Lansing volleyball wins Sec. IV Championship

On Saturday night in Corning, the Lansing volleyball team continued its excellent season with a thrilling 3-2 win over Oneonta in the Section IV Class C Championship. The Bobcats will be making their first trip to the state tournament since 2006 later this week, holding an overall record of 18-1 in best-of-five matches, with the lone loss coming against Class AA Corning.

Lansing was pushed to the limit against Oneonta. After winning the first set with a 25-23 score, Oneonta fired back and won the next two sets to send Lansing to the brink of elimination. The third set was a brutal one for Lansing, with Oneonta blowing them away 25-11.

Lansing could have folded after the one-sided loss, but it simply made them play better. The Bobcats came back out with a dominant 25-16 win in the fourth set. A 25-19 victory in the fifth set crowned Lansing the champions.

The final point was earned by junior Tennessee Gooch with a strong block at the net. The middle hitter talked about the match-winning point and the ensuing celebration.

“Honestly, I thought it landed on our side of the net,” Gooch said. “It took me a minute to realize that it was over. Then, I was just like, ‘Dang, we won. We’re done. We’re moving on.’ Everyone then joined in a circle, and we were really happy.”

Gooch stood out on the court in the final set, sending several big attacks over to Oneonta’s side. With a trip to states on the line, Gooch channeled all of her energy into keeping the season alive.

“We all really wanted it,” she said. “I did too. I was just mad from the previous sets. I had a lot of built-up emotions and I just wanted to lay it all out.”

That frustration came from that one-sided third set. Lansing had only been beyond three sets twice prior to the championship game, so being down 2-1 was unfamiliar territory. Head coach Nicole Lamie pushed the right buttons on the sideline before the fourth set, and Lansing snapped back to their form quickly. Gooch talked about the team huddle after the third set.

“[Coach Lamie] just told us to play hard,” she said. “Even in practice, we were practicing confidence drills. So, when we do that, we knew how to bounce back from that. We knew because we practice mentally [toughening] ourselves. We just knew how to come back from that and we were prepared for them.”

There is an obviously strong bond displayed by the Bobcats during play. That energy and togetherness helped them overcome the adversity they faced in the championship game.

“I’m sure you can see it on the court, but we share so many things,” Gooch said. “Even off the court, we push each other to be better. On the court or during practice, we push each other to do better and get better every single day. I think with that, we just have a lot of good connections with each other and we’re really just a really united team.”

The team is built for success in the present and the future. There are three seniors on the team — Andra Benson, Mattea Lajza and Alexia Chan — and three sophomore starters — Kayla Palmer, Jolene Gunther and Brooklyn Walker — with a strong junior class in between. Gooch gave her perspective on the team makeup.

“[The seniors] do a lot,” Gooch said. “Our team this year, we’re just so united, and we share a lot of memories on and off the court. I think [the future] looks really good, too. Even after next year, they’re going to have a solid team.”

There was hope that this year would be special for the Bobcats at the beginning of the year, but one specific moment helped the team realize how great they could be.

“Definitely when we beat Trumansburg in five sets there,” Gooch said. “Then, when we did it again and then again it definitely got our confidence up, I’d say.”

The reason that was so meaningful for the team was that it was the first victory over Trumansburg since 2009. After clearing that benchmark, the Bobcats have continued to rise and continue their journey on Thursday in the first round of the state tournament.

“We’ve been watching films of other teams,” Gooch said. “We’re practicing and coming up with new things. We’re excited. We’re not overlooking anyone. It’s just one game at a time.”

The next game will be against undefeated Section I champions Dobbs Ferry at Arlington High School in Lagrange, New York, on Thursday. It will be close to a four-hour bus ride for the Bobcats, who are looking to come home happy and keep the memorable season alive.