Cougars sweep Sherman in ‘D’ quarters
Photo by Steve Garvey Cassadaga Valley's Alexis Pattyson goes up for a spike against Sherman in the Section VI Class D quarterfinals on Thursday night.
Photo by Steve Garvey Cassadaga Valley's Melanie Myles, left, and Elizabeth Lewis, right, defend a hit by Sherman's Madison Emory during the Section VI Class D quarterfinals on Thursday night.
Photo by Steve Garvey Cassadaga Valley's Alexis Pattyson goes up for a spike against Sherman in the Section VI Class D quarterfinals on Thursday night.
Photo by Steve Garvey Cassadaga Valley's Melanie Myles, left, and Elizabeth Lewis, right, defend a hit by Sherman's Madison Emory during the Section VI Class D quarterfinals on Thursday night.
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SINCLAIRVILLE -- No. 1 Cassadaga Valley kicked off its run in the Section VI Class D volleyball playoffs with a sweep against No. 8 Sherman 26-24, 25-22, 25-20 on Thursday evening.
"I'm incredibly proud of our girls tonight," Cassadaga Valley head coach Melissa Kelly said about the win. "We knew Sherman was going to be a tough opponent, and they certainly proved that. They came ready to compete, played with tremendous heart, and gave us quite a battle from start to finish. It was a fun, well-played match between two teams that left everything on the court."
Cassadaga Valley (16-3) was led by Kailee Lacki with 12 kills, five digs and five points, Melanie Myles made 30 assists, seven digs and 12 points, Aleix Pattyson provided nine kills, Anna Burlingame had seven kills and a block and Eliana Katilus added 13 digs, two aces and seven points.
"We had several girls step up and make big plays for us," Kelly said about her team. "Burlingame had an outstanding game and really rose to the occasion, while fellow senior Melanie Myles was huge for us on the serving line. Those are the kinds of contributions you need in a postseason match. Our girls had to work for every point, stay composed, and trust one another, and I'm proud of how they responded. This is what playoff volleyball is all about, and we're excited to have the opportunity to keep playing."
Emmersen Crawford led the Sherman (6-13) effort with eight kills, Madison Emory had three aces and three kills, Jayne Chambers provided four kills and three blocks and Ava Irwin dealt 15 assists.
The Cougars will host No. 4 Maple Grove on Monday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
MAPLE GROVE SWEEPS PANAMA
ELLERY -- Lucy Castro scored nine kills, three aces and had four digs as Maple Grove swept Panama 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 to advance to the Class D semifinals.
Meg Ryan provided another nine kills and a block for the Red Dragons, Zoey Foley had seven kills, nine digs and two aces, Annie Steffen made two kills, five digs and four aces, Kendall Danielson added two kills and two aces, Hailey Ullman pulled 10 digs and Savannah Rambacher dealt 27 assists, eight digs and three aces.
No. 5 Panama was led by Mckenna Kolstee with seven kills and six blocks and Sophie Hummel had six kills.
No. 4 Maple Grove will travel to No. 1 Cassadaga Valley on Monday.
PIRATES PREVAIL
CLYMER -- No. 3 Clymer held off No. 6 Forestville in four sets in the Class D quarterfinals 25-19, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22.
The Pirates set up a rematch with Ellicottville in the semifinals on Monday at 6 p.m.
Forestville ends the season with an 8-8 record.
EAGLES SURPRISE NO. 2 WESTFIELD
WESTFIELD -- In search of a third straight Class D title, Ellicottville would need a long run starting as the 7-seed. After a prequarterfinal sweep against North Collins, Ellicottville had to make the trip to No. 2 Westfield on Thursday night.
The Eagles were up to the task and outlasted Westfield in five sets 25-20, 18-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-9 to reach the semifinals on Monday.
Riley Whitmer led the Eagles with 17 kills, 27 digs and two aces, Karle Northrup had seven kills and two aces, Katie Lafferty made six kills and three blocks and Shiloh Miller dealt 24 assists and six aces.
Westfield's effort was led by Nahlia Douglas with 22 kills, two assists, 12 digs and an ace, Avery Smith had 21 kills, two assists, one block and four digs, Shelby Begier dealt 41 assists, 15 digs and five aces and Molly Burgess added 27 digs and three aces.
Ellicottville travels to No. X Clymer in a rematch of last year's sectional final that went five sets.
NIAGARA WHEATFIELD OUTLASTS JHS
SANBORN -- Niagara Falls survived a Jamestown rally defeating the Red & Green in five sets 25-18, 25-16, 13-25, 21-25, 15-13 in the Class AA quarterfinals.
The 4-seeded Falcons will travel to No. 1 Orchard Park on Monday at 6 p.m.
No. 5 Jamestown finishes the season with a 9-6 record.
MARAUDERS FALL IN QUARTERS
WEST SENECA -- After a prequarterfinal win, Dunkirk put No. 1 West Seneca East to the test in the A2 quarterfinals, but came up short losing 25-23, 25-14, 20-25, 25-17.
The top-seeded Trojans will host No. 5 Lewiston-Porter on Monday at 6 p.m.
Dunkirk finishes the season with a 1-15 record.