Volleyball: Trio of IAC teams earn spots in New York state final 4
Saturday was a split for Section 4 schools competing in New York state volleyball regional finals, with three teams from the Interscholastic Athletic Conference advancing to the state semifinals.
Keeping alive hopes for state titles were Lansing in Class B, Trumansburg in Class C and Candor in Class D.
Elmira (Class AAA), Vestal (AA) and Owego Free Academy (A) lost their regional finals.
Up Next: The New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four will be played Nov. 18 and 19 at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. In a change this year, semifinals will be traditional best-of-five matches instead of pool play.
More: Elmira returns to top of Section 4 Class AA football with win over Corning
Class AAA
After winning its first Section 4 title last weekend, Elmira was competitive against Section 9 champion Pine Bush in a 3-0 loss, falling by scores of 25-18, 25-21, 25-18 at Candor High School.
Lily Cornacchio led Elmira with 19 assists and was 9-for-11 serving. Madi Jones had a team-high 11 kills and four aces. Ava Dennard paced the Express with seven digs. Piper Hooey contributed seven kills and five digs.
Class AA
Section 9 champion Cornwall rallied for an 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-9 victory over Vestal in the Class AA regional final at Chenango Valley High School.
Class A
Byram Hills of Section 1 bounced back from an 18-25 loss in the opening set against Owego Free Academy for a four-set victory, taking the final three sets by scores of 25-10, 25-20, 25-15 at Chenango Valley.
Class B
Lansing rolled to a 25-20, 25-10, 25-12 triumph against Section 1's Putnam Valley in the Class B regional final at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, earning a second consecutive trip to the state final four.
The Bobcats meet Section 6 champion Southwestern in a semifinal at 2:45 p.m. Nov. 18. The championship match against either Section 3 champion Westhill or Section 11's Center Moriches is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Nov. 19.
Class C
Trumansburg cruised to a 25-12, 25-15, 25-18 triumph over Section 3 champion LaFayette at Fayetteville-Manlius High School.
Sailor Ladd had 26 assists and four kills for Trumansburg. Also for the Blue Raiders, Lauren Millspaugh had 17 kills and three blocks; and Kaylee Dickerson-Holly notched seven kills and a block.
Trumansburg will play Section 6 champ Portville in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Nov. 18. Winner plays in the championship match at 2 p.m. Nov. 19.
Class D
Playing on its home court, Candor dominated Section 1 champion Keio Academy, cruising to a 25-5, 25-20, 25-8 victory.
Phoebe Swartz had 24 assists, 11 service points and four aces for Candor. Emmi Makie had a team-high nine kills, Emma Kelsey contributed four blocks and Nicola Soper notched 11 service points, five aces, five kills and three digs.
Candor will face Section 6 champ Chautaqua Lake in a semifinal at 7:15 p.m. Nov. 18. The title match follows at 2 p.m. Nov. 19.
Candor won the 2019 Class D state title, the most recent state championship in volleyball for a Section 4 team.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: How Section 4 teams fared in NYSPHSAA volleyball regional finals
