It truly is one day at a time.
Junior Emily Brochey had 18 assists and eight aces as Niagara Wheatfield posted a 3-0 win over the Lady Blue Devils in Niagara Frontier League volleyball action that was played at the Kenmore West Athletic Complex, Wednesday night.
Now a spotless 14-0 in league play, the Falcons need just one more win to officially clinch the NFL crown. They will face Niagara Falls on Friday and Lockport next Wednesday.
The Falcons didn’t receive much resistance from the Blue Devils senior night make shift starting line-up in the opening set as they breezed to a 25-9 win. Brochey’s serving was key to a 10-0 run that put the set out of reach.
Sets two and three were a different story as the Falcons had to dig deep to come away with 26-24 wins in both.
Lady Falcons coach Brandi Cochran was ok with it though because those two sets provided exactly the kind of challenge her girls need as they head into the final leg of the regular season.
“I think down the road we’re gonna see teams that are gonna dig us and make plays that make us have to find open spots on the court,” Cochran said. “And I think today was a great test for that.”
Making it all the way to the NYSPHSAA Class A championship game last year the Falcons dropped the fifth set in a 26-28 heartbreaker.
Though they lost a core of players who went farther than any other team in program history the Falcons feel they have a good mix of battle tested vets and solid young talent.
“I think this season we’ve definitely been improving throughout the year,” Emily Brochey said. “We have some young players but everyone on this team has the talent and what they need to make us a strong team.”
The Blue Devils, who swept Lewiston-Porter the night before, came out with more fire and focus in sets two and three.
Coach Brittany Lis said once they could cycle in their core starters they were able to see a more consistent effort and it showed on the scoreboard.
“The girls stepped up when they needed to,” Lis said. “The first set we had a completely different line-up. Second set we went back to our typical line-up and they felt more comfortable. They played more fluidly. They were communicating. They were working together. They were supporting each other.”
Alyssa Quinlan had five kills while Mikayla Manke had 13 digs for Ken-West.
Kelsey Tylec had seven kills for Wheatfield.