If two sides square off in a contest, is it possible for both of them to win?
Maybe not – but there’s no question that Cicero-North Syracuse and Baldwinsville’s boys volleyball teams both took something positive and valuable out of Monday night’s classic five-game battle at Baker High School. The Northstars felt good because it won the match, even if it didn’t go in front for good until late in the final game. And the Bees, defending Section III Class AA champions, could take heart in the fact that, down 2-1 in games, it pushed CNS, this year’s leader in the CNY Counties League, to the limit – something it didn’t do the last time the two sides met on Sept. 29. In that earlier match at CNS, B’ville won the first game, only to see the Northstars take over and win the next three to keep itself. Now came the rematch, on the Bees’ Senior Night, where nine departing players – Dan Dubiel, Jake Toscano, Kyle Lattanzio, Zach Racha, Matt McKee, Robbie Sharfstein, Jarret Reaume, Aaron Stolicker and Chris Thayer – were honored. Once the ceremonies were done, B’ville took charge in the opening game, leading by as much as eight points before cruising to a 25-20 victory. CNS absorbed this and, trailing 9-6 in the second game, it reeled off eight straight points on Billy Werksman’s serve. It amounted to an 11-1 run as the Northstars, by a 25-17 margin, evened the match at one game apiece. As always in an even match, the third game proved pivotal. B’ville appeared in command as it bolted out to a 17-9 lead. But CNS, having used both of its time-outs, climbed all the way back, tied it at 20-20, then inched in front late in the game and held on for a stunning 25-23 win to take a 2-1 lead in games. Instead of folding, though, B’ville roared right back and dominated most of the fourth game, building a double-digit advantage that stretched to 23-13 before another late comeback attempt by CNS cut the margin to 23-18. Unfazed, the Bees got the last two points, prevailed 25-18, and sent the match to the limit. After all these momentum shifts, it was the fifth game that proved the closest. Every CNS thrust was met by a B’ville answer, and neither side led by two points for much of that game as, by the time it was 17-17, they had shared 10 ties. Loud cheering sections for both teams increased their volume as the drama built. Then CNS got three consecutive points to move ahead for good. Though the Bees never stopped battling for points, Werksman’s spike on a second attempt at match point (the first was waved off) gave CNS the 25-21 victory. Jim Coleman finished with 48 assists for the winning side. Stepping up in a big way on the front line, Ethan Irish put up 24 kills, while Werksman stepped up his play and got 12 kills as Tyler A. Smith, despite feeling ill, still finished with five kills. Colin Crooks had four kills and three block, with Tyler D. Smith (three kills) and Jeff Holmes (two kills) also making contributions. B’ville had its own share of standouts, too. Dubiel, with 13 kills, led a balanced front line where Thayer contributed 11 kills and Lattanzio produced 10 kills. Racha had six kills and five blocks, with Reaume getting three kills and three blocks. Ryan Shelton, the team’s main setter, piled up 40 assists, plus four kills, three blocks and three digs, as McKee, the Bees’ libero, had 10 digs. There’s one more chance for CNS and B’ville to meet – on Nov. 10, in the Section III Class AA championship. Barring a major upset in the playoffs, the Northstars and Bees are not done with each other yet.