Broadalbin-Perth, Fonda-Fultonville, Galway and Mayfield all reached the championship match in their respective classes.
The Lady Patriots will face Hudson Falls for the Class B title in a meeting of Foothills Council rivals, while Fonda-Fultonville will meet Voorheesville for the Class C crown. The Golden Eagles and Lady Panthers will meet to decide the Class D title in a matchup of Western Athletic Conference rivals.
The Class D title match is slated for 3 p.m., followed by the Class C title contest at 5 p.m. and the Class B title match at 7 p.m.
All three matches will take place today at Saratoga Springs High School.
Section II Class B
Championship
Broadalbin-Perth
vs. Hudson Falls, 7 p.m.
For the third time in as many seasons, Broadalbin-Perth and Hudson Falls will meet to decide the Section II Class B title.
The Lady Patriots are looking for a different result this time around, having lost in the finals to the Tigers 3-0 last year and 3-0 in 2016.
“I think my team has been training all season long to get to this point. They are prepared and ready to take the court on Saturday and are just excited to have the opportunity again this year,” Broadalbin-Perth coach Renee Gillen said. “All I can ask is that my team plays the way I know they are capable of playing.”
This year marks the sixth straight trip for B-P to a Section II title match. The Lady Patriots won the Class C title in 2014 and 2015 and finished second in 2013 in Class C.
In the regular-season meeting between the Foothills Council rivals, Broadalbin-Perth posted 3-0 victory at Hudson Falls on Oct. 10.
“Hudson Falls has an outstanding volleyball program that is successful year after year. After losing many seniors this past year and having a bit of an up-and-down start to their season, their coaching staff has done a great job getting them back to the finals,“ Gillen said. “It is a credit to the coaching staff, the players and really their entire program. We’ve played each other several times now during the season and have a pretty good feeling for each other’s strengths and weaknesses, I think that puts us on a fairly level playing field going into Saturday night.”
In its first two playoff contests, the top-seeded Lady Patriots have rolled to 3-0 wins over eighth-seeded Emma Willard and fourth-seeded Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.
In Tuesday’s semifinal win over Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk at Stillwater High School, Eliana Fraser posted 21 digs, five kills, one ace and one block for B-P, which won by scores of 25-14, 25-19 and 25-11.
Cassy Bown finished with 10 kills, eight digs and five block for B-P (15-1 overall), while Lily Mitchell had 22 assists, six digs and two aces.
In the quarterfinals, the Lady Patriots rolled past No. 8 Emma Willard, 3-0, on scores of 25-10. 25-7 and 25-10.
Fraser paced the Lady Patriots with seven kills, eight aces and 16 digs, while Mitchell had nine aces and 38 assists and Sydney Rogers chipped in with six kills and two digs.
While B-P will be seeking its first second title since 2015, the sixth-seeded Tigers will be looking to win their fifth straight Class B crown.
Hudson Falls opened the postseason with a 3-0 victory at Johnstown in the quarterfinals and notched a 3-1 victory over seventh-seeded Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in Tuesday’s semifinals.
The Tigers posted a 25-23, 25-16, 11-25 and 25-15 win over the Golden Knights on Tuesday at Stillwater High School.
Meghan Marchese recorded 24 service points and nine kills for Hudson Falls, Molli Burch had 10 kills and Raeann Bombard recorded 32 assists. Olivia Milligan added nine kills for the Tigers, Hannah Strong had 23 digs and Carley Toole posted 18 digs.
“I think our keys to success will be playing our hearts out and leaving everything we have on the court,” Gillen said.
The winner will face the winner of the Section VII championship match between Peru and Beekmantown on Tuesday at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School at 5:30 p.m.
Section II Class C
Championship
Fonda-Fultonville
vs. Voorheesville, 5 p.m.
For just the second time in school history, the Fonda-Fultonville volleyball team will play for a sectional title today.
While the Lady Braves are new to championship matches, today’s opponent — Voorheesville — is certainly no stranger.
The Blackbirds have appeared in 10 of the last 12 Class C title contests, winning the crown in 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2017.
“Voorheesville is a strong team. They have been to the championship before so that is nothing to discredit,” said Fonda-Fultonville coach Ashleigh Griswold, who took over for Peyton Petersen late in the season. “They are smart players on the court that will make us play up to them.”
The second-seeded Lady Braves, who lost to Broadalbin-Perth in the 2015 Class C title match in their only other appearance, reached the Class C title match with wins over 10th-seeded Tamarac and third-seeded Stillwater.
In Tuesday’s semifinal match against Stillwater at Averill Park High School, Marilyn Whitcavitch finished with 13 kills, four aces and four digs. The Lady Braves won by scores of 25-10, 23-25, 25-21 and 25-19.
Krystal McSpirit posted eight kills for FFCS (9-4 overall), while Julia Bagnardi had 30 assists and eight digs. Casey Knowlton recorded six kills and three blocks for the Lady Braves and Emilia Vardai-Davidson added seven digs.
“The girls are extremely excited. The energy in the gym last night was exhilarating and they will take that with them on Saturday,” Griswold said. “They also know that they need to work for every point they receive and they are willing to do what they have to. They understand the depth of competition as they have entered in and continue through the postseason. They are not taking that lightly and are determined to play their best.”
