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Volleyball team faces Alden in section championship



SPRINGVILLE—The Springville volleyball team will take on Alden for the Section VI B-2 title Nov. 1 at Daemen College at 6 p.m.

Alden edged out Springville for second place in the division, but Springville coach Carolyn Bell believes the third time might be the charm after two season losses to the Bulldogs.

“Alden beat us in three sets in our first match, but in our second time meeting we took them to five sets and improved tremendously,” Bell said. “We’re hoping our improvements have continued and hopefully they have plateaued a little where we can take the win this time.”

The rivalry goes beyond the high school competition as both teams have players that compete together in the off-season, according to Bell. The player standing in the way of a Springville title may be Alden’s Shelby Kersten, who will be receiving a scholarship to play volleyball at NCAA D-II Daemen.

The irony in the matchup is that Bell has been Kersten’s hitting coach the past three years.

“[Kersten’s] a big outside hitter and I think if we can stop her, we have a chance,” Bell said.

The Griffins got to the title match by virtue of a 3-0 semifinal win against sixth-seed Tonawanda Oct. 29 with set sores of 25-11, 25-14 and 25-23.

“The goal tonight was to play smart, with minimal unforced errors and serve strong,” Bell said after the win.

Tonawanda could not answer Springville’s serve, and defensively struggled against the Griffins’ offensive speed in the middle. In the third set, Tonawanda held a five point lead over Springville with unpredictable tips and roll shots, but Springville’s defense was able to adjust successfully to rally for the win.

Morgan Christ gets set to deliver a serve.

“I am overall super proud of the success of this team. All players, including our non-starters contributed to all wins this season,” Bell said. “The team continues to want to learn and this shows up every game when a new strategy is implemented successfully.”

Bell has been impressed by sophomore Sara Ehlers, who had a team-high seven kills in the win against Tonawanda.

“[Elhers] has really blossomed to becoming a primary attacker on the team,” she said. “She didn’t have a primary role initially, but has worked her way in that position.”

Bell believes championship success of the team will revolve around Meadow Wittman and Devyn Rowe with both contributing in the win against Tonawanda. Wittman fueled the offense with 25 set-assists, while Rowe added 22 digs defensively.

“[Wittman and Rowe] do a great job of keeping the ball in-play where we have great ball control with minimal errors,” Bell said. “Rowe as a libero is an outstanding defender that doesn’t let any ball drop. She’s very aggressive with a relentless pursuit attitude and her serve passing is stellar.”

Also impressive in the defensive end against the Warriors was Allie Emmick, who recorded three solo blocks.

Prior to beating Tonawanda in the semifinals, Springville bested seventh-seed Albion in three sets in the quarterfinals Oct. 26 with set scores of 25-14, 25-18 and 25-22. Top-seeded Alden won both the quarterfinal and semifinal matches in straight sets. The Bulldogs started the playoff run with a 3-0 win over Dunkirk before also beating Fredonia 3-0.

If the Griffins win the B-2 title against Alden, they would play for the overall B title against either East Aurora or Olean, who face one another in the B-1 title game after Springville’s match with Alden at Daemen.

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