The Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk girls volleyball team is headed back to the state tournament.
The Indians dominated Section X champion Franklin Academy in three games to win Saturday’s Class B regional and earn a berth in this weekend’s state tournament at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Baleigh Morrow had nine kills, and Britney Lintner added 13 assists for R-C-S, which defeated Franklin Academy by scores of 25-15, 25-14 and 25-10. Ashley McMullen contributed eight kills.
The Indians begin pool play Saturday at 9 a.m. They will meet Section I champion Hendrick Hudson, followed by matches against John Glenn (Section XI) and Eden (Section VI).
Bethlehem had hoped to join R-C-S at states, but the Lady Eagles ran into Section III champion Baldwinsville in Saturday’s regional, and the results weren’t pretty. Bethlehem fell behind early and never caught up, falling to the Bees in three games.
They [Baldwinsville] took us out of our game plan, head coach Lisa Kniffen said. `They played at a faster pace than we’re used to seeing.`
To topple Baldwinsville would have required a special effort under any circumstance. Not only were the Bees 18-0, they hadn’t lost a game in any match.
Baldwinsville’s specialty was putting away teams with long runs. In the opening game, the Bees had an 8-0 run to break a 2-2 tie on their way to a 25-18 victory.
Bethlehem (18-2) hung around in the second game, but Baldwinsville went on a 9-2 run to close out a 25-16 victory. The third game wasn’t mush better for the Lady Eagles, as the Bees won 25-16 to take the match.
Kniffen said she was happy with Bethlehem’s season, despite losing in regionals to Baldwinsville for the second consecutive year.
`We really played hard the entire year,` said Kniffen. `It’s hard to end on a loss, but to come this far is a great achievement.`
Bethlehem won its second consecutive Section II title last Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over Shenendehowa in the Class AA final at Queensbury High School.
Mary Dombrowski recorded 10 kills and five blocks for the Lady Eagles, who won the final three games 25-18, 25-20 and 25-20 after losing the opening game 25-23. Jaci Oskam had seven kills and 12 blocks, and Nicole Howland added 33 assists.
Hunter Drews led Shenende-howa with 14 kills and nine service points. Joanie Cooney added 11 service points and 31 assists.
` Phil Blackwell contributed to this story.“