SECTION IV VOLLEYBALL: TIOGA SWEEPS EDISON TO CLAIM CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIP (2024-11-09)
By TIM TAYLOR
Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Top-seeded Tioga ended Edison’s postseason run with a 3-0 victory in the Section IV Class C volleyball championship here Saturday.
The Tigers won by scores of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-18 over the seventh-seeded Spartans to claim their second Section IV title in three years, and the 10th for longtime coach Des Ford.
Edison coach Alyssa Covas was pleased to see her team come together to earn an opportunity to play for a trip to the state tournament.
“It was really special to watch them on Thursday night and at 9:30 at night, fight for the second seed to come in to play for the championship,” she said. “Today they brought the energy, they put everything out there, and Tioga was just, they're a good team, but they're always a force to be reckoned with and I have nothing to be upset about.”
“I was very pleased because after pool play the other night,” Tioga coach Des Ford said. “We came out and handled the first set really well, but the second set, it was back-and-forth and Edison really picked it up in the evening on Thursday, so I was planning it could go five sets today.”
In the finals, Ford just told her team to just stay ahead.
“It's all we've been focusing on,” she said, “and there's the consistency, positive attitude, that kind of thing. That's really all we've been working on for the last two weeks.”
At times, the match was reminiscent of some of the Edison-Tioga rivalry battles of years past.
“I totally agree and I think the girls felt that, too,” Covas said. “And we have two alumni, Kate Warren and Michelle Woychak, and they thought the same thing. They were excited to be here. It was a rival, but we both fought hard and we'll be back next year.”
Tioga scored the first three points of game one, but Edison stayed close and was only down, 8-6, before the Tigers started to create some space.
Audi Zorn used her height at the net to knock away back-to-back scoring attempts as the Tigers extended their lead to 15-8. With the score 16-9, Jade Keaty stepped to the service line for the next seven points to help Tioga secure the first-set triumph.
The Spartans regrouped for game two and fought down to the wire in the 25-22 battle. They started out with a Kailey Ripley ace and took the first three points. Back-to-back aces by RaeAnne Feeko tied the set at 7-7.
Consecutive aces by Rosie Wheeler gave Edison an 11-8 advantage, but with Edison ahead, 12-9, Mary Divers stepped to the line to serve the next seven points for a 16-12 lead.
Edison scored a pair of points, then the Tigers reeled off four straight for a 20-14 lead. The Spartans chipped away to cut the gap to 21-18. Trailing, 23-18, the Spartans started chipping away again, making it 23-22 with the final Edison point coming on a Maycie Bennett ace.
Lilly Mezzatesta’s hit just in front of the back row gave the Tigers a 2-0 match lead.
The final set was knotted at 2 when Kali Bailey’s side-out hit off an Edison defender put the hosts in front for good. Alyson Chamberlain followed with an ace, then a Spartan hitting error and a Chamberlain serve, which barely made it over the net pushed the lead to 6-2. A Feeko kill and another Chamberlain ace helped increase the lead to 10-2.
With the Tigers on top, 12-5, fans were treated to a trio of impressive athletic efforts as Mezzatesta and Feeko wrapped saves around a similar one from the Spartans’ Mali Huffner.
Tioga would build a 15-5 cushion, but Bennett’s serving and a pair of big kills from Cammy Hoffman were key in trimming the margin down to 15-12.
The Tigers pushed the lead to 16-12, but Edison bounced back to cut it down to 17-16 before Tioga chalked up eight of the final 10 points.
Each set held a different contrast compared to the one before it.
“I think we came in here and we played a little nervous,” Covas said. “This is a big deal for us and I think the girls felt that emotionally so we let up that first game.
“The second game, we were battling right until the end. They found their chemistry. They knew exactly what to do. They were hitting where they needed to go.
“That third game, I pulled them in and said, it's up to you now. We gave you all the tools. You know what this opponent looks like. You either win or you lose, but no matter what, we still won. They still left it all out there.”
Tioga (14-4), ranked eighth in the state, will head to Candor next Saturday to face Section III champ Jordan-Elbridge in regional action.
Ford feels her team is putting things together at the right time and also credited the Spartans’ effort.
“I think we're starting to peak, but Edison is as well, because when they came in Thursday night, they were a different team than we played them the last time,” she said. “I was impressed with them.”
Edison finished its season with an 8-11 record.
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