Many times, the end of something is the beginning of something else. And that’s always the case when it comes to local high school boys volleyball. Just as the calendar page turns, local teams like Vernon-Verona-Sherrill and Chittenango hit the court for the first time in competition. They did so again when VVS hosted the annual Spiking In the New Year Tournament Thursday, the next-to-last day of 2010. Giving home fans a reason to hope for more success in 2011, the Red Devils won the tournament, edging the Bears, who finished second – and maybe it was because VVS reacted so well to the bad way the tournament started. Six teams – VVS, Chittenango, Ilion, Sauquoit Valley, Little Falls and Cobleskill-Richmond – participated in a round-robin format where each side played two sets against the other teams, 10 games in all. VVS opened with Little Falls – and whether it was still lethargic in the morning, nervous about playing at home, out of its rhythm or just unprepared for the challenge of the Mounties, the Red Devils lost the first set 25-14. Properly alarmed (and disgusted with itself), VVS routed Little Falls by that same 25-14 margin in the second set, salvaged a split, and proceeded to take out the rest of the field. By far, the two biggest wins were against Chittenango, who entered the match undefeated to that point. VVS was relentless, using its power and precision to dominate the Bears in 25-12 and 25-15 sets. The Red Devils also swept Ilion, Sauquoit and Cobleskill, none of the games decided by any margin closer than 25-21 (to Sauquoit), as Jake Voelker, with his 27 kills and 25 digs, garnered tournament MVP honors. Cole Barbano, with 59 total assists, set the table for the VVS front line as Voelker got help from Jordan Loboda, with 22 kills and nine blocks, and Casey Henderson, with 19 kills and six blocks. Steve Geer added 12 kills and 10 digs as Kyle Renwick offered superb defense with his 29 digs and Andrew Aurigema added 16 digs. Alex Rose finished with six kills. As for Chittenango, it went 8-2 to finish second behind the Red Devils, edging Cobleskill in a pair of 26-24 sets to keep that runner-up spot secure. Little Falls finished 5-5, with Cobleskill 4-6. Sauquoit and Ilion each finished at 2-8. Two Chittenango players – Caleb Mannix and Dave Bethka – made the All-Tournament team, as did Loboda and Barbano. Ryan Trask (Cobleskill), Evan Davis (Little Falls), John Marchione (Sauquoit) and Gary Clark (Ilion) rounded out the All-Tournament list.