Lakers Complete Thrilling 5 Set Comeback Victory on Sophomore Night
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - The Lakers faced some of their strongest adversity on Thursday night in their conference and regional matchup with the Genesee Community College Cougars. The team would take the first set handily, 25-14, before the Cougars would swipe the momentum, taking the next two sets, 25-18, and 25-22. Down two sets to one, the Lakers were determined to come away with the victory in their last home match of the season. The team did just that, rallying back in the fourth set to win, 25-17. It would all come down to the fifth and final deciding set where the Lakers would leave no doubt they were going to come away with the win, defeating the Cougars 15-9.
The Lakers entered uncharted territory, as they hold an undefeated record on the Putt Moore Court this season, "that was a very important win for us, mainly because it's the first time we trailed two sets to one, and we had to win to force a fifth and deciding set. Having to experience and work through that adversity will benefit us as we go into the regional championships later this month", stated Lakers head coach Andrew Solomon. Solomon further expressed his feelings on the win, "I am very proud of the girls on how they fought the entire match. We were not at our best at times, and the girls worked through it and found a way to come out on top". During the final stretch of the season, the Lakers have done just that - found a way to win. The Lakers currently sit at #13 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III national rankings and boast a record of 24-8.
Several Lakers helped rally the Lakers to a victory over the Cougars, including teammates Brooke DeGroff (Castile, N.Y./ Letchworth) and Sophomore Meghan Johnson (Phelps, N.Y./ Newark). DeGroff finished the match with a team-high 14 kills to go along with 3 aces and 11 digs. Johnson followed on the attack, adding 10 kills to go with her 3 aces and 12 digs on defense.
Playing all five sets of the match, Freshman Kaidyn VanDelinder (Gananda, N.Y./ Gananda) picked up the Lakers on offense and defense. VanDelinder tallied 8 kills, 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 block assists on the night; good for 10 points. Sophomore Kayla Fetcie (Victor, N.Y./ Victor) showed up in a big way as a two-way player. Fetcie added 7 kills on the attack, while also registering 2 aces on the serve, and 4 digs on defense.
Freshman Sage Barnedo (Silver Springs, M.D./ Springbrook) hustled in all five sets played on the court; Barnedo set her teammates up with 37 assists, 2 aces on the serve, 16 digs, and 2 block assists on defense, preventing several strong rallies by the Cougar's offense. Freshman libero Olivia Sheehan (Irondequoit, N.Y./ West Irondequoit) showed up on defense for the Lakers as well, tallying a team-high 23 digs on defense. Sheehan would convert 2 aces on the serve as well in a strong effort.
Freshman Adriana Botello (Holley, N.Y./ Holley) would play all five sets, finishing with 3 aces, 10 digs, and 1 block assist. Other Laker contributors included Lily Ayotte (Sodus, N.Y./ Sodus) with 1 dig and Emer O'Brien (Canandaigua, N.Y./ Canandaigua) with 1 dig.
The Lakers now only have one final game remaining on the schedule for the regular season, with Corning and Tompkins Cortland Community College(s) forfeiting their matches for the Broome POD on Sunday, October 16th. Following that, the Lakers will kick off the NJCAA Region III championship on October 29th and 30th at Niagara County Community College.