Tuesday Volleyball: No. 6 York stuns No. 2 Lady Rebels in D1 Semifinals in thrilling 5-set affair; No. 4 Lady Lions fall in sweep to No. 1 Attica in C1 Semifinals; No. 5 B-R, No. 7 Houghton downed
By Chris Metcalf/LCAA’s Finest
CUBA – Eighth-grader Bailey Orman and sophomore Lena Balisciano both had career nights as No. 6 seeded York upset No. 2 Cuba-Rushford in five sets in Section V, Class D1 semifinal action Tuesday night in Cuba.
Cuba-Rushford won the first set 25-20 before York battled back to tie things up with the 25-20 second set victory. The Lady Rebels held off a late charging York team in the third set 25-23 before York forced a fifth set with the 25-20 victory in the fourth.
York jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the fifth set following Balisciano’s kill and then held off C-R with the 15-11 victory.
Orman was sensational as she finished the night with a triple-double including 19 service points, 18 digs, and 10 kills. She also added three assists and two blocks for the Lady Knights.
Balisciano also played a huge role with a double-double of 19 digs and 14 assists. She also added four kills with three aces and one block.
Every York player that stepped on the floor played a huge part for the Lady Knights.
Junior captain Ariana Roessel had 21 digs to go with four kills, two aces and one block while junior Haley Miller contributed 10 assists with six digs and three aces.
Three other juniors, including Mia Hilyard, Rylee Cuozzo and Paola Rios-Santiago also sparked the Knights.
Hilyard finished with 10 kills, one ace and one block; Cuozzo registered five kills and three blocks while Rios-Santiago had a game-high 27 digs, many of which were spectacular point-saving digs.
In the fifth and deciding set, Miller came up with some big serves as she had seven straight to push York’s lead to 8-4. A Balisciano block would give York the 10-4 lead followed by an Orman kill shot that put the lead to 11-6.
Cuzzo’s big block would give York the 14-10 lead before C-R got the serve back, but they would put it into the net for the 15-11 final.
York improved to 15-6 on the season and will play No. 1 Alexander for the Class D1 title Friday night in Bloomfield. Alexander defeated Bolivar-Richburg in four sets Tuesday.
Cuba-Rushford finished a marvelous season with a record of 15-3 overall, as they were led by Kendall Tompkins with 20 assists, 11 digs, two aces and one kill, while Lauren O’Keefe had nine kills, six digs and one ace. Raegan Poore also contributed seven kills and four blocks.
“It was a tough night,” said Lady Rebels coach Josh Tompkins. “We didn’t have our a-game and York took advantage of that. My girls played their hearts out but we just couldn’t seem to win the “big” points tonight like we have throughout the season. We have come a long way this year. After going undefeated in Allegany County, we are back. Cuba-Rushford is back and the future is bright. It was a great season, and it’s not the way we wanted to go out. But is it ever how we want to go out? We always want more.
York head coach Kaitlin Kolb, who was a star player on the Lady Knights’ last sectional title team in 2003, loved the way her girls competed and never hung their heads, even when down 2-1 in the fourth set.
“Tonight was a high energy, back-and-forth match and we are excited to come out on top,” coach Kolb said. “We had played Cuba in the Warsaw Tournament earlier this season and knew we had our work cut out for us. They are a very good team with a great coach, lots of respect for them. We also played Alexander in the same tournament. They are a well-rounded team led by seasoned seniors and Marcia (Hirsch) is an amazing veteran coach. We are fired up to be in the finals and will celebrate tonight, but need to be focused and ready to work tomorrow and Thursday in the gym.”
Additional York/Cuba-Rushford reporting by Chris Brooks.
No. 1 Alexander 3, No. 5 Bolivar-Richburg 1
ALEXANDER — Top-seeded Alexander would not be denied their third trip to the Section V Finals in the last four years on Halloween Night at home, as they overcame a third-set defeat with a 2-0 lead in hand to provide a strong fourth-set finish to end No. 5 Bolivar-Richburg’s incredible season on the court, as they came away with a close 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-16 decision on Tuesday.
Despite the defeat, the Lady Wolverines gave it everything they had against the Lady Trojans behind a stout offensive presence by both Carmen Crowley and Kori Thomas, with Thomas coming up big with 13 kills to go with 13 huge blocks at the front of the net, pairing them both with five digs. Crowley furthered the team’s cause with her team-leading 14 kills, coupling them with 12 digs on defense and eight blocks of her own.
In addition, Brena Walp kept the ball off the floor in every way possible, as she garnered a whopping 31 digs to pair with two aces.
“We had a great season this year,” said Lady Wolverines coach Demi Elliott. “This team really worked hard in practice to get to the level they were at tonight. I had incredible leadership this year with my seniors Kori and Brena. They are amazing kids and players, and they will be deeply missed. I’m hoping my players put in time during the off-season to better themselves so we can return to the Semis again next year. It definitely takes a lot of time and hard work to make it this far, and the girls do a great job at it. I couldn’t be happier and more proud of each one of them.
Elliott added on the Lady Trojans, noting that “Alexander played great ball tonight. They have a great outside player, and my back row I thought did a great job playing defense up against her, but we just fell short tonight against a really good number one seed.”
The Lady Wolverines have concluded a stellar 2023 campaign, as they wrap up with a record of 12-5 overall.
Class C1 Semifinals
No. 1 Attica 3, No. 4 Wellsville 0
ATTICA — The No. 1 Attica Lady Blue Devils showcased their offensive prowess right from the start against No. 4 Wellsville on Tuesday, as they took full advantage of the entire floor to end their 2023 campaign in sweeping fashion with a 25-17, 25-10, 25-11 victory in the Class C1 Semifinals.
“Attica is a tough team, and their outside hitters really hurt us.” said Lady Lions coach Shannon Steiner. “I think in the end, we were all a bit disappointed with our level of play. However, we still had a great season that we put together and I am so proud of the girls for how well they did, and how far they have come.”
The Lady Lions were paced by Morgaen Howe on defense, recording a team-leading 12 digs to go with an ace from the service line. Makenna Dunbar chipped in with nine digs of her own to go with three kills and one ace, while setter Maddy Parks handed out 11 assists to couple alongside with six more digs on defense and one kill.
The season is over for Wellsville, as they finish with a record of 12-4 overall.
Class D2 Semifinals
No. 3 Elba 3, No. 7 Houghton Academy 0
ELBA — After taking down No. 6 Fillmore in the previous round to earn their spot in the Class D1 Semifinals, the third-seeded Elba Lady Lancers continued to roll on all strides Tuesday night on their home floor for the final time, as they brought out the brooms once again, this time against No. 7 Houghton Academy to take a strong 25-18, 25-23, 25-18 win to earn their spot in this weekend’s Finals.
The Lady Panthers were led by a stout defensive effort from Abby Reitnour, as she garnered 10 digs to go with one kill and one ace. Following behind was Bella Stevens, as she posted five more digs of her own on defense to go with three aces, two kills and a denial.
“I am so proud of these athletes,” Lady Panthers coach Kathie Hilsher said. “They have overcome injuries and sickness to finally pull together at the end of the season. They always give me 110% and they are truly the kindese, most encouraging group of athletes I have ever worked with. I have been impressed all season with the grace and the love they show each other when they play this game. The girls are a young team, and they’ve already started to set their goals for next year.”
Houghton Academy’s campaign has officially reached its conclusion, as they wrap up with a record of 10-9 overall.
