Spencerport has won the last three consecutive Section V Class B boys volleyball titles and five of the last seven. But the last two seasons have ended one level shy of their ultimate goal – a state championship – as they lost in the state final in each of the last two seasons.
For the six seniors on the team who have experienced that, this season is their final chance to put a white banner up in the gymnasium instead of a blue one signifying a state title.
“All of the seniors are all really close and we treat this as our actual family, so every game we go out and play like we’re on a mission,” senior middle Mason Brumm said.
“This team has a lot of fun all the time and that’s part of the reason we play so great together,” senior setter Gavin Zimmer said.
And it is a team despite the six seniors.
Seniors Brumm (29 blocks), Sean Baird (22), Collin Auburn (16) and junior Peyton Healy (15) setting the tone at the net defensively and freshman Bailey Zambuto (111), junior Shaun Cannon (76) and sophomore Edrian Rivera (52) leading the team in digs, the Rangers are a force defensively.
Add on the offensive side the balance with Auburn (112 kills .316 hitting %), Jackson Brumm (92 kills .251) with juniors Gage Berry (73 kills .101) and Brody Jackson (70 kills .166) plus service point aces from eighth-grader Noah Barravechia 25, Auburn 23 aces, with Cannon, junior Jackson Brumm, Jackson, and Berry adding 17 aces each and the opponent can’t key on any one player defensively.
Jackson, whose two older brothers were also key parts of previous Rangers squads, was the Most Valuable Player of the Sectional playoffs last season and was named to the All-State team as a sophomore.
At the start of the final week of the regular season, the Rangers were vying with Churchville-Chili and Irondequoit for the top seed in Class B1 after a 3-0 sweep of Pittsford on senior night.
That followed a non-league loss at Orchard Park, a tough team and intentional scheduling to help the Rangers get ready for the postseason and see what they may be up against in the state tournament.
“We played at Orchard Park to get ready in case that ever happens down the road because we have to get off our butts and play, but I thought it was a great experience and brought the team together,” Spencerport head coach Aaron Austin said.
But first, they need to extend their Section V title streak to four.
“Winning is contagious and we want to keep breeding winners who want to come back and fight harder every year,” Adams said. “To me it’s going after Sectional titles and having the opportunity to go to states.
“Before we just tried to win a division title and now, we’ve done that, and the standard is that much higher. The kids breed that in themselves and then convince other kids to play volleyball. When I first started, I would not say it was easy to get kids to try out for volleyball and now we’re getting kids that are playing year-round volleyball.”
“Key for us is we’re just one big family; we all love each other on and off the court and I think that really translates to our games,” Zimmer said. “You want to encourage everyone and keep this program rolling, so we need to hype up everyone.”
“All of our guys are expected to play any position that coach puts them in, and I feel that a lot of our guys do a good job at doing that,” Brumm said. “If we win every game for the rest of the season, that’s our goal. Our goal is to end the season on a win.”
