NEW YORK STATE VOLLEYBALL: CANDOR SPIKERS SEEK CLASS D REPEAT (2021-11-20)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
GLENS FALLS — The Candor volleyball team is returning to Cool Insuring Arena here Saturday to defend its Class D title at the 2021 NYSPHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships.

Coach Pam Quinlan has high hopes for the Indians.

"I think with the way what we've, what we've played against, the tough competition in the past, I would expect them to rise to the challenge," she said. "The teams that we're going to play, we know that there are not going to be any easy teams, but I think that if we come out and just keep our wits about us and work with each other, like we've been doing all season, we'll be all right."

In addition to some solid skill sets, the team's strong points include some other variables.

"One of them would be the relationships that they have with each other," she said. "(Also), the way that they play together on the court and the way that they try to rebound when things don't go their away. There's no finger pointing. They're always taking responsibility for mistakes that they've made and talking about how they can make the next play the next play better."

The Indians have six seniors on the roster — Addie Aman, Ana Greeno, Kiera Heidl, Isabel Makie, Shelby Swartz and Brooke Wilcox. Each was a member of the 2019 champs and each would love to take home a second state title.

Swartz, who saw a lot of action in the Indians' 2019 state run, has an idea what it's going to take to repeat.

"I think just playing every point, kind of like it's 23-23, and just going after every ball and really playing together and staying aggressive," she said. "Even if the game might not be in our favor at the moment, we still need to play our game and play aggressively."

"I think ... playing together, staying aggressive, but also really focusing on defense. The teams are going to be really good and they're going to have big players, so we need to make sure that we're playing our game, and we can do what we can to stop them and still come away with it."

"I'm just expecting us to go in and play hard and play our game, and not stoop down to any level," Wilcox said. "Just stay consistent throughout the weekend, hopefully, and be aggressive and play smart.

To repeat, Wilcox says, "I think we just have to stick together, because when we play together we play really strong, and that's when we're at our best. We've just got to treat each other like a family, not get down on ourselves, and I think we'll be OK."

"I expect to just go in, play every point, and at the end of the day, just have fun," added Aman. "Just play every point like it's your last."

"I expect just to play hard, like what everyone else has been saying, just play to our best ability," said Makie. "Don't have any regrets."

She also feels playing hard trusting one another will be keys.

"I think playing hard and Ms. Quinlan mentioned a lot about trusting each other, just trusting each other on the court and knowing that they got your back.

"Play hard and play together for each other and to communicate with one another," Greeno said.

"Working together and playing to our best ability all the time, and like Addie said, playing every point, like it's our last."

Unfortunately for Heidl, she will have to watch her final high school competition from the sidelines due to an injury, but she has she knows what the team has to do to win.

"Communication probably, because if it's not there, then we're not playing to the best of our ability.

To defeat the other teams, "I think just playing our best and trusting each other."

Candor (21-1) faces Galway from Section II,  Pavilion from Section V and Mount Academy from Section IX in pool play at 3 p.m. with the top two teams advancing to Sunday's 2 p.m. championship match.

Candor has seen a little film on its opponents, but that only partially prepares a team for competition.

"You know, you can watch film and, like I've said before, you can watch film and you can know who their hitters are and what they have, but until you're in the game and have to adjust to them.

"We're going to play our game on our side of the court and play the best defense we can against what's on the other side."

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IN PHOTO 1: Addie Aman and coach Pam Quinlan with the teams regional hardware. ... PHOTO BY TIM TAYLOR.