NYSPHSAA VOLLEYBALL: CANDOR IN DRIVER’S SEAT FOR SPOT IN CLASS D FINALS (November 22, 2025)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
GLENS FALLS — Candor has put itself in the driver’s seat for a spot in the NYSPHSAA Class D volleyball championship match after defeating Mekeel Christian Academy, 2-0, and York, 2-1, in pool play at Harding Mazzotti Arena here Saturday morning.

The defending champion Coyotes are 2-0, York is 1-1, and Mckeel and Weedsport are both 0-1. Candor didn’t always have its “A game,” but played well enough to stay alive.

Candor probably worked a little harder than it had hoped to get the victories, but at this point in the season, a win is a win.

“I guess that's how it is when you get here at this level,” coach Pam Quinlan said. “You really have to work to play at a consistent level and we didn't.”

CANDOR 2, MCA 0
The Coyotes trailed through the majority of the opening set, trailing by four twice in the early going, but rallied behind the powerful hitting of senior Nicola Soper and junior Emmi Makie, and an ace from junior Malley Heidl to close the gap to 12-11.

Haley McDonald and Paige Brennan extended the Lions’ lead to 17-13, but Soper drilled a side-out shot inside the back line, then found a hole in the middle to make it 17-15.

A Mikal Towers tapper at the net made it 19-15, but Makie responded with a tap at the net for a side-out to make it 19-16. Senior Jill Teribury stepped to the service line and reeled off six consecutive points, using two big hits from Makie before closing out the run with an ace to give Candor a 22-19 advantage.

Soper and Makie extended the lead to 24-20, then MCA trimmed it to 24-22 before hitting a ball into the net for the 25-22 final.

The second set difference was never more than two points until the Lions went on a 7-2 run to go up, 10-7. That would be the largest lead of the game until MCA pushed it to 18-14.

A Soper nest off a back row player, followed by a Teribury ace and a Soper ace made it 19-18, prompting a timeout by the Lions. They would come back with a point, but Makie would lob one over towering middle hitter Isabella Baum for a side-out.

Hazel Ray landed a kill to the middle to tie the set at 20, but a pair of hitting errors by the Coyotes helped give MCA a 24-22 edge. Soper drilled a kill to the back row, then senior Tracy Reynolds rolled a serve over the top of the net for a 25-24 Candor lead. The final point came when MCA hit the ball out of bounds.

Makie had 13 kills and Soper added a dozen more. Soper also had eight digs and seven points (including two aces). Heidl dished out 26 assists to go with six points (2 aces). Teribury and Reynolds served up eight points apiece with Teribury scoring a trio of aces and adding three digs.

CANDOR 2, YORK 1
The Coyotes dominated the early action, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. They stretched it to 11-4 and eventually built an 18-9 cushion before York started to rally. Four Candor hitting errors, a swap of side-outs and a long out-of-bounds hit by the Coyotes helped narrow the margin to 21-19.

Ray stuffed a Golden Knight opponent at the net to make it 22-19, Soper blasted a kill shot to the middle to make it 23-20, a York net serve made it 24-21, then Makie’s hit off a Knight back row player trying to move up closed out the game.

The bottom fell out for Candor in game two as they fell behind, 17-4 at one point. The Knights’ tall middle hitters, Brianna Parsons and Fiona Grant, posed a problem at the net, and CC Bionda and Bailey Orman provided some quality serving.

“I think we struggled to get the ball around them and then I think we got a little bit timid or whatever the word may be,” Quinlan said. “Then we weren't hitting the ball hard and when you're facing a big block, you can't just soft touch it into the block, then we were trying to go over the block, but it's a big block, bigger than maybe we've seen for the most part.”

Some nice hits by Reynolds and Soper sparked a rally, which was also fueled by a Teribury ace and a coupleof Makie blasts to the back row.

The Coyotes continued to fight back, closing the deficit to 23-20 before York scored the final two points.

Game three saw the Coyotes lead early, 3-1, then the two teams settled into a duel that saw Candor hold an 8-7 edge when the two teams switched sides. The battle was deadlocked at eight, nine, 10 and 11, before York pushed in front, 14-11.

A Soper hit off a front row player gave Candor a side-out point, then a Knights hitting error made it a 14-13 contest. York called a timeout only to watch Makie tie the set with a shot off a back row player. York followed up with a hit into the net, then another hit long out of bounds to give the Coyotes the overtime win.

“I think it was great that we made that second game (against York) a respectable loss,” said Quinlan. “We dug ourselves a pretty big hole there and I think digging our way back to a three or four or five-point loss, whatever it was there, was a good deal.

“I think that third game was kind of a reset and just really realizing how we need to play at this tournament.”

Soper and Makie racked up 10 kills apiece. Soper also chipped in with seven points (two aces) and three digs while Makie added 11 points, one assist and one assist block. Heidl handed out 23 assists to go with six points; Teribury pitched in with five points (2 aces) and four digs; Ray contributed four points, one solo block and one assist block; Reynolds added eight points (2 aces) and Nora Young tacked on three points. NEXT UP
Candor still has to play Weedsport.

“Everybody's playing with a particular drive and determination knowing that this is it for whatever team that may be, so sometimes that determination can make some plays that maybe they normally wouldn't,” Quinlan said. “I'm feeling that we still need to come out and hopefully we can pick that up a little bit so that we can get the ball to our setter. I think defensively, we have to make sure that we're not resting when the ball goes onto the other side.”

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IN PHOTO 1: Malley Heidl. IN TOP PHOTO: Emmi Makie. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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