Close two years ago, denied in the regional round in 2017, the Cicero-North Syracuse boys volleyball team still has a chance at earning the program’s first-ever state Division I championship.
That was the outcome of a wild weekend of regional action where the Northstars had to win twice in a 24-hour span – one a lopsided match close to home, the other a memorable comeback to pull out a close victory in hostile territory.
It all began rather quietly last Friday night, at Fayetteville-Manlius, where C-NS faced Section I Clarkstown South and took just three sets to put away the Vikings.
In the first set, the Northstars trailed early, but four straight points on Jake Den Bleyker’s serve provided the lead for good as it went on to claim the set 25-17.
Ahead for most of the second set, C-NS never let Clarkstown South get going and won it 25-20. Following that, the third set proved easy, the Northstars pulling away 25-14 to advance.
Trent Caviness had 13 kills and 13 assists, with Brandon Millias getting 19 assists, two aces and three digs. Up front, Den Bleyker (nine kills) and Kevin Felasco (six kills) helped Caviness the most as John Hendry got four kills and three blocks. Carter Wisely and Josh Pickard had three kills apiece.
All this proved a mere prelude for a memorable Division I regional final Saturday at Guilderland High School, where C-NS and Section II champion Shenendehowa would duel deep into the night.
Playing close to home, the Plainsmen went back and forth with the Northstars throughout a first set full of service struggles on both ends, and Shen emerged victorious 26-24.
Such a result can have a long-term negative effect – but not here, as C-NS played a strong second set, improving its serves and everything else, too, to win 25-19 and get even.
In the third set, the Plainsmen appeared to seize control by claiming it 25-16, but again the Northstars rallied, moving out in front in the fourth set and staying there 25-20.
One set, a race to 15, would determine the regional title, but they went way beyond 15 points. Several match points were missed, but at 16-16 C-NS got the serve back and, on another match point, converted to win 18-16.
Between his 12 kills, eight assists, five aces and four blocks, Caviness did it all, Millias adding 13 assists and four aces. Libero Dan Seliger had nine digs as Den Bleyker and Felasco had four kills apiece, Den Bleyker adding five digs. Pickard had four blocks and two aces as Hendry and Wisely both earned three kills.
C-NS is one of three teams left battling for a state championship. Next Saturday at Albany’s Capital Center, it will play round-robin matches against two other regional champions (Fairport and Sachem North) starting at 10 a.m. Then the two best teams advance to the final at 3 p.m.
The field includes Fairport, from Section V, who survived a regional final against Lockport when, trailing two sets to one, it had to win a 32-30 fourth set and a 17-15 fifth set to advance.