CENTRAL NEW YORK – Even if there are top large-school sides in area boys volleyball, none of them has, over the course of the last two years, proven able to equal Jamesville-DeWitt .
Yet it nearly happened Friday night, the Red Rams finding its 42-match win streak in jeopardy until it regrouped in time to rally past Cicero-North Syracuse in five sets.
Few expected anything from a C-NS side sporting a 2-6 record, but for two sets the inspired Northstars ignored its struggles and, by gaining all the important points late, won a pair of 25-22 decisions.
Yet C-NS could not finish it off, for in the next two sets J-D found its customary form, claimed those sets by equal 25-11 margins and then ignored the pressure of maintaining its long win streak to win the final set 15-8.
Avery Kielbasinski earned 22 kills and eight blocks, helped by Owen Dougherty’s 13 kills, Kian Sarmast’s 11 kills and Chine Okereke’s eight kills. Passing to all of them, Carsen Kaelin had a career-best 51 assists and added nine digs. Sarmast had 10 digs and Dougherty matched Kaelin earning nine digs.