NYSPHSAA VOLLEYBALL: CANDOR SEEKING CLASS D REPEAT, 5th STATE TITLE (November 20, 2025)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
GLENS FALLS — When Candor steps onto the court at Harding Mazzotti Arena here Saturday morning the Coyotes will look to repeat as the NYSPHSAA Class D champion and bring home their fifth state title.
The Coyotes (16-1), ranked fifth in the state at the end of the regular season by the New York Volleyball Coaches Association, will compete in pool play along with Section 2 champion Mekeel Christian Academy (17-2), Section III champ Weedsport (18-2) and Section V champ York (22-1).
Candor is the only school in the final four to play in a state championship match although Mekeel participated in pool play last year. Previous experience may or may not factor into the outcome, but Candor coach Pam Quinlan just wants the Coyotes to play the way they’ve been playing.
“My expectation is that we would continue to play at a consistent level, and just stay together and just do what we've been doing all season and adjust to anything that we see from the other side of the net,” she said.
York, ranked second in the state, knocked off top-ranked Westfield in regional play. The Golden Knights have won 58 of 65 match play sets. The team is led by senior setter Lena Balisciano, sophomore outside hitter Bailey Orman, and junior middle hitter Bree Parsons. Orman is a three-time Section V all-tournament pick and this year's MVP and Balisciano is a two-time all-tournament selection. Other key contributors are junior libero CC Biondo, junior middle hitter Fiona Grant, 8th-grade outside hitter JJ Kane and sophomore right side Kylee Koronas. Individual stats are not available.
Third-ranked Mekeel is 46-6 in match play sets. The Lions faced Candor in pool play last year, falling by 25-22 and 25-18 scores. Freshman Mikal Towers, a middle blocker and outside hitter, has 283 kills and 48 blocks (match play and tournaments combined). One of five seniors, setter Bria Salvo has dished out 752 assists and served up 82 aces. Senior Paige Brennan, who is used as both an outside hitter and defensive specialist, has 232 kills and 90 aces, senior middle blocker Milani Hamid has 40 blocks, and senior libero/defensive specialist Haley McDonald has 114 digs. Macie Dell, a sophomore outside hitter, has 223 kills and 122 digs.
Brennan was named to the all-tournament team last year, and was also an all-state pick along with Salvo and Harmony Packard.
No. 9 Weedsport has won 54 of 62 match play sets. The Wolverines have eight seniors on their roster. Among them are middle blocker Chelsea Foltz with 167 kills, 114 digs and 32 blocks in match play. Setter Megan House has handed out 472 assists to go with 81 aces, outside hitter Zoyee Newton has 164 kills and 157 digs, and libero Kaylee Chapman has tacked on 90 digs. The team also boasts an impressive 7th-grader in Eleanor Smith who has 109 kills and 101 digs to her credit.
Candor won 48 of 54 sets in match play this season. The lone setback was a 3-0 loss to rival Tioga. The only other teams to win a set against the Coyotes were Trumansburg in a 3-2 battle and Union Springs, 3-1.
A repeat championship would certainly be nice for the program. Several players are looking to repeat, including seniors Ava Fernando, Hazel Ray, Tracy Reynolds, Nicola Soper and Jill Terwilliger, and juniors Malley Heidl and Emmi Makie.
“It feels really good,” Soper said of the opportunity to close out her high school career at states. “I'm just excited to go back another year. I've seen both scenarios here, but to end it on a win would be really amazing, and just to do it with this team, I think it's really fun to do.
“It would definitely be really nice to repeat. I know we all want it, but again it's a big accomplishment just to make it to the tournament. We're going to try our best to repeat, but just be thankful that we got there this year.”
Soper was named to the all-tournament last year team and was selected the MVP. She was also a first-team all-state selection while Makie was named to the second team.
“It's really exciting and I feel really good about it,” Makie said. “I want to win this year again, because we won last year and I just really want to win two in a row.”
