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VOLLEYBALL

Section II

Class B Quarterfinals

Johnstown 3, Cobleskill 2

Schalmont 3, Holy Names 0

Hudson Falls 3, Ichabod Crane 0

Ravena 3, Hudson 0

Class C Quarterfinals

Loudonville Christian 3, Canajoharie 1

Schenectady Christian 3, Maple Hill 1

Schuylerville 3, Mechanicville 1

Voorheesville 3, Galway 2

Class D Quarterfinals

Mayfield 3, Waterford 0

Argyle 3, Germantown 0

Hartford 3, Duanesburg 0

Lake George 3, Berlin 0

Class AA Quarterfinals

Saratoga 3, Niskayuna 1

Shenendehowa 3, Columbia 0

Ballston Spa 3, Colonie 0

Class A Quarterfinals

Amsterdam 3, South Glens Falls 2

Troy 3, Mohonasen 2

Queensbury 3, Catholic Central 1

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JOHNSTOWN - On six different occasions this season, the Johnstown volleyball team found itself trailing 1-0 after the first game.

The Lady Bills made it seven on Tuesday.

Johnstown managed to dig its deepest and most dangerous hole of the season, falling behind after the first game and trailing 2-1 after three games against Cobleskill-Richmondville in a Section II Class B quarterfinal contest at Warren Street Elementary School.

Johnstown turned it around in the nick of time, winning the final two games to post a 3-2 win over the sixth-seeded Bulldogs.

"We played pretty well the last two games," Johnstown coach Michele Robinson said. "We were able to pull it out somehow."

The Lady Bills won by scores of 23-25, 25-14, 13-25, 26-17 and 25-15.

Kassandra Buseck and Kaylee Gillen led Johnstown's late charge.

"They just had too much number five [Buseck] for us," Cobleskill-Richmondville coach Brian LaVine said. "She's the one that hurt us the most. She's just a great player and she's their go-to person."

Buseck finished with 18 kills and 12 blocks, while Gillen had 13 kills and five aces to go along with a number of point-saving digs.

"She was our little spark plug tonight," Robinson said of Gillen's effort.

As it did in the previous meeting between the teams on Sept. 16, Johnstown fell behind early against Cobleskill-Richmondville, trailing 5-2 in the first game after a ragged start by both sides.

The Lady Bills regrouped and took the lead following an eight-point run by Nicole MacGregor at the service line.

Despite trailing for much of the first game, the Bulldogs mounted a late rally that saw them overcome a 20-14 deficit to pull out a 25-23 win.

Devin Hirst turned the tide for Cobleskill-Richmondville reeling off four straight service points to cut the Johnstown lead to 20-18. The teams traded points until the Lady Bills grabbed a 23-21 lead, forcing LaVine to call a timeout.

The move worked as the Bulldogs won the final four points to earn the first-game win.

"They're a good team," Robinson said. "They've definitely improved since the last time we played them."

As it did in its 3-1 win over Cobleskill-Richmondville on Sept. 16, Johnstown responded by winning the second game.

The Lady Bills did it with relative ease, rolling out to a 10-5 advantage as Buseck had three kills, a block and two service points in the early flurry.

A three-point service run by Gillen later in the first game made it 20-11, forcing another timeout by LaVine.

This time, the Lady Bills were able to finish the game, winning five of the final seven points to win the game 25-14 and even the match at 1-1.

Johnstown struggled throughout the third game, falling behind 10-1 after an eight-point service run by Kayla Haskin, who also finished with seven kills and six blocks.

"I thought we had a good game plan coming in. We wanted to make their middles move and we did that early on, but we kind of got away from it," LaVine said.

After the slow start, the Lady Bills never got closer than five points the rest of the way, losing the third game 25-13 to trail 2-1.

"We made our share of errors," Robinson said. "We had to play hard to overcome them."

Needing to win the final two games to keep its season alive, Johnstown got an eight straight service points from Zara Hyde to break open a tight fourth game.

"I thought we had them in the fourth game, but we didn't put them away and it cost us," LaVine said.

Hyde was 23-for-23 from the service line for the Lady Bills, a total that included eight aces. She also had 25 assists and three kills.

Hyde's run along with several key digs from Gillen keyed a 25-17 fourth-game win for Johnstown.

"[Kaylee Gillen] is a great player," LaVine said. "She just played smart all match long. She was the reason we lost the fourth game."

In the decisive fifth game, the Lady Bills grabbed the early advantage as Buseck and Gillen teamed up to account for five service point and two kills as Johnstown too an early 7-2 lead.

As it did all match long, Cobleskill-Richmondville used its defense to get back in the game. No matter how hard, where or what the Lady Bills hit at the ball at them, the Bulldogs managed to somehow return the ball back across the net.

"Both teams played really good defense," LaVine said. "There were a lot of long rallies."

A four-point run by Hirst, helped give Cobleskill-Richmondville a 9-8 lead.

After trading the next three points, the match was tied at 10-10.

Johnstown took control from there, winning 15 of the final 20 points to post a 25-15 fifth-game victory.

Hyde again played a role, recording two aces as part of a four-point run.

Gillen added a late three-point service run and Angela Holliday had two of her 15 kills for the Lady Bills in the final game.

"We knew it was going to be a battle. It certainly was," Robinson said. "We're glad to get the win and advance."

Emily DeChristopher finished with nine kills and Katie Reinemann had 20 assists for Cobleskill-Richmondville, which finishes the season with a 9-9 overall record.

"I'm pleased with our effort. I told the kids not to leave anything on the floor and that's what they did," LaVine said. "They're upset about losing, but they couldn't have played any harder."

Johnstown (14-3), the No. 3 seed, will face No. 2 seed Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk in Thursday's Class B semifinals at Broadalbin-Perth High School at 7 p.m.

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk advanced with a 25-2, 25-5 and 25-11 win over No. 7 Hudson on Tuesday.

In last year's Class B semifinals, Johnstown lost 3-1 to the Lady Indians.