The Thunderbirds have known since last Friday’s Section VI Class D championship win over Randolph that they would be playing in today’s 4:30 p.m. Far West Regional at LeRoy High School.

Until Thursday night, they didn’t know who their opponent would be.

Section V takes a little time to sort things out.

While Chautauqua Lake was sweeping the Cardinals at Brocton High School last Friday, the Rochester-area was deciding champions in three Class D brackets.

Chautauqua Lake’s Brynn Engdahl sets a pass during the sectional final against Randolph. OBSERVER Photo by Scott Reagle

No. 2 seed Alexander beat No. 1 Letchworth 25-21, 25-21, 15-25, 25-23 in Class D1; No. 2 Pavilion beat No. 1 Harley-Allendale Columbia 25-12, 25-15, 25-11 in Class D2; and No. 1 Fillmore beat No. 3 Houghton Academy 23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20 in Class D3.

Then, on Tuesday, Fillmore beat Alexander 25-19, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22 in the section’s first crossover game.

Finally, on Thursday, Pavilion beat Fillmore 25-12, 25-18, 25-14 to earn a matchup with the Thunderbirds.

“I think it’s probably an advantage to play, but I’m not upset because there was a lot of stuff to work on in practice and it was nice to have that time in a relaxed environment,” Chautauqua Lake head coach Joanne Meadows said Friday afternoon. “At this point in the year, I’m not going to teach them anything new. It was just polishing up some stuff we needed to work on.”

The Golden Gophers enter today’s matchup a perfect 24-0 on the season, including 9-0 in Livingston County Division III play.

Thunderbirds’ Ava Olson sets a pass during the Section VI Class D final against Randolph in Brocton. OBSERVER Photo by Scott Reagle

Remarkably, head coach Rex Eighmey’s team hasn’t lost a set all season.

“We had watched them and I kind of thought it would be them,” Meadows said. “We have watched a little bit of video on them. The truth is, I don’t really change how we play depending on who our opponent is.”

Pavilion’s top hitters have been 6-foot-1 junior Lauren Kingsley, 5-foot-6 senior Adeline Milligan and 5-foot-4 junior Karlee Zinkievich. All three also lead the team in aces and digs while the Golden Gophers’ setter is 5-foot-5 senior Shannon Campbell.

They have a big middle hitter,” Meadows said, “and two outside hitters who hit really well.”

Chautauqua Lake enters with a 41-7-1 record when the Thunderbirds’ play in six tournaments is included in their record. They won the tournament titles in Falconer, Olean, Gates-Chili and Clarence while losing in the quarterfinals at North Tonawanda and Fort LeBoeuf, and also finished a perfect 14-0 in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West action to win the league title.

Seniors Lily Woodis and Jessica Wiemer, junior Hannah Group and sophomore Ava Olson all average higher than 1.5 kills per set. As a team, the Thunderbirds average 3.6 aces per set with a 15.3 ace percentage. Junior captain Jenna Waters, recently named the CCAA Division 2 West Player of the Year, leads Chautauqua Lake in digs and serve receiving while junior Mallory Morrison is the team leader in assists with Olson just behind.

“The way they act in practices has been consistent throughout. They are happy to be together, goofy and pretty focused on where they need to be focused,” Meadows said of the team’s mood this week. “What makes me like these kids so much is that they just want to have fun together. They don’t get stressed. They are a perfect mix of being focused and having fun.”

See The winner of today’s match advances to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Final Four at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls next weekend. Pool play begins at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20 with the top two teams advancing to Sunday’s 2 p.m. final.

Section IX Mount Academy already punched its ticket to Glens Falls by beating Section XI Shelter Island 25-12, 25-11, 25-9 on Thursday. Other regional finals taking place today include: Section III LaFayette vs. Section IV Candor at Chenango Valley High School and Section X Chateaugay vs. Section II Galway at Gloversville High School.