BY MICHAEL KELLY
Gazette Sportswriter
DELMAR — With Niskayuna threatening to upset the balance of power in Section II Division I boys’ volleyball, Shenendehowa outside hitter Mitchell DeBortoli said the Plainsmen’s mantra was a simple one for the final three sets of Tuesday’s semifinal:
“It can’t end here, it can’t end here.”
It didn’t for Shenendehowa, which battled back to defeat Niskayuna in five sets despite a season-best performance from the Silver Warriors at Bethlehem High School. Shenendehowa won 22-25, 24-26, 25-17, 25-11, 25-12.
“We know this team can go far, and we understood it couldn’t end here,” DeBortoli said.
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Shenendehowa’s Mitchell DeBortoli readies to serve during a Section II Division I postseason match at Bethlehem High School in Delmar on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (Michael Kelly/Gazette Sportswriter)
“This is probably the first team that I’ve coached at the varsity level that could dig a hole that deep and be able to mentally straighten itself out of it,” Shenendehowa boys’ volleyball head coach John Coletta said. “I give them a lot of credit for being able to do that.”
With the victory, Shenendehowa advanced to Friday’s championship match against No. 1 Bethlehem, which topped No. 5 Guilderland in straight sets 25-10, 25-10, 25-8.
Bethlehem and Shenendehowa have played for the last four Section II Division I championships, and the Eagles have won the last five area titles.
Shenendehowa came into its semifinal a sizable favorite, despite the match pitting the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the draw. The Plainsmen (14-5) had beaten Niskayuna (9-8) in straight sets twice during the regular season.
“Our blocking was on another level today,” said Niskayuna head coach Jen Chartrand, who singled out Matt Wilson for his play at the net. “We’ve been working day in and day out on it.
“The whole season, we’ve been grinding and working,” added Chartrand, whose team this year included only one senior. “It came together for us in those first sets.”
BALLSTON SPA — The Shenendehowa girls’ volleyball team’s debut in the Section II Class AA postseason went off without a hitch.
Playing Tuesday against Guilderland, Shenendehowa was a 3-0 winner with scores of 25-7, 25-5, 25-18.
In the win, Julia Paliwodzinski had 25 assists and 10 aces; Nicole Adams had 10 kills; Rachel Millington had seven kills; and, Mia Waddell collected five aces.
The Plainsmen are the five-time defending area champion in their classification. Shenendehowa will play Bethlehem Saturday in this year’s title game.
Niskayuna consistently put Shenendehowa in tough spots through the midway point of the third set, but the Plainsmen also could not get out of their own way. Shenendehowa’s serving game was off, and Niskayuna’s poise in the first half of the match was in direct opposition to the Plainsmen’s nervous demeanor.
“We needed to stop worrying about the scoreboard and playing for points, rather than playing the ball,” Coletta said.
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Shenendehowa’s Donovan Suguitan, front, and Tyler Schnaible ready for a point during a Section II Division I postseason match at Bethlehem High School in Delmar on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (Michael Kelly/Gazette Sportswriter)
While DeBortoli finished with 25 kills and Thomas Hurley had 49 assists, Coletta said Nolan Yowell’s insertion in the third set was a key turning point for the Plainsmen. Yowell had a kill upon entering the match, and Shenendehowa ended the third set on a 9-2 run.
“We had a spark plug on the bench ready to come in and light us all up,” DeBortoli said of Yowell.
Once they got a taste of winning, the Plainsmen found their groove. Shenendehowa had an 8-0 start to the fourth set and rarely struggled the rest of the way, as Niskayuna’s upset attempt ran out of steam.
“We felt great in those first two games, but I think we lost our edge in the third game,” said Niskayuna’s Damien Whittemore, who had 12 kills. “We needed to keep pushing, keep our momentum. . . . We could have done a little bit better.”
For Niskayuna, Jim Cesare added 18 assists, Eoghan Stoffer had 13 blocks, and Liam Meachem added nine digs.
“We definitely were underdogs coming into this, and everyone likes to see the underdog win, but sometimes you don’t,” Chartrand said. “But, next year, we’ll take them down.”
For several years now, Shenendehowa has had that “We’ll get ’em next year” attitude about Bethlehem. With the way his team fought back from the verge of elimination Tuesday, Coletta said his squad believes 2015 could be its year.
“They just didn’t accept that [they could lose],” Coletta said. “Those last three games, they played for each other, and that was special — and it’s what they need to do from here on out.”
This report originally appeared on dailygazette.com.
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