SECTION IV VOLLEYBALL: OWEGO SWEEPS M-E TO REPEAT AS CLASS A CHAMP (24 PHOTOS) (2024-11-09)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Despite being unbeaten Owego still had to show everyone it was the best volleyball team in Section IV — and the River Hawks did just that, dominating Maine-Endwell, 3-0, here Saturday afternoon to repeat as the Class A champions.

Owego downed the top-seeded Spartans, 25-13, 25-12 and 25-16.

“It feels good, but it definitely wasn't an easy road to get here,” said Owego coach Abbey Manning. “We had a lot of competition throughout the year, but my girls were able to put together a solid one. Being 18-0 feels pretty darn good, and they played extremely well today.

“They played at their top level that they can normally play at, but today I saw a lot coming out of them because we had a week and a half to prepare, and being able to just continue doing those things in practice and making sure we're doing all the right things was super beneficial, and we definitely saw that today.”

Despite Owego’s dominance, the Spartans still managed to hang around in the early stages of each set.

“I honestly think we started out a little nervous,” Manning said. “We didn't know how M-E was going to come out and attack us, and I think that's why we played that way. Once we started getting the hang of it and our connections started connecting, that's when everything was good. And the thing is, we were able to pass and put away the ball today, so that was super beneficial.”

The River Hawks surrendered the first two points in game one, but tied the score twice before taking the lead for good at 5-4. M-E kept it close for a few more points and was only behind, 9-8, when the River Hawks started asserting their dominance.

With Michaela Terry at the service line, the River Hawks reeled off another six points for a 15-8 advantage. Owego would remain in the lead, but M-E would attempt to creep closer and trailed, 18-13, when the blue and red would slam the door. Highlighted by a Shannon Maslin ace and a Terry kill shot to the back row, Owego went on a 7-0 run to take the opening set.

Lexi Herceg opened the serving in the second set and the River Hawks quickly jumped out to a 4-0 advantage, but with the help of a few Owego miscues, the Spartans rallied to go ahead, 6-5. With the game deadlocked at seven, a strong Maggie Hamed hit brought a sideout and Kayla Newman followed by serving up 11 consecutive points.

Logan Georgia caught M-E off guard at the net with a left-handed tap over the net to end game two.

M-E looked like it would avoid a sweep as it jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in game three, but Owego battled back and took a brief 8-7 edge on a Herceg block.

The Spartans would move back in front, 9-8, but Owego bounced back, tying the score at nine, then turning an 8-1 run into a 17-10 cushion.

The River Hawks would push their lead to 21-11, but still prevailed despite M-E scoring five of the final nine points.

Hamed would record a double-double for the day with 15 kills and 10 digs. She also had one ace and one assist. Herceg dished out 32 assists to go with a kill, an ace and a block; Logan Georgia had eight kills and one block; and Terry added five kills, five aces, two blocks and a dig.

Newman contributed five kills, two aces and five digs; Howe chipped in with four kills; Maslin registered three aces and six digs; and Sofia Silvanic tacked on seven digs.

Owego will head north Saturday to face the winner of Section VII champ Peru or Section X champ Massenain in regional action att Massena or Saranac.

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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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