Amanda Begin has a simple serve, but it’s not so simple to return it.
Just ask the Massena girls volleyball team.
Begin had 13 aces 11 in the first game alone to lead the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Spartans to a 3-0 victory over Massena in last Saturday’s class A regional final at Queensbury High School.
BH-BL coach Gary Bynon likened Begin’s serve to a cement block (`It goes over, and then it just drops,` he said), and Massena certainly had trouble dealing with it. When the Red Raiders tried to return service during the opening game, they’d either just miss the ball or hit it wildly. By the time Massena got a side out to end Begin’s service, BH-BL had turned a 1-0 lead into a 19-0 lead on its way to a 25-8 victory.
`Amanda’s been to 14 (consecutive service points) to start a game three times this year, and we had a feeling she’d go over 14 today,` said Bynon.
Massena (18-2) got more competitive as the match went on, but BH-BL was too tough for the Red Raiders to handle. The Spartans took the second game 25-17 and the third game 25-15 to advance to this weekend’s state tournament at Glens Falls Civic Center.
`For them to go back to the state final four again is great,` said Bynon, whose Spartans are looking for consecutive state class A titles.
Erin Little contributed 10 kills, and Becca Ormsby added 12 assists for BH-BL, which starts pool play Friday morning.
Bees sting Scotties
Ballston Spa’s season ended in the class AA regionals with a 3-0 loss to Section III champion Baldwinsville.
The Scotties, who won the Section II title with a 3-1 victory over Colonie last Tuesday, never got into a comfortable rhythm against a Baldwinsville team determined not to let the match be as close as the five-set marathon it endured to win the Section III championship.
`We knew we needed to run a quick game because they’re a good defensive team,` said Baldwinsville coach Mary Jo Cerqua.
The fast pace and balanced Baldwinsville attack took its toll on Ballston Spa. The Scotties fell behind 7-2 in the first game on their way to a 25-19 loss, and the Bees took the second and third games by respective scores of 25-14 and 25-17.
`Our setting was very good today, and our passing was good,` said Ballston Spa coach Sylvia Bertrand. `Some of their shots were tough for us to get under, though.`
Lauren Hartman had 10 kills, Erika VanValkenburgh contributed nine kills and Kelsey Klopfer added 28 assists for Baldwinsville. Casey Wright paced Ballston Spa with 10 kills and five service points, while Jessica Lawlor recorded 15 assists.
`This is a great team,` said Bertrand. `They played way beyond our expectations all year. They have nothing to hang their head about.`
BH-BL boys place second
The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake boys volleyball team became the first Section II squad to reach the regional class AA finals, but the Spartans fell short of being the first area team to win the regional title.
Section VI champion Lancaster pulled away to a 25-16 victory in the fifth game to edge BH-BL 3-2 in the championship match.
The Spartans won the first game 25-18 before dropping the next two games 25-21 and 25-22. BH-BL rallied to a 25-19 win in the fourth game to force the deciding fifth game.
The Spartans went 5-1 during the pool play portion of the state tournament, including a two-game sweep against Lancaster.
Dave Fischer registered 39 kills and added seven blocks for BH-BL. Sam Guba contributed 23 kills, Mike Bynon chipped in 20 kills and Luke Farrell added 88 assists during the day-long tournament.“