By CHRIS BROOKS, sports editor, wellsvillesports.com
FILLMORE — The Eagles of Fillmore came out swinging for the fences on Tuesday, hitting a first-set home run against visiting Wellsville with a dominant start to their game. But like the Lions have shown for much of the season, they showed a tremendous amount of resiliency to shake off the slow beginning, as they went on to floor it down in the next three sets to rally back and claim the four-set, 6-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-21 road win.
The Lions (7-6) could not have provided the comeback effort without Riley Graves and his outstanding night leading the team’s offense up front, as he garnered a game-high 16 kills to pair alongside one ace and one dig. Xavier Scott furthered the cause himself with nine more kills to chip in, coupling them with three aces and two digs of his own, while setter Gavan Dickerson set the offense up for big success by handing out 15 assists.
On the other side of the net, Brian Ashton had a solid evening of service to lead Fillmore (2-12), garnering a team-high 13 service points to go with one ace. Aiden Wagner recorded six additional service points to pair with three aces, two kills and a block, while Henry Decker rounded off with four kills to lead the offense, adding them in with three blocks and two aces.
Both teams will return to the floor on the road Thursday evening in a pair of 6 p.m. first serves, as the Lions pay a visit to Arkport/Canaseraga, while the Eagles head out west to take on Allegany-Limestone.
Allegany-Limestone 3, Bolivar-Richburg 1
RICHBURG — After being pushed towards the edge by Allegany-Limestone through the first two sets, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg had to fight and claw their way back to remain in the battle after a close third set win. But the Gators were able to put the momentum built by their opposition to rest, as they secured a four-set win over the road on Tuesday in a 25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17 victory.
Despite the defeat to the hands of the Gators, Hunter Walp provided strong offense for the Wolverines (8-5) to lead the way, recording eight kills to pair with three blocks and two aces. Dustin Murray went up to net four kills of his own to go with a duo of big blocks, while Jaeger Turybury handed out the helpers with seven in all, garnering three kills, three aces and two blocks along the way.
Bolivar-Richburg will look to bounce back tonight with a quick turnaround on the road, visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 6 p.m. first serve.
Cuba-Rushford 3, Arkport/Canaseraga 0
ARKPORT — With teams like Allegany-Limestone and Bolivar-Richburg chasing after Cuba-Rushford for the top seed in the County playoffs, the Rebels wanted to make sure they remained one step ahead of the field of competition behind them.
They did just that on Tuesday with a statement over the road, as they outlasted host Arkport/Canaseraga through three close and competitive sets, including a second set rebound that saw them trail by as much as six on two different occasions, battling back to force and win in extra serves to set up a straight-set 25-19, 27-25, 25-21 victory over the Wolves.
Maddox Keller fronted the Cuba-Rushford (12-1) offense with a strong seven kill, two block performance. Following closely behind was Anderson Siegel, who chipped in with five kills, three aces and a helper, while Allen Fuller was busy handing out the helpers with 19 big assists, and four additional kills on the attack.
The Rebels hit the road Thursday night for a 6 p.m. visit to Friendship/Scio.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 3, Friendship/Scio 1
BELMONT — Dominic Marra was hustling all over the floor helping prepare Genesee Valley/Belfast with a fantastic night on the attack, as the team overcame a third-set defeat to finish off a four-set win over visiting Friendship/Scio in the Jungle, claiming the 25-13, 25-19, 16-25, 25-14 victory on Tuesday.
Marra provided a spark for the Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-8) offense all night long, handing out 16 big assists at the front of the net, collecting two aces from the back line and one kill in the process. Canaan Sullivan kept the pistons firing on all cylinders with eight team-high kills of his own, while Sean Mahon followed behind with seven more to go with one additional ace.
Friendship/Scio (2-10) saw Max Morris take the lead on the attack with five kills and five blocks. Jordan White chipped in with a kill and ace, while setter Eli Wade handed out five helpers. The team hops back onto the floor Thursday night for a 6 p.m. contest back home against Cuba-Rushford.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to keep the momentum in their favor with a rapid turnaround back on their home floor tonight, welcoming in Bolivar-Richburg for a 6 p.m. first serve.
