NEW YORK STATE VOLLEYBALL: OWEGO LOOKS TO DEFEND TITLE (2018-11-16)

Tioga County Sports Report
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. - Owego looks to break the even-year curse when it opens Class B pool play at the 2018 NYSPHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships Saturday morning.

The Indians have won state titles in 2013, 2015 and 2017, but have yet to land a championship in an even-numbered year.

Owego (17-2) kicks things off against the team which might provide the biggest challenge to a repeat for the defending champions. Westhill out of Section III comes in as the lone unbeaten in Class B, sporting a 19-0 record.

Westhill swept Solvay, 3-0, to win the sectional title, then swept Alden and Wayne in the regional tournament.

Bayport-Blue Point (13-2) won the Section XI title and Long Island championship. The Phantoms stunned John Glenn, 3-1, for the sectional crown, then bested Wheatley, 3-1, to take the Island title. John Glenn, ranked No. 1 in the state by the New York Volleyball Coaches Association, had beaten B-BP, 3-0 and 3-1, during the regular season.

Broadalbin-Perth (17-1) swept Hudson Falls for the sectional title, then swept Peru and Ogdensburg to win the regional title.

Even before news came out that John Glenn had been knocked out of the championship hunt, Owego head coach Brittney Race was focusing her concerns elsewhere.

"The team I'm really looking at is Westhill out of Syracuse," she said. "We haven't played them, but we've seen them a couple time and they're good. They're very solid, so we'll have to be at our best. I mean, we'll have to be at our best anyway, but we're going to have to be at our definite best against a team like that."

It won't take long to see which of those two team might have the upper hand. They meet in the first pool play match.

Back to help Owego in its quest to end the even-year curse are senior setter Grace Thomas and senior middle blocker Ruby Coleman, both of whom were on the 2015 and 2017 championship squads. Also returning from the 2017 team are senior Kaylee Kelly, juniors Taylor Aubel, Makenna Boehme, Bianca DeVita and Sara Zepkowski, and sophomores Evee Coleman, Annika Kinney and Mackenzie Struble. Rounding out the squad are juniors Maddy Powell and Haleigh Whatley, and sophomores Emma Howe, Macey Gibson and Camryn Kopalek.

The Colemans, Kelly, Struble and Thomas were recently named to the All-STAC team.

Players to Watch
Bayport-Blue Point: Haley Prisinzano, Isabella Imbo
Broadalbin-Perth: Cassy Bown, Eliana Fraser, Madison Fariello
Westhill: Sara Galante, MacKenzie Martin, Montanna Gedney

Pool Play Schedule
Match 1, 8:30 a.m. - Owego vs. Westhill
Match 2, 9:30 a.m. - Broadalbin-Perth vs. Bayport-Blue Point
Match 3 to follow - Owego vs. Bayport-Blue Point
Match 4 to follow - Broadalbin-Perth vs. Westhill
Match 5 to follow - Owego vs. Broadalbin-Perth
Match 6 to follow - Westhill vs. Bayport-Blue Point