By HUNTER O. LYLE
SALAMANCA, NY – Stepping out onto the court under their own banner for the first time this season, the Salamanca volleyball team was unable to make the most of their home court advantage, losing to Gowanda in a snowballing sweep defeat.
After an initial tick-for-tack feeling out period, the Warriors found the first spark of the night. Cashing in on a handful of slams from their outside hitters Ayla Newark and Kylynee Day, as well as an unreturned serve or two from Cecilia Chamas, Salamanca swiftly pulled away with six unanswered points at 10-4. Gowanda, however, was quick to apply the brakes.
Leaning on their own front line, they began chipping away at the newfound deficit. A 10-4 Salamanca lead first turned to 10-8, then 12-10 before finally the Panthers knotted the game at 15-15. But Gowanda’s momentum continued and as they took control of the set, they built their own lead, albeit, at just two points.
“We warmed up well. We had a rough game on Tuesday but when we came in here today, I was impressed early on,” said Salamanca head coach Courtney Valent, who referenced the Warriors 3-0 loss to Catt-Little Valley. “Then, little by little, we just kind of took turns falling apart.”
Refusing to let go of their last remaining grip, Salamanca stayed vigilant. Trading every spike against with a spike for, battling through long rallies and maintaining their pressure from the service line, the Warriors stayed within reach, eventually knotting the set at 21-21 off a kill from Arabelle Reynolds.
Their come-from-behind effort ultimately culminated in them breaking through, finding a slim and brief 25-24 advantage, however, their tank seemed to run out of gas thereafter. Making one last push, Gowanda pulled ahead for good at 27-25.
Refueling the tank was easier said than done for the Warriors.
At the very start of the second set, the Panthers immediately asserted themselves at the net. Using their powerhouse presence, Lilliana Pierce, who both rocketed slams back down to Earth and needled well-placed digs in left open gaps, Gowanda opened on a 7-1 run that soon blossomed to 13-7.
“We were trying to triple block (Gowanda’s front line) in the first set and then they figured it out and started digging it over the top,” said Valent. “Our defense just wasn’t picking up their tips.”
Although Salamanca began churning out points, they failed to come in bunches and, as a result, failed to change the tide. Unable to string kills together, the early out-of-hand deficit ended with the Panthers taking a 2-0 set lead at 25-15.
In the third, the Red and White wheels completely fell off. Another sharp start from the Panthers, this time to the 1tune of 6-0, put Salamanca on their heels out of the gates. Seemingly outpacing the Warriors at will on all three facets of the court, Gowanda caught fire and amassed ten unanswered points, the largest wave of points on the night. By the time the dust settled, they had secured the sweep at 25-6.
Newark ended with eight kills while Acelynn Jacobs had 19 digs.
Despite the night’s shortcomings, Salamanca is used to playing from behind, fortunately or unfortunately. With last year’s outcome in mind, where the eighth-seeded Warriors made their way to the Section VI championship, they know their season is still in their hands. But they’d also like to keep it that way.
“We just need everyone to come together and turn it up as a unit. I think people are taking things permanently and getting down on themselves and others. We just can’t do that,” said Valent. “We do have a tough league. Everyone in this league is not a walk in the park. I think that helps us when we get into playoffs, but also, this is a league game. This is going to count for playoffs, this is going to count for points. There’s always next time but we don’t want to have to chase everybody the second time we see them.”
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