Byron-Bergen certainly didn’t play like the lower seed in their Class D1 Section V girls volleyball playoff semi-final against second-seed Lyons. After a nip-and-tuck first set, the third-seeded Bees dominated the final two to sweep 25-21, 25-18, 25-13. But their season came to a halt in a loss to top-seed and undefeated Cuba Rushford.
Lyons jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set before the Bees found their offensive rhythm as junior co-captain Maddie Farnsworth serving seven consecutive points with classmates Hannah VanSkiver three kills and Hannah Catalino one kill in the sequence as the Bees built a 7-4 lead.
Farnsworth added three kills with an ace and junior Sara Fraser a kill as the lead extended to as many as six points, but Lyons went on a 5-1 run to close to within one point at 20-19. But two more kills by VanSkiver and an ace from Amaya Gunther sealed the win.
The Bees ran out to a 14-4 advantage in the second set with co-captain Abby Vurraro and sister Lexi registering aces during the stretch as they never trailed. Lyons was on the defensive most of the set and never was really able to set up their offense.
The final set was tight early before Catalino served six consecutive points for the Bees that also included a kill from Fraser for a seven-point lead at 18-11. An Abby Vurraro ace and two kills from Farnsworth finished off the sweep.
“We just stuck with the game plan and were ready to play,” Farnsworth said. “It was just our team working together,” she said about their offensive strategy of spreading the ball around more than earlier in the season. “We found a new rotation and it’s good to have a few hitters out there.”
Farnsworth finished with 11 kills, eight digs and five aces while Abby Vurraro led with 16 digs and a pair of aces. Setter Lexi Vurraro handed out 26 assists with three aces and VanSkiver chipped in nine kills for the 16-2 Bees.
“We played consistent, controlled the outside and stayed composed,” Bees head coach Cindy D’Errico said. “We’re a young team with only one senior, but we’re getting there.”
