Bombers’ hitters end drought over rivals | News, Sports, Jobs – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Lake Placid’s Julia Crawford, right, hits the ball with Saranac Lake’s Anica Null attempting to block during Monday’s match in Lake Placid.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)
LAKE PLACID — For the past six seasons, the Saranac Lake volleyball team has dominated Lake Placid, having won every match between the two teams since Lake Placid last won on Oct. 7, 2015.
But on Monday, the Blue Bombers got their revenge on home court when they took down the Red Storm 3-1 by scores of 25-22, 12-25, 25-20 and 25-23.
After Lake Placid won the game’s first set, the team allowed Saranac Lake to steamroll through them in the second. But the Blue Bombers were determined to come out on top — especially since the Red Storm edged them out in five sets earlier this season.
Lake Placid then won back-to-back sets to close out the match on top. The team overcame every setback, while the biggest lead Saranac Lake held during that stretch was by five points.
“The first time we played them this season — losing by two in five sets — it was disappointing and it was hard to lose,” Blue Bombers head coach Sandy Huber said. “It showed us that we could get there and that we were good enough to play with them. We surprised ourselves with how well we played. Being that close before, I think we had the confidence and the extra drive that we needed today.
Saranac Lake’s Azra Michael gets ready to hit the ball over the net during Monday’s match against Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)
“I think if the last match had not been close — whichever way it had gone — I don’t think we would have been nearly this motivated. Since it was so close, every person on the team wanted it really badly and they played the way they needed to.”
In the back-and-forth match, nearly everyone on Lake Placid’s roster contributed on both sides of the court, with eight players recording a dig and seven players earning a point or a kill.
Junior Nadia Philip paved the way for the Blue Bombers, finishing with a triple-double. She recorded 16 digs, 13 kills, 10 points and two blocks. Senior Julia Crawford also had a strong match for Lake Placid with 21 kills, 18 digs, three points, one ace and one assist.
Sophomore Norah Galvin was the Blue Bombers’ top setter with a game-high 35 assists and contributed nine points, eight digs, two aces, one block and one kill. Sophomore Sydney Garrison, who led the team with 14 points, had seven digs, one ace and one assist.
The victory marked the second in a row for the Blue Bombers, who previously beat the reigning Section VII Class D champions, Northern Adirondack Bobcats, 3-1 on Oct. 12. The win also improved the team’s overall record to 7-6, which is the first time Lake Placid has posted seven wins in a season since 2015.
Saranac Lake’s Emily Gay hits the ball during Monday’s match against Lake Placid.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)
“Since day one they have gotten along really well and played well as a team,” Huber said. “The last week, they’ve all been really playing well at the same time. I think for everybody to have their best game at once is what we are going to need to continue to have success through sectionals.”
For the Red Storm, the loss dropped them to 7-6 and ended their two-game win streak — both of which were sweeps.
“I think for both teams it was very competitive. This game was filled with all of kinds of emotions. The difference was Lake Placid handled their emotions when they were down. My team was selfish,” Red Storm head coach Mike Navarra said. “Individually what they do — if they make a mistake — is they bring themselves down and the team follows and that is exactly what happened tonight. They couldn’t overcome the fact that they were challenged by Lake Placid, and that’s unfortunate because Lake Placid is a great team. They just beat NAC, who beat us once and we have them (today).”
Navarra said his team needs to work on the mindset of the game, as well as the emotional side.
“(Just) knowing that each point is not over until the ball hits the ground,” Navarra said. “Unfortunately for my team, once we went over, they were just satisfied when the ball went over to the other side. That’s called desperation, and when they make the same mistakes over and over again, that is insanity. They need to be able to adapt and change their ways other than that I do think that they played well.”
Saranac Lake junior Anica Null had a stellar night again, finishing with a game-high 29 digs while contributing with 12 kills, 10 points, two blocks, one block and one assist. Her kills were enough to break the school record for most kills in a season with 131. The previous record was set by Mia Sanford with 127 in 2021.
Senior Malea White had a team-high 14 kills while recording 28 digs for the Red Storm. Azra Michael had 23 assists, 15 digs, eight points, two kills and one ace. Emily Gay had a team-high 12 points and five aces, as well as 16 digs and two kills.
With the season winding down, Navarra said he doesn’t have any plans to change the lineup. He he just wants to see some consistency from his players before sectionals.
Both teams were slated to return to the volleyball court on Tuesday. Saranac Lake was scheduled to host Northern Adirondack, while Lake Placid traveled to Peru. The Blue Bombers will then host Northeastern Clinton at 6 p.m. Thursday, while the Red Storm take on Peru on the road at 6 p.m. next Tuesday.