Johnstown, NY – The Fulton-Montgomery CC volleyball team hosted a six-team meet on Sunday. Three community colleges from the Mohawk River Valley were joined by teams from the Southern Tier, the Finger Lakes, and the Catskills. Each team played three matches, and the fans saw a lot of good volleyball.
FM's squad won two of their three matches. The Lady Raiders shut out teams from SUNY Delhi and Tompkins Cortland CC, and they bowed to a very solid Broome CC squad. The Raiders pushed Broome to the full five sets before the Hornets could prevail.
Photo: FM's Sarah Wyzomirski attacking – she had 30 kills in the three matches
FM and Broome tied for having the second-best records on the day. The Raiders and Hornets each won two of their three matches. The Herkimer Generals had the meet's best performance: a perfect 3-0.
Photo: FM's gym was configured for two matches to be played simultaneously
FM vs. Broome
The Raiders began the day playing Broome CC. The Hornets proved to be a very solid squad. They have one of the best defenses that FM has seen this year. Broome also made very few unforced errors.
The first set was nip and tuck all the way. Taylor Wetsky's crafty cross-court attack helped tie the score at 22-22, but Broome scored the next three points for a 25-22 win.
Broome also won the second set 19-25, despite freshman Whitney Ostrander and sophomore Sarah Wyzormirski proving to be formidable attackers.
Photo: Whitney Ostrander making a tricky save
The Raiders' backs were to the wall, but Head Coach Rachael Salvior's squad made a gritty comeback. An Emily Robinson attack gave FM the lead at 10-9. FM also won a great, long rally to go up 13-11. An Ostrander kill finally closed out the set with FM winning 25-19.
FM also won the fourth set. With Robinson serving, the Raiders took a 13-10 lead. They led the rest of the way, winning 25-16.
The match was on the line in the fifth set. Broome broke a 2-2 tie and pulled away, winning the set 15-6 and winning the match 3-2. It was a good showing for both teams.
FM vs. Delhi
The Raiders had already beaten the taller Broncos in their first match of the season, winning 3-1 at Delhi. This time the Raiders won in straight sets: 25-19, 25-19, and 25-9.
The Broncos led 17-16 in the first set, but a winning block and a kill by Wyzomirski put FM ahead to stay. The final score was 25-19.
FM won the first two points of the second set, and never trailed. A great save by Liz Hayward allowed the team to double Delhi's score at 14-7. Again the final score was 25-19.
The Raiders controlled the third set from start to finish. A Wyzomirski kill, a Robinson attack, an Ostrander ace, and a Liz Hayard attack put FM ahead 4-1. The final score was 25-9 for the set, and 3-0 for the match.
Photo: Liz Hayward serving
FM vs. Tompkins Cortland
The Raiders jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, but the Panthers proved pesky and kept the set very close. A well-placed shot by Ostrander knotted the score at 24-24. A Robinson ace gave FM the win at 27-25.
FM dominated the next two sets, taming the Panthers 25-12 and 25-18.
The Raiders are now 5-4 for the season. Their next outing will be another multi-school event on Saturday, September 28, at Mohawk Valley CC.
C.J. Bonny, website wrtier
FM scores (set and match scores):
FMCC 22-19-25-25-6 2
Broome 25-25-19-16-15 3
FMCC 25-25-25 3
Delhi 19-19-9 0
FMCC 27-25-25 3
Tompkins Cortland 25-12-18 0
FM three-match stats highlights:
Whitney Ostrander – 34 kills, 18 blocks, 6 aces
Sarah Wyzomirski – 30 kills, 9 blocks
Taylor Wetsky – 10 kills, 5 blocks
Shelbey Lyons – 94 assists
Elizabeth Hayward – 12 kills, 51 digs
Gabrielle Hale – 30 digs
Caitlin Hayward – 77 digs
Scores for the other six matches (set and match scores):
Herkimer CCC 25-25-25 3
Tompkins Cortland 11-23-10 0
Herkimer CCC 25-25-25 3
SUNY Delhi 19-9-10 0
Herkimer CCC 28-25-25-25 3
Broome CC 30-23-20-23 1
Broome CC 25-25-25 3
Mohawk Valley 20-20-16 0
Mohawk Valley 25-25-25 3
Tompkins Cortland 15-16-12 0
SUNY Delhi 25-25-19-23-15 3
Mohawk Valley 19-21-25-25-9 2
