On Monday, April 5th, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls’ varsity volleyball team defeated the Baldwinsville Bees, winning 3-1. This was the first time that any Section III team had beaten Baldwinsville since September 21, 2013.

The FM girls had already lost to Baldwinsville earlier in the season, but the rematch was a closer game. Sophomore Molly McNany who plays the libero position for the team said, “We were ready and probably a little nervous to play them again,” but FM was also excited to get the second chance. 

In the rematch, the FM team was a little deflated after losing the first set, but they were still playing well. The girls knew they had a chance to redeem themselves.

The FM team built some momentum, winning the next two sets. The fourth set was very back and forth, until FM took the advantage and won the deciding point to complete the match.  Knowing this was a massive accomplishment, sophomore hitter Zoe Myint said, “When the ball finally dropped after the last point, I think most of us on the court kind of went into shock.” 

Having an energetic sideline played a huge role, knowing that only the Baldwinsville fans were allowed in due to pandemic guidelines.  Zoe said that “the biggest contributing factor to winning was the energy level, both on and off the court.” 

The victorious Hornets were greeted by family and friends as the bus arrived back at Fayetteville-Manlius High School.