HERKIMER – Volleyball fans were treated to a very well-played match between two of the regions' top teams on Saturday. SUNY Adirondack and FM played a tense, four-set match that the Lady Timberwolves won. The set scores were 25-16, 24-26, 25-16, and 25-23 in the T-Wolves' favor.
The FM-Adirondack match was the marquee contest in pod play hosted by Herkimer CCC. FM began the day with a mid-morning matchup with Columbia-Greene CC. The Lady Raiders won that match 25-8, 25-4, and 25-13.
FM's mid-day match was with Hudson Valley CC. The Lady Raiders subdued the Lady Vikings 25-9, 25-12, and 25-12. Those wins boosted FM's sterling season record to 18-2.
Photo: Katlyn Pierce goes high for one of her 48 kills on Saturday
The late-afternoon match was the one that the FM Six was most eager to play. It pitted FM with archrival Adirondack. The T-Wolves are currently ranked #2 in Region 3, and the Raiders are right behind them with a #3 ranking among the 18 colleges in the region.
FM led midway through each of the first three sets, but Adirondack found ways to win the match.
In the first set, the Lady Raiders led 7-4 when Katlyn Pierce's dink shot hit the hardwood in Adirondack's court. The talented T-Wolves came back and knotted things at 7-7, but a nice placement shot by Zara Hyde and a block by Pierce put FM ahead 9-7.
The set featured several long rallies, and one of the best-played was won by Adirondack to tie the score at 9-9. The T-Wolves then pulled away, gradually at first. A Pierce kill brought FM within four at 19-15, but Adirondack scored six of the final seven points. Score: 25-16 Adirondack.
FM played a remarkable second set. Whitney Ostrander continued to have another great day, as did her teammate Katlyn Pierce. Both made key plays at key moments.
Ostrander's kill tied the score at 19-19. Her placement shot made it 20-19. Adirondack then took a 24-22 lead, putting the Lady Raiders' backs against the wall, but FM toughed out a comeback. A fine dig by Elizabeth Hayward and a kill by Kaylee Robinson made it 24-24. Pierce's blocks won the final two points, and FM won the set 26-24.
Photo: Karissa Morey attacks
Adirondack won the third set 25-16. FM almost evened the score in the fourth set but came up just short at 25-23.
Both teams played well, and the two squads were quite evenly matched. The only clear difference between the two teams on Saturday was that Adirondack made fewer unforced errors, particularly at the service line. The T-Wolves committed only two service errors while FM committed 10.
The match served as a postseason tuneup for both teams. The two schools may well meet again in the Mountain Valley Conference Tournament on Saturday, October 25, at SUNY Adirondack.
Head Coach Rachael Salvione was disappointed with the loss but also saw many positives. She assessed the situation, stating, "FMCC played great volleyball today. We were hungry for Adirondack. We haven't seen them since the season opener. We played great volleyball, but we lost the match due to 10 missed serves against them. That can't happen; we have to keep the ball in play. We will see Adirondack again next weekend at the conference tournament. We will work on our areas of weakness and prepare for them again."
The Lady Raiders' final home match of the season will be this coming Wednesday, October 22, when they host the steadily improving Lady Broncos of SUNY Delhi in a 7:00 p.m. match.
C.J. Bonny, website writer
The Adirondack match stats are given below the bottom photo.
Photo: One of Whitney Ostrander's many kills against Adirondack
