OBSERVER File Photo In this file photograph, Lady Cougar Meghan LeBaron digs a ball during a game earlier this season.

SOUTH DAYTON — The Cassadaga Valley Cougars (7-2, 7-4) volleyball team put together a complete performance on Monday night, defeating the Pine Valley Panthers in three sets, 25-18, 25-14, 25-14 for a Section VI CCAA North division win.

After the Panthers (3-6, 5-6) claimed the first two points of the game, Cassadaga Valley recorded ten of the next 12 points behind effective serving from Brielle LeBaron and Heidi Williams’ effective jump serve. Three of the next four points were earned by Pine Valley, highlighted by two kills from Lyric Westlund. The Panthers continued to fight back and got the set within a point at 19-18, but Cassadaga Valley finished the match strong, earning the last six points.

“We made a few changes to our return game in practice this week,” Pine Valley coach Kaitlyn Hoth stated. “We tried having our front pinch in more, so I am not sure if that threw them off, but the serve receive and communication was a major struggle.”

Cassadaga Valley continued its momentum into the second set as they got out to a quick 7-0 lead with effective serving. Pine Valley responded by tying the game at seven with efficient passing and finishing the point. When the Cougars got the ball back, they added eight consecutive points with multiple long rallies during that time. During that stretch, the Cougars voided a Pine Valley kill when Rachel Nickerson dove to the floor to keep the ball up. Williams was in great position to keep the ball up deep in the court. Kaitlyn Dahl finished off by getting the ball over on the third hit deep off of the court. Cassadaga Valley’s run was ended by a kill from Sadie Fadale. The Cougars finished the set strong on a 7-1 run, finished on an ace from LeBaron.

“We got ourselves into a few holes and did a good job getting back into the match,” Hoth stated. “Unfortunately, as soon as they got the ball back, they went on another run to put us into another hole that we could not recover from.”

The third set went back and forth early on with both teams making quality plays. With the score tied at nine, Cassadaga Valley tallied the next 11 points with effective serving by Meghan LeBaron. During that run, Pine Valley struggled to get the ball back into play. When they did get it into play, the Cougars were ready to attack those balls with quality play at the net. The match ended from a double hit by the Panthers.

“When our passes are set up close to the net, our hitters are much more effective,” Cassadaga Valley coach Dennis Wakelee stated. “We have spent a lot of time doing detailed drills in practice. It is not too early to think about playoffs and it is time to fine tune everything.”

Williams led the way with six kills, two aces, and three digs. LeBaron recorded six kills, one block, and four aces while Dahl chipped in with 17 assists, six aces, and one kill.

“We usually serve well,” Wakelee added. “I encourage the girls to mix up the serves and try to keep the serve receive off balance. They were very effective at mixing up their serves.”

For the Panthers, Fadale contributed with five kills, seven digs and one ace. Westlund added four kills to go with her four digs.

According to Hoth, “Cassadaga is a solid, scrappy team that hustles around the court. They do not lack in one specific area. We can’t dig into a hole against a good team like that and expect to come back.”

The Cougars host the Marauders on Wednesday while Pine Valley hosts North Collins on Thursday.