In the quarterfinal round, FFCS topped Tamarac, 3-0, on game scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-18.
Whitcavitch led the Lady Braves with seven kills, nine digs and six aces, while Jillian Wilder had five kills and Peyton Zilles and Alexys Conti both had eight digs to go with 18 assists from Bagnardi.
“Fonda is a solid team,” Voorheesville coach Ashley Turski said. “We were able to watch them a little bit during the semifinals and I think we’re very comparable and it will be a close and exciting match.”
The top-seeded Blackbirds posted a 3-1 victory over fourth-seeded Catskill in their semifinal match, winning by scores of 25-12, 19-25, 25-14 and 25-15.
Katy Bablin had 26 service points, 20 assists, eight aces and four kills for Voorheesville, while Victoria Konicki had 19 kills and three blocks. Marie Julian added 10 kills for the Blackbirds.
“We have faced adversity all year, with a tough league and non-league schedule we have challenged ourselves day-in and day-out and are ready for the next one,” Turski said.
Voorheesville also posted a 3-1 win over eighth-seeded Canajoharie-Fort Plain in the quarterfinals by scores of 25-21, 25-21, 17-15 and 25-11.
Bablin had 21 assists, eight kills, 10 points, four aces and seven digs, while Konicki had 21 kills, two blocks and five points. Julian added nine kills to go with 10 assists and 12 service points from Jada Akers.
“We need to play controlled and smart to fend off our competition. Cookie cutter offense will not work against a quality defense so we will need to adapt to every play,” Griswold said. “Every girl brings a little something different to this team. So long as they work together and support one another’s best efforts on and off the court, they will be successful.”
The winner will face the winner of today’s Section VII championship match between Saranac and Saranac Lake on Tuesday at Gloversville High School at 5:30 p.m.
Section II Class D
Championship
Mayfield vs. Galway, 3 p.m.
Having battled one another the past several seasons for the Western Athletic Conference title, Galway and Mayfield will meet today with the Section II Class D title on the line.
The second-seeded Lady Panthers, won the Class D title in 2015, have struggled against the first-seeded Golden Eagles recently, going just 2-12 in their regular-season matchups.
“It will help with the familiarity of their team, but its a double-edged sword because they have the same knowledge about us,” Galway coach Michael Glenn said.
This season, Galway won the regular-season meeting between the Western Athletic Conference rivals, 3-2, on Sept. 20. It was the lone loss of the regular-season for Mayfield. The Golden Eagles also posted a 25-21, 16-25 and 25-9 victory over Mayfield in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
“Our familiarity with Galway will definitely help,” Mayfield coach Eileen Rovito said. “Our team is excited to get another opportunity to face them and we hope the third time is the charm.”
To earn a third shot at Galway, Mayfield (14-1 overall) posted 3-0 victories over seventh-seeded Duanesburg and third-seeded Argyle in its first two postseason contests.
In Tuesday’s semifinal win over Argyle at Ballston Spa High School, Mikayla Myers led the Lady Panthers with 14 kills, 11 points, nine digs, three blocks and three aces in a 25-22, 25-15 and 25-12 victory.
Taylor Proctor finished with 20 service points, six digs and three aces for Mayfield, Emily Mormando posted 23 assists and seven service points and Samantha Kent had nine digs and seven kills. Kate LaGrange notched four blocks for the Lady Panthers and Isabelle Henderson added two kills.
In their quarterfinal win over Duanesburg, Myers led the Lady Panthers with 10 kills, 13 service points, seven digs and four aces in a 25-13, 25-16 and 25-13 victory.
Samantha Kent had 10 kills, seven digs and five points for Mayfield, while Isabelle Henderson chipped in with four kills. Emily Mormando added 22 assists and a block for the Lady Panthers, Amy Laubenstein had four digs and Tori Ruliffson had two blocks.
“The key to success for either Galway or Mayfield will be to make the fewest errors,” Rovito said. “Both teams play a fast powerful game so the team that plays consistent and solid will no doubt walk away with the title.”
Galway, which won the Section II Class C title in 2016, punched its ticket to the finals with 3-0 victories over ninth-seeded Cambridge and fourth-seeded Hartford.
In Tuesday’s semifinal victory over Hartford at Ballston Spa High School, Lindsay Zawisa finished with 16 digs and 13 kills in a 25-21, 25-14 and 25-23 win.
Julia Reedy had 13 points and eight kills for the Golden Eagles, while Emma Smith posted 10 assists, nine points and five kills for Galway.
“We will emphasize on staying focused, playing tough and together like a family,” Glenn said. “Defense has been our focus all year and keeping the ball in play. Passing, Serving and talking are all our key elements this year.”
In the quarterfinals, Galway posted a 25-12, 25-12 and 25-20.
Zawisa recorded 11 digs, 10 kills, 10 points and 11 digs for Galway (13-0 overall), Smith added six kills, three blocks and eight assists and Kylee Decker added 11 points and five aces.
The Golden Eagles will be seeking their first Class D crown since 2014.
“They seem very eager and excited to be playing for the championship,” Glenn said.
The winner will face the winner of today’s Section VII championship match between Lake Placid and Northern Adirondack on Tuesday at Gloversville High School at 7:30 p.m.
