OBSERVER Staff Report
ELLICOTTVILLE - The No. 4 Forestville Lady Hornets saw their season come to an end Thursday as the top-seeded Ellicottville Lady Eagles won, 25-21, 25-10, 25-12, in Section 6 Class D-2 girls' high school volleyball semifinal action.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle as neither team had more than a two-point advantage until the end.
Article Photos
OBSERVER?Photo by Lisa Monacelli
Forestville libero Kendra Silleman (4) digs up a ball against Ellicottville during Thursday’s Section 6 Class D-2 semifinal volleyball match. Looking on is teammate Cherish Pope (6).
"We started off with the lead," Forestville coach Jack Dugan said. "We had some unforced errors which led to their points. They got some timely kills and serves which was the difference in set one."
However, the Lady Eagles showed why they were the No. 1 seed in the final two sets.
"They started serving better and their intensity picked up," Dugan said. "We couldn't rebound fast enough. They seemed to get their groove and we were trying to overcome some of our errors. It was a struggle. It wasn't for lack of effort. (We) didn't quit. (We) were frustrated, but were trying. It was just Ellicottville did a nice job running their offense and served well.
"In fairness to my defense, they served some nice hard jump serves," Dugan continued. "They mixed it up nicely. That was the difference. We tried to go away from what we normally do and just hit some balls we don't normally do. I can't fault my kids. They worked their butts off. Even when we were down, the timeouts were positive. It wasn't like we quit."
See D-2, Page B4
Sydney Youngberg led the Lady Hornets with six kills, six blocks and an ace. Emily Gilman, Alisha Szumigala and Jessica Makuch each had two kills. Szumigala also had three blocks. Ryanne Dugan added 10 assists while Cherish Pope and Baylee Gloss each had five digs.
The loss marked the final game for seniors Pope, Dugan, Gilman, Youngberg, Jessica Makuch, Kendra Silleman and Bayleigh Raynor.
"Cherish, Emily, Sydney and Ryanne, I have coached for four years," Dugan said. "They have just come so far. Jess and Kendra, I have coached three years and they have grown so much. Bayleigh is the type of kid that every coach likes to have because she works so hard. She doesn't get the minutes, but always puts in 100 percent in practice. The toughest part is I won't get to coach those seven anymore. They are great kids from great families. I will truly miss them."
Ellicottville will now play at Jamestown Community College on Monday at 6 p.m. in the championship game against North Collins.
North Collins 18 25 22 25 25
Sherman 25 22 25 18 14
NORTH COLLINS - The No. 2 North Collins Lady Eagles punched their ticket into the Section 6 Class D-2 championship game with a five-set win over No. 6 Sherman on Thursday.
The scores read 18-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 25-14.
Christine Blidy led the winners with 30 assists, six kills and five aces while Beth Kibler had 14 kills and two blocks. Nicole Torrey added eight kills and three aces for the winners.
The Lady Wildcats were led by Elle Reed's 28 kills, three digs and five blocks while Sherley Luden had 16 assists.
North Collins advances to the championship game for the first time in coach Dave Burgstahler's nine years as head coach.
"The story all season long is how young our team is," he said. "We have only one senior, an eighth grader and a freshmen stater. We are pretty young. Everyone said it was going to be a rebuilding year. The girls have earned their way."
