Chautauqua Lake’s Jeannine Group delivers a spike as Gowanda’s Cadence Luther defends during Monday’s Section VI Class C prequarterfinal volleyball match at Chautauqua Lake Central School.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
MAYVILLE — From top to bottom of the Section VI Class C girls volleyball bracket there is no shortage of talent with two reigning state-champion programs highlighting the field.
Portville, which won Class C last year, is the top seed and Chautauqua Lake Class D’s Chautauqua Lake coming in as the 7-seed.
Rising up a class size, Chautauqua Lake was tested right away in the prequarterfinals against a fellow Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division champion, 10-seed Gowanda. The Eagles showed they were ready for their challenge sweeping the Panthers 25-6, 26-24, 25-23 on Monday.
“We knew going into the playoffs this year that there are not any bad teams in the ‘C’ brackets for playoffs,” Chautauqua Lake head coach Joanne Meadows said. “It’s a whole different thing. Sometimes you play somebody weak in the first round and this year we knew going into this Gowanda is not weak. That’s a tough first draw for prequarters.”
Chautauqua Lake was nearly perfect in the opening set, giving up consecutive points just once in the frame and even recording a run of eight points that featured three aces from seventh-grader Brina Jacobson.
Gowanda’s Envy Cross (8) blocks a spike from Chautauqua Lake’s Sydney Williams.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
“We talked in the locker room before about how this was the first step, so I do think they were pretty focused coming into it,” Meadows said about the team’s title defense. “They started the first set without too many mistakes at all, so I think that goes a long way to set the tone for the rest of the night.”
The Eagles jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set and it looked like the night would be over early, but the visiting Panthers showed why they were Class C2 finalists a year ago.
Gowanda started to find its footing and scored a couple short runs to snag the lead at 9-8, showing Chautauqua Lake it wouldn’t just be a cakewalk.
“I was proud of the girls after coming off losing so bad in the first one,” Gowanda head coach Brenda Gernatt stated. “Instead of just giving up, they battled through to almost get a win in the second and then, still again, in the third. I was proud of the girls for having that refuse-to-lose mentality, especially after coming off a really hard loss after the first one.”
Chautauqua Lake’s offense struggled to find the points it was easily securing in the first set, and a large part of that was the Gowanda defense at the net. With an eventual changing of the guard with senior Lauren Kelly and freshman Envy Cross as middle hitters, the duo combined for 12 blocks with Cross recording seven along with five kills and four digs in her first varsity playoff game.
Chautauqua Lake’s Kinslee Motter blocks a hit from Gowanda’s Elizabeth Green.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
“She did a phenomenal job for us tonight,” Gernatt said about Cross. “I couldn’t be more proud of her. We pulled her up from jayvee. Her dream someday is to play in college and that’s something to work at is getting her there. She’s only in ninth grade and she led our team with blocks, she was a force to be reckoned with at that net and I know all the girls were feeding off from that. Envy is going to be an amazing player.”
For a while it looked like the Panthers would steal the second set after a dismal first frame. The Eagles continued to linger until their offense found a way to snatch the win away. Trailing 22-19, Chautauqua Lake outscored Gowanda 6-2 down the stretch to take the 2-0 lead.
While the second set was close throughout, Gowanda took control of the third set with its season on the line. The Panthers jumped out to a 7-4 lead and shortly followed up with their longest run of the night as they scored six straight, including a pair of aces from Addison Kota, for the 15-11 lead.
Chautauqua Lake steadied itself with a timeout to slow the momentum of the Panthers that was led by Holland Browning with six kills, 10 digs and a block, Kota ended with two aces, an assist and five digs, Kelly had her five blocks, two digs and a kill, Jill Gernatt made seven assists and Liz Green added five digs and a kill.
Despite many of the Chautauqua Lake players already state champions with veteran experience, the young crew showed how well it plays when trailing. The Eagles rattled off a five-point run to regain the lead at 17-16 and then stayed ahead to close out the 25-23 victory.
Gowanda’s Lauren Kelly makes a block on Chautauqua Lake’s Jeanine Group during Monday’s Section VI Class C prequarterfinal volleyball match Monday at Chautauqua Lake Central School.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
“We are very young,” Meadows said about her team. “We have one senior, two juniors, five sophomores, a freshman, two eighth-graders and a seventh-grader. One of the things I think of besides talent when I’m bringing the kids up is are they going to be able to handle the pressure of being on a varsity team and all that comes with that. These kids play a lot of club, we have a pretty good club team here, so they’ve been playing a lot of high-level volleyball before we get them.”
Chautauqua Lake was led by Jacobson with her three aces, seven kills, 14 digs and 13 assists, Jeanine Group scored 10 kills, two aces and six digs, Alice Scarpine made 16 digs and two aces and Kinslee Motter added eight kills and two digs.
“We run an offense that I kind of made up myself,” Meadows stated. “It’s a modified 4-2 or 6-2, because I didn’t want to take any of my kids out of being hitters. Even my setters hit really well, it’s nice to have. Like if Kinslee is really on let’s keep getting her the ball or if Noli is really on let’s get her the ball. I really like to be in the position we’re in where the other team can’t commit a blocker to one person.”
Gowanda finishes its season with a 13-5 overall record and a share of the CCAA D2 title.
“The Class C is stacked,” Gernatt added. “No matter which way you look at it, no matter who we lined up with we knew it would be a tough game. … No matter where you look we’re strong and coming up against the previous state champ. They’re a good team. Phenomenal defense and we knew that coming in.”
Chautauqua Lake’s Brina Jacobson prepares to deliver a spike.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
It won’t get any easier for the Eagles in the quarterfinals as they travel to No. 2 Eden (13-3) on Wednesday.