Makie leads the team in kills (210), points (181) and digs; Soper is No. 1 in aces (68), Fernando is tops in blocks (15) and Heidl has dished out 391 assists. Soper has also contributed 181 kills and 138 points; Ray has chipped in with 113 points; Makie has added 55 aces; Teribury has 149 points; and Heidl has added 158 points.
“It would just really solidify how good our team is and how well we've developed together and grown together,” said Ray of a championship repeat. “I feel like I'd be really happy for everyone else, not just me. It would mean a lot to me to finish my career, but it'd mean more to me to finish it with my teammates that I have. I love my teammates and I love playing with them, so it would just really make me happy for everyone else and myself.”
Candor is the only team with championship match experience although Mekeel was a semifinalist last season. Quinlan is hoping that will be an advantage.
“I would hope that having had that feeling from the past and feeling that type of, I don't know if I want to say pressure, but just feeling those kinds of nerves and being able to work through them and had the opportunity to do that in the past, I'm certainly hoping that plays into our favor, and that those ladies who have been there before can kind of be leaders for the ones that haven't,” Quinlan said.
“I think it's mostly about, like coach just saying, play our game,” added Soper. “Don't try to be out of ourselves, so tell them to play our game. Just ignore what's happening around us and if the environment pumps us up, use it to pump us up.”
“Just stay relaxed. It's the same as playing a game in Candor,” Makie added. “It's volleyball and we need to just be relaxed and know what we know, how to play volleyball, and just put that out on the court and play our best and try to stay relaxed.”
The experience will probably be different for the Coyotes’ newcomers — Lydia Kunte, Elizabeth Murray, Valeria Polanco Gil, Montana Vorhis and Nora Young — and Quinlan hopes they will approach it as they would any other match.
“I think, just doing what you can do when you get your opportunities to get in there,” she said. “Don't try to do too much. Don't try to overdo. Don't try to overthink what you're doing. I would think the roles that they've been in during the season are the roles that they'll be in this weekend.
“Even some of the girls that were there last year are in different roles this year in terms of playing time or being on the court more, being in leadership roles and so I’m just hoping that they continue to do that and to support each other, and I would just tell them to have fun you know enjoy the experience, but also go there to be competitive.
“That was some of the best advice I got early on was don't just be happy to be there, go there to compete and to believe that you have an opportunity that you have a chance that your team is good enough to compete against the other teams.”
“Last year, I was a new player,” Ray said. "I really just had to put it in my head that I'm part of the team, and I'm not just a younger person who's less developed than everyone else … and I still matter as much as everyone else does … so that was important to me and I think that could help other people.”
The state tournament has been pretty rewarding to Candor which would sweep its way through the 2019 state tournament, defeating Panama in the championship match. The Coyotes added a fourth title in 2024, battling past Ellicottville, 3-2. Candor also captured back-to-back titles in 2002-2003.
The Coyotes also competed in the semifinais in 2021 and 2023.
Pool play begins at 8 a.m. Saturday with teams being required to attend the opening ceremonies at 7 a.m. Candor faces Mekeel in the second match and York in the third, then wraps up play in the sixth match. The top two teams advance to the championship match Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Playing early in the morning could be rough and although the Friday afternoon matches some other classifications are playing in may be more suitable, Quinlan noted that the Coyotes’ opponents are playing at the same time as well, and the team has played in some tournaments during the season which required morning play.
Fan support could be a plus for the Candor players as well. The Coyotes get a pretty good turnout of fans for an event nearly 3 ½ hours away from home.
“They love to see their families there, but I think also seeing people that are volleyball family, not necessarily blood relatives, people that just like to watch the program that may … just be connected because they're from Candor and they're willing to make a 3 ½-hour trip,” Quinlan said. “I think that certainly helps them when they see people, their loved ones, and people that are just from the community that just want to come and support them.”
Tickets can be purchased at https://gofan.co/nysphsaa?activity=Volleyball&level=Varsity&gender=Girls. The tournament can also be streamed on nfhsnetwork.com for $13.99.
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IN PHOTO 1: Nicola Soper was named the tournament MVP in 2024. IN TOP PHOTO: Candor is making its third consecutive state semifinal appearance. … TCSR STOCK PHOTOS.
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