Freshly completing a dominant regular season campaign, the Portville volleyball team returns to the familiar territory of the Section VI postseason, where they will look to track down a fifth consecutive championship banner.
For nearly a decade, the Panthers have been the team to beat in Class C, both locally and throughout the state, where they have racked up a litany of New York Public High School Athletic Association (NYPHSAA) state championships. Despite losing a large portion of their veteran leadership entering this year, Portville has yet to ease off the gas.
Returning to the hardwood this season, the Panthers completed their schedule nearly unmatched, ending with a 13-3 overall record, one that saw eleven sweeps, an eleven-game win streak and another Chautauqua Cattaraugus Athletic Association (CCAA) Division I title. Keeping their throne throughout the season, they enter the Class C bracket with the top seed and a bye through the first round.
Their first taste of playoff action will be on Wednesday at 6 p.m., hosting either No. 8 Roy-Hart of No. 9 Allegany-Limestone.
The Gators also faced some turnover turmoil entering 2026, seeing nine of their eleven varsity starters graduate last spring. Playing through the growing pains of a budding foundation, A-L finished their season at 7-8.
Taking the ninth seed, their uphill and on-the-road playoff run begins in Middleport, where they take on the Rams on Monday at 6 p.m.
Over in the B2 bracket, Olean is also packing their bags as they plan a trip up North.
Following a year where they earned a Section VI championship blue patch, the Huskies, poked their head above the waterline with a 10-6 record, garnering the fifth seed in the ensuing playoffs. Traveling to play No. 4 Health Sciences up in Buffalo in the Section VI quarterfinals, Olean will look to carve out another trip to the title game. Their matchup with the Falcons is slated for Wednesday at 6 p.m.
On the other side of the B bracket, Salamanca is also hoping for another appearance in the Sectional game.
As the eighth seed last year, the underdog Warriors sprung into action, making their way to the title game with back-to-back sweeps and a decisive five-set upset over Springville, the then fifth seed, to earn a shot at a banner and a patch. However, in the championship, Salamanca again found themselves in a do-or-die five-setter, but came up short, falling to No. 3 Roy-Hart.
Flash forward a season and the Warriors are once again in the hunt. Ending their season with a 8-7 resume, they start their postseason with the tenth seed. Beginning in the pre-quarterfinals once again, Salamanca will head to hostile territory for their initial matchup, a road-game against No. 7 Olmstead on Monday at 6 p.m.
The full Section VI brackets are listed below:
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