night had arrived for the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford on Wednesday in the Wighthouse. For one of their very last times out on the court in the regular season, they would find themselves in another epic clash at the top of Allegany County with blazing hot Wellsville in town for a visit.

Along with Bolivar-Richburg, the Lady Lions sat a game back from the Lady Rebels from the top of the standings. As for the hosts, they were looking to remain in control of their own destiny until the end of the season, whilst aiming for a humongous bounce back from Monday’s four-set loss to the hands of Olean over the road.

Simply put: The window of opportunity was wide open.

The tone was set right in the first set of the play between the two squads, with one team garnering a lead that would grow as large as 12 down the home stretch. That was provided by the Lady Rebels, as they kept the Lady Lions on edge all night long through a back-and-forth exchange to the finish to come away victorious in straight-set fashion, claiming the 25-18, 25-17, 25-21 victory — their County-leading 12th win of the season.

“It was a huge bounce back for us after Monday. Honestly, this was our best all-around match of the season,” said Lady Rebels coach Josh Tompkins. “We were really efficient offensively and we made some big defensive plays early that kept Wellsville’s strong attack from getting any momentum. I am really pleased with that effort. To think that the girls went from struggling two seasons ago, split the league with Wellsville and Bolivar-Richburg, and then to be where we are now is pretty cool for the girls. I am so happy for them.”

In order to build momentum against a fiery and relentless attack Wellsville possesses, the Lady Rebels (12-2) would have to come up with some of their own to counter it, beginning with another strong night of offense from Lauren O’Keefe, who recorded a team-high eight kills to go with five digs and an ace. Jessica Ringelberg chipped in with seven kills to go with five more digs and three aces, while Jordyn Radomski was outstanding from the service line, pitching in six aces to pair with six kills and three more digs on defense.

Cuba-Rushford’s setter up on the top line, Kendall Tompkins, helped set everything up for her teammates, handing out 27 assists to go with eight digs, three aces and two kills.

On the other side of the net, Wellsville (10-3) was led by Natalie Adams, as she recorded nine digs to go with five aces and three kills. Averee Palmaier followed up with nine more digs of her own, pairing them with four additional kills on the attack.

Both teams will close out their regular season slate on Friday on their respective home floors beginning in a pair of 7:30 p.m. first serves, as Cuba-Rushford stands pat inside the Wighthouse to host Fillmore, while Wellsville heads back home to welcome in Genesee Valley/Belfast.

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Houghton Academy 1

BOLIVAR — On their final night of regular season action, the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg would ensure a strong end to what has been a terrific 2023 regular season.

Looking to bounce back from a four-set loss to Wellsville over the road back on Monday, the Lady Wolverines did just that with a four-set win of their own against visiting Houghton Academy on Wednesday, recording three straight wins after the opening set to lay claim on a 21-25, 25-13, 25-7, 25-10 triumph in dominant fashion.

Carmen Crowley and Kori Thomas have been the two leaders on the frontlines for the Lady Wolverines (10-4) all season long, and it was no different again in their regular season-finale, as the two attackers combined to record a whopping 32 kills against the Lady Panthers. Crowley paved the lane towards 21 of them to pair with seven digs, four aces and three blocks. Thomas followed suit with 11 of her own to go with three more blocks.

Adding more help along the way for the hosts in red was Danika Loucks, who scored 18 service points. Brena Walp furthered the team’s cause by keeping the ball off the floor with 15 big digs, pairing them with three aces.

Houghton Academy (7-8) was led by an 11-dig night from Abby Reitnour, adding one kill on offense along the way. Julia Winkens scored six additional digs to couple alongside two blocks and two kills. The Lady Panthers will end regular season play back on the road Friday night with a 6 p.m. visit to Hinsdale.

The Lady Wolverines will now await where they stand in Sectional play over the weekend, as they now await seeding for the second season with a record of 10-4 overall.

Fillmore 3, Hinsdale 0

HINSDALE — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore witnessed a strong start by host Hinsdale right out of the gate Wednesday night in their latest road trip. But despite the Lady Bobcats putting on the pressure, the visitors in black and green were able to stave it off and claim victory in the end, laying the foundation down for a straight-set victory by a 25-22, 25-13, 25-16 count.

Paving the way towards success was a strong night from the service line for the Lady Eagles (9-8) was Eevie Cox, as she posted four aces to go with six digs on defense. Sawyer Pomeroy and Ava Sylvester (two kills) each recorded three more aces to further the team’s cause.

Statistics for the Lady Bobcats (1-15) were not made available to report upon publication.

Both teams will conclude their regular season on Friday, as Fillmore heads to Cuba-Rushford for a 7:30 p.m. first serve, while Hinsdale stays home to welcome in Houghton Academy for Senior Night at 6 p.m.