SANBORN – The Lady Raiders defeated three opponents on Saturday and earned a berth in the semifinals of the Region 3 volleyball championship tournament. The team was seeded third in the regionals' field of eight, but on Saturday they compiled the best record in this elite group.

The Lady Raiders won the Mountain Valley Conference crown last weekend. Now they have earned the right to vie for the Region 3 crown on Sunday.

Photo:  Whitney Ostrander scores with a well-placed shot past two Adirondack defenders

Saturday's play was a qualifying round. The eight teams were seeded into two pools. Each team played the other three in their pool. The format of Saturday's play was three sets per match, with the outcome based on the number of sets won. FM won their pool with eight sets won and only one lost. Adirondack was second at 6-3, followed by Jefferson (2-7), and Finger Lakes (1-8). The other pool saw Niagara CCC and Monroe CC on top with identical records of 6-3. They were followed by Jamestown (5-4) and Onondaga (1-8).

FM downed their three opponents, but every match was a challenge.

Jefferson

It took a while for FM to rise to the occasion with Jefferson CC. The Lady Cannoneers led 5-1 before three kills by Whitney Ostrander ignited the FM offense.  The first set was tied 12-12 before the Raiders took over the set. Katlyn Pierce scored with a dink shot. Then Pierce pounced on a Jefferson overpass, and FM led 16-12. The offense kept clicking, and the final score was 25-14.

Jefferson led 9-5 in the second set, but Zara Hyde set up Ostrander for a kill. Hyde then blocked for a point, and FM got going. Jefferson did not give up, and the final set score was 25-21.

Jefferson led once again in the early going of the third set. A clever soft shot by Karissa Morey tied the score at 10-10. A Pierce kill tied it again at 12-12. An Ostrander kill gave FM their first two-point lead, at 16-14. Two more Pierce kills scored FM's 23rd and 24th points. The final score was 25-20. FM had won three sets and lost none.

Finger Lakes

FM looked to be the better team, but the Lakers hung tough. FM won the first set 25-20.

The Lady Raiders played more consistently in the second set. Hyde kept setting up kills – not only by middle hitters Ostrander and Pierce, but also by the outside hitters: Morey, Elizabeth Hayward, and Kaylee Robinson. Defensive specialist Kaylee Gillen keyed the defense against the Lakers' attempted kills.

Photo:  Katlyn Pierce kills against the Lakers – the other Raiders are, from left, Kaylee Robinson, Zara Hyde, and Liz Hayward

FM dispatched the Lakers by a score of 25-15 in the final set. The Lady Raiders had won six sets and lost none.

Adirondack

The Lady Timberwolves of SUNY Adirondack were FM's most formidable opponent on Saturday. Adirondack had beaten FM in FM's first match of the season and in pod play on October 18. But then FM turned the tables in the conference tournament last weekend, posting a sound victory over Adirondack, three sets to one.

On Saturday, the Lady Raiders outplayed Adirondack again, but by very narrow margins. The T-Wolves and Raiders both played very good volleyball, and both were cheered on by crowds that had accompanied them to Niagara CCC. Some of the FM faithful also posted pep signs above the bleachers. (See photo at the bottom of this webpage.)

The Adirondack match was an intense, back-and-forth affair. Both teams played well enough to win, but FM gritted out wins in two of the three sets. The set scores were 26-24, 21-25, and 26-24.

FM finished their day with a record of eight sets won and just one set lost.

Semifinals and Finals

Head Coach Rachael Salvione's squad has now enjoyed more success than any previous FM volleyball team. On Sunday they will try to take that success a bit farther.

Sunday's play has the semifinals at 11:00 a.m. with FM (15-2 in region regular season) playing Monroe (17-0), and Adirondack (15-2) playing Niagara (13-4). The two winners will meet for the Region 3 championship at 1:00 p.m.

All-Region Teams

The All-Region Teams were announced, and the players were introduced prior to play on Saturday. Four Lady Raiders were honored by being named to one of the three teams.

Whitney Ostrander was named to the All-Region 3 First Team. Zara Hyde was named to the Second Team, and both Kaylee Gillen and Katlyn Pierce were named to the Third Team.

Photo:  The All-Region 3 First Team, from left:  Whitney Ostrander (FM), Rachel Lumley (Adirondack), Shannon Gunnell (Jamestown), Jordan Glosser (Niagara), and Dayle Taber (Monroe)

                           C.J. Bonny, website writer

FM's stats appear below the bottom photo.

Photo below:  Zara Hyde serves in front of the FM section – the other Lady Raiders are, from left, Katlyn Pierce, Karissa Morey, Liz Hayward, and Kaylee Gillen (in red)

 

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