Fredonia