Lansing volleyball reclaims sectional, regional titles

When it comes to volleyball in Tompkins County, Lansing has been the cream of the crop over the past few years. In their already-massive collection of postseason hardware, they’ll have to make more room in the trophy cabinet after another outstanding campaign.

For the fourth time in five years, the Bobcats are Section IV champions. They captured the Class C crown with a thrilling five-set victory over Tioga. Trailing two sets to one, the Bobcats came back to topple the Tigers in what was a strenuous but rewarding challenge.

“We knew that although we had a strong finish in set one, that they were going to answer,” said head coach Nicole Lamie. “That team is incredible with defense, and they never stop playing the ball. They make saves. They pursue the ball constantly. They just are so good. It was a battle physically. It was a battle mentally… It was very tough. I’ve said all along for the past two years that Tioga and Lansing bring out the best in each other competitively.”

The Bobcats had an easier time in their first match of the New York State Tournament, as they swept aside Section III’s Lafayette to win their third regional title in five years. 

“We really wanted to limit Lafayette’s opportunities to score,” Lamie said. “Not only did we do that by having very few hitting attacking errors and very few service errors, but we played defense like crazy. We did not let them get away with anything.”

The Bobcats’ postseason actually got off to a losing start. After another strong regular season at 13-1, Lansing fell to Whitney Point in four sets in the IAC Championship. That did not deter Lansing one bit, just like two years ago when they won the Class B state title despite stumbling at IACs.

“Nobody was happy or satisfied with how they played in the IAC game,” Lamie said. “We wanted to use that to help prepare us for sectionals, so my seniors learned about themselves. It was just a tough match that we weren’t satisfied with how we showed up, and we don’t want to revisit that. We want to just use that to push us forward.”

There are plenty of seniors on the Bobcats, nine to be exact. That sort of experience undoubtedly guided them back to Glens Falls for the state final four. Four of those seniors were part of the 2023 state champion team, including Jordan Brinkley. It was a milestone season for their leading attacker, surpassing 1,000 career kills and having multiple clutch performances, most notably a 36-kill outing in the sectional final against Tioga. Brinkley has grown in both her hitting ability and her comfort in any spot on the court.

“I used to be so scared going back row as a six-rotation player,” Brinkley said. “I would always hope that we would just rotate me back to the front row as quickly as possible, because I did not find confidence in myself playing back row. But over the years, I think that I’ve gotten great defensively, and I don’t hate being in the back row anymore.”

Brinkley’s partner-in-crime in attack is setter Leilani Drake. The senior has teed up Brinkley and their other hitters countless times. She too reached a milestone this year with over 1,000 career assists. To achieve this feat in just two years on varsity speaks to how huge an impact she’s had on the program’s continuous success.

“Lani pushes herself and tries her hardest no matter where the ball goes, whether it was a pass, whether it’s a defensive play,” Lamie said. “She is working to give her teammates opportunities. She is a selfless player. She will throw her body on the line. She will jump and reach as high as she can reach. She pushes beyond her physical limits in order to give her teammates the opportunity, and it really showed that with her reaching her milestone.”

There are plenty of other Bobcats who elevated their game during the postseason. Senior Kendyll Hathorn has impressed both offensively as a middle attacker and defensively as a middle blocker, while sophomore Ava Kobylarz bounced back from an early-season injury to add a burst of energy on the court.

Lansing’s season came to a close in Glens Falls during pool play. The Bobcats went 1-2, losing both sets to Section IX’s Mount Academy and falling to Section VI’s Portville in three sets. They did conclude things on a high note with a two-set victory over Section XI’s Port Jefferson. While it’s the end of the road for the Bobcats’ strong contingent of seniors, there’s more deep postseason runs and to come for one of the premier volleyball programs in the state.

“I’m graduating nine seniors, but we have 13 sophomores in the program right now,” Lamie said. “There’s so much excitement around Lansing volleyball, and I’m just so happy for all the players.”