Cortland Standard .net

ONEIDA — The Cortland High volleyball team overcame a big fourth-set setback and fifth-set pressure on the road Thursday night to earn a spot in the Section 3 Class A semifinals.
The sixth-seeded Purple Tigers journeyed to third-seeded Oneida and came away with a 25-17, 18-25, 2-5-22, 7-25, 25-23 win, improving to 14-5 on the season and advancing to a Tuesday matchup in the semis with second-seeded Chittenango, which downed No. 10 Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 25-19, 25-22, 27-25.
That contest will take place Tuesday at Clinton High, with the time to be announced. The Bears (17-2), like CHS a member of the OHSL Freedom/Liberty Division, scored a pair of four-set wins over Cortland during the regular season. The other semifinal will match No. 4 Watertown (16-3) against the winner of today’s quarterfinal match between top-seeded Carthage (17-0) and No. 8 East Syracuse-Minoa (11-7).
“I think Oneida underestimated our abilities as the sixth seed and we were able to take the first set pretty easily,” Cortland coach Cheri Olson said. “In the second set we sat back a little and Oneida recuperated. We stepped it back up in the third set and squeaked out the win, but in the fourth set, with help from their crowd, one really strong hitter, and a consistent server, we fell apart. The lead went back and forth in the fifth set. We were down and caught up to make the score 20-20, then it went back and forth to 23-23, but finally we were able to pull away, winning with a kill from senior middle blocker Ali Bustamante.
“I was beyond proud of the girls. After a pretty bad defeat in the fourth, they didn’t let it get them down. They regrouped and fought back. I think I got a few gray hairs, but the girls played so well that it was worth it.”
Senior setter Danielle Lynch had 26 assists and 22 digs for the Purple Tigers, who after their fourth-game loss trailed 11-8 in the fifth game before rallying. Sophomore outside hitter/libero Kristin Bush had 29 digs and an ace, senior outside hitter Samantha Daniels 21 digs, an ace and a kill and Bustamante nine kills — including the match-winner — as well as five blocks, three aces and an assist.
Junior outside hitter Caitlyn Ruggiero had seven kills, 16 digs and two aces while senior outside hitter Lyuda Levitskaya had six kills, 14 digs and an ace and senior setter Shelina Carrion eighth digs and two aces.
Oneida, which finished the season 13-3, was led by Sarah Pickard, who had 26 kills, 26 digs and an ace, and Jenna Relyea, who came up with 42 assists, 20 digs, three aces and a kill. In addition, Matteson Mair had 11 kills, seven digs, six blocks and two aces and Liz Rice 12 digs and four kills.