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Warriors squaring off against rival Wildcats
If their season series is any indication, tonight's Class B boys volleyball quarterfinal matchup featuring Cheektowaga Central against Depew should go down to the wire.
The fourth-seeded Warriors will host the No. 5 seed Wildcats at 7 p.m. The squads split the season series in the regular season, each winning in their home gymnasium.
Depew won the first match, but Central came back to claim the second match.
"(Central) looked like a completely different team the second time we faced them," said Depew head coach Mark Schlessinger, whose team swept local rival and 12th-seeded Cleveland Hill at home in the prequarterfinals Tuesday, 25- 12, 25-8 and 25-23.
Against Cleve Hill, Depew used its superior height and athleticism to its advantage, holding off a winless but hearty Eagles squad.
The Eagles took a 4-1 lead in Game 1 before the Wildcats went on a 14-4 run to seize control. In Game 2, Depew jumped out to a 14-1 lead and was never threatened. Cleve Hill played with enthusiasm and poise- led primarily by junior Steven Pacillo- in Game 3 and was leading 20-18, before the Wildcats fought back for a close win.
With the third game tied 23-23, Depew scored consecutive aces to end the Eagles' season.
"We've got a young team this year but we're learning," Schlessinger told the Times. "Hopefully we come out against Cheektowaga like we did the first time we played them."
Central head coach Jon Marcussen said his team must play to its style of tempo.
"Whoever controls the ball will win the game," Marcussen told the Times. "They did that against us the first time, but we controlled play the second time we met. Much of it is about blocking and attacking."
The Warriors' leader in kills this season is senior Craig Ryan, while junior Josh Strzelec leads the locals in blocks. Juniors Jordan Cave and Mark Mingle are Central's leaders in digs.
Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Maryvale will take on sixth-seeded Holland tonight, also at 6 p.m.
The Flyers, ranked No. 4 in the Western New York Coaches Poll, finished their regular season with a school-record 25 wins against just four losses. Maryvale head coach Jon Bednasz, whose team finished 11-1 in Erie County Interscholastic Conference-III, said tonight's quarterfinal game against league opponent Holland won't be a cakewalk.
"They can be a dangerous, athletic team," Bednasz said of the Dutchmen. "They're big, which can be a factor."
If the Flyers knock off Holland, they will likely face perennial powerhouse Eden in the Class B semifinals Saturday at East Aurora High School. Game time for that match is 4 p.m.
The Flyers were eliminated in each of the last three seasons in the Class B semifinals by the Raiders. The two teams split the season series this fall.
"It would probably be like two heavyweight fighters swinging at each other," Bednasz said of a possible Maryvale-Eden rematch.
In girls' Class B playoff action Friday, No. 2 seed Central opened the prequarterfinals with a three-game sweep of 15th-seeded Medina, 25- 11, 25-10 and 25-18. The Lady Warriors then outlasted 10th-seeded Olean in five games Tuesday in the quarterfinals, winning Game 5, 25- 19.
Against Olean, junior Neysha Harrell led the Lady Warriors with 14 kills and four blocks, while senior Taylor Pagano added 12 kills. Freshman setter Hannah Field contributed a match-high 35 assists.
Central (14-5 overall) will host third-seeded Newfane (19-1) today at 5 p.m.
No. 5 seed Maryvale also disposed of 12th-seeded Springville in three straight games (25-8, 25-13 and 25- 18) on Friday before falling to fourth-seeded East Aurora on Tuesday in four games. The Lady Flyers' lone win was a 25-23 in Game 2, losing games of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-14.
In Class C prequarterfinal action Friday, fifth-seeded John F. Kennedy was upset by No. 12 seed Allegany- Limestone in five games. After the Lady Bears dropped Game 1, 25-19, they roared back to win consecutive
games, 25-22 and 28-26. However, JFK could not maintain its level of intensity dropping the final two games by identical scores of 25-13.
"It's disappointing to lose in the first round," said JFK head coach Mark Gedeon. "This year, it seemed as if things would either go really well or really bad, and against Allegany-Limestone, things seemed to turn around quickly in the wrong direction during the final couple of games."
Gedeon added that his team will miss graduating senior Wailani Melendez, a three-year varsity starter who will likely be selected to the Erie County Interscholastic Conference- IV First Team.
Cleveland Hill, seeded No. 10, also suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of seventh-seeded Royalton-Hartland, losing in three straight games, 25-19, 25-23 and 25- 7.
In Class B, Depew also dropped its prequarterfinal matchup at sixthseeded Southwestern, as the 11thseeded Lady Wildcats lost in four games. Depew won Game 1, 25-19, before dropping consecutive games by margins of 25-16, 25-12 and 25- 16.
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