'Find a way': Three Section V girls volleyball teams advance in thrilling five-set matches

Irondequoit didn't see its ninth Section V championship coming.

Now, McKenna Callari and the Eagles are one win away from a trip to the state championship tournament.

Section V held its girls volleyball crossover matches Tuesday night, and all three contests went the distance.

Class A1 champion Irondequoit (20-1) edged Class A2's Mercy in five sets in the crossover Class A final at Victor. Coach Marc Callari said his Eagles' defense began clicking during the Victor tournament Sept. 17. Their lone loss was to Pittsford Sutherland, but Irondequoit has won eight straight since.

"From that point, this group, they just find a way," Callari said. "They don't give up. They keep pushing and play for the next point, and tonight that Game 5 performance was outstanding."

Tuesday's other matches were just as riveting. Dana Reschke led C2 champ LeRoy (22-1) to a five set win over C1 champion Midlakes in the Class C final.

In the Class D semifinals, Lauren Kingsley and her Class D2 champion Pavilion (22-2) team trailed Class D3 champion Batavia Notre Dame 7-11 in the final set before winning 17-15, holding off Amelia McCulley's feisty Irish squad.

"That was amazing what they just did," Pavilion coach Rex Eighmey said. "We had to play hard and dig deep. The team played well. They made some nice saves, and we got our serves in at the end to help finish it off."

What's next?

Some teams have one more Section V match left. The others advance straight to regionals.

Pavilion, the three-time Section V champion, will play Class D1 champion Harley-Allendale-Columbia at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Wheatland-Chili in the Class D final. The winner advances to the Far West Regionals against Section VI champion Chautauqua Lake Friday night in Hamburg.

Irondequoit and LeRoy both advance straight to Friday's regional round against a pair of undefeated Section VI champs. The Eagles will play Sweet Home (18-0), and LeRoy, the two-time Section V champ, plays Portville (20-0) — the reigning state champ which defeated the Oatkan Knights in regionals last year.

Fairport (AA) and Wayne (B) will play Lancaster and Springville, respectively, in Friday's Far West Regional.

Friday's winners advance to states Saturday, Nov. 19 in Glens Falls.

Player(s) of the game

When all three matches go the distance, each winning team had multiple standouts.

Class A

Lacey Flynn paced Irondequoit's offense with 37 assists. McKenna Callari put down 16 kills and had 24 digs and four aces. Natalie Pedersen added 14 kills and Morgan Donahoe was stout defensively with 22 digs.

Class C

LeRoy, winners of two straight section titles, was led by Dana Reschke's 39 assists. Katie Salphine registered 22 kills, Sophia Brain had seven aces, Allie Ingles had 11 kills, and Kylee Green added 13 digs.

Class D

Lauren Kingsley had 25 kills and 20 digs while Karlee Zinkievich had 14 kills and 20 digs, as the seniors carried Pavilion like they've done all season long. The seniors made key plays down the stretch, especially in the fifth set, to keep the Gophers' season alive.

Cady Call handed out 22 assists and had 13 digs. Courtney Gurbacki had eight assists and served tough. Emalyn Yates also stepped up for the Golden Gophers.

"We lost some great players, but with Karlee and Lauren, we've had two great players who came back, we were able to incorporate the rest of the players. They learned a lot, and they're confident now. Once they got used to each other, everything gelled."

They said it

McKenna Callari, Irondequoit: "It was so intense. We haven't played a lot of five-set matches this season. Coming through and winning that was really fun … and had a lot a pressure."

Lacey Flynn, Irondequoit: "It feels so good. I feel like we need to keep playing as a team and playing well together. We're a really good team together and we all work really well."

Lauren Kingsley, Pavilion: "We just had to play our game and we'll be fine."

Karlee Zinkievich, Pavilion: It was an amazing feeling. We were down a lot in the fifth, and I was freaking out. But after we got the last point I was so happy."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V girls volleyball tournament 2022: 3 thrilling matches