By HUNTER O. LYLE
PORTVILLE, NY – In high school sports, it can be hard to keep up with the constant cycle of players coming and going, recycling talent and sustaining success, let alone greatness. That is, unless you’re a part of the Portville volleyball team.
Fresh off another prolific and dominant championship run, the Panthers return poised to keep the good times rolling. In their first time stepping onto their home court, standing in front of their home fans, they did just that, quickly dispatching Olean in three sets to claim their inaugural win of the season.
Entering Thursday night, Olean and Portville had a lot in common up to that point. Besides having played just a single game in their 2026 campaigns, the Huskies and Panthers were both looking to reload after losing several significant seniors from their respective championship runs a year prior. However, Portville’s title run went just a little bit further, reaching all the way into the New York State High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class C State tournament and bringing back their fifth consecutive banner.
“I don’t think you ever don’t feel pressure to be honest with you. Once you start creating a legacy, one that I fell into, I think there’s pressure every time and I think the team feels it too,” said Portville head coach Paul Mann, who moved up from assistant coach before last season. “The easiest way to (ease the pressure) is to remember it’s just a game. Yes, I would love to win another state title, but most of those ladies have nothing else to prove. If the three or four state titles they’ve won hasn’t proved how good they are, nothing will.”
From the first serve, the Panthers showcased their relentless prowess, immediately starting with an ace from Emily Scanlon. From there, Portville rattled off kill after kill, winning out rallies, cashing in on thunderous spikes and executing flawless and often unreturnable plays from the service line. Their initial 5-1 advantage ballooned to 10-3 and then 15-6.
Meanwhile, Olean couldn’t collect themselves. Between frequent miscommunications, missed rotations and misfires from the line, the Huskies watched as the first set quickly slipped out of hand, ultimately favoring the Panthers at 25-14.
“The three players that we lost were not only integral skill-wise, but they were also leaders on the team. I think we’re finding a new identity this year. We’re a little younger so I definitely think the potential’s there, we just have to start meshing,” said Olean head coach Michelle Acierno. “Portville’s always tough to come in and play too. I think just walking in the door is a mental block for a lot of teams right now.”
The second set of the night started out much the same. Leaning on their dominant hitters at the net, Portville leapt out to a large 9-3 lead as they continued to send barrages over the net, most of which Olean failed to control, let alone return.
However, the Huskies finally found a foothold and began clawing their way back. Earning a break in the barrage at 9-4, Olean crept back on a 6-2 stretch that saw fluid movement and finishes, as well as a slam from Haylie Bednarski. Ultimately trimming the lead down to just two at 12-10, they were back in the hunt.
But Portville would only allow that for so long. Flipping a switch, the Panthers reverted back to their place in the driver’s seat. Feeding their outside hitter, Gaitley Mailo, Portville pounded the ball back down the Earth, breaking through potential blocks and needling shots into unprotected gaps.
“I just want (Mailo) to stay within herself. I’ve been coaching for a long time and she just does things with her body and her ability that I have not seen in quite some time,” said Mann. “The way she can move, the way she can contort her body, if she stays aggressive and if she stays within her limits and her capabilities, the sky’s the limit for her.”
By the time the set finished, the Panthers had completed a 13-1 streak, taking a two-set-to-none lead at 25-11.
With their backs against a wall, Olean leveled out. After taking their first lead of the night, albeit, at just 1-0, the Huskies began trading blows with the Panthers. By tooth-and-nail, they steadily stayed in stride, eventually knotting the game at 13-13 with an ace from Elizabeth Bailey.
“I felt like we were off, like everything was going wrong. So I told the team, ‘stop worrying about power, let’s just try to be smart and get the ball in play,’” said Acierno, “and that seemed to settle us down a little bit.”
Despite their resilience, Olean continued to struggle to string on a run, edging out slim advantages or tying the game but unable to find a way to break out and away. And as they waged the war of attrition, the Huskies’ tanks ran out of gas.
Seeing the finish line in sight, the Panthers tightened the reins. Cleaning up mistakes and forming a fluid contain-set-spike rhythm, they slowly began pulling away. A one-point lead at 17-16 rolled into a four-point lead, which gave way to a final, sweep-sealing score of 25-17, notching their first win of the season.
Gaitley ended with a team-high 10 kills for the Panthers, also contributing two aces and five digs while Ana Haynes finished with 13 digs and two kills. Marissa Carls ran the floor for Portville, tallying 25 assists to go with her three digs, one block and two kills.
For Olean, Ari Finch had nine assists and four digs and Bednarski ended with four kills and five digs.
Taking back to the drawing board, both teams now enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation. Portville returns to action on Tuesday, heading back out on the road for a meeting with Fredonia while Olean’s next match will take place in a week, when they travel to see Dunkirk on Thursday, Sept. 10. In the meantime, the main goal is finding a way to iron the wrinkles.
“I think we have so much potential and we also have a lot of things to work on,” said Acierno. “We’re going to get there.”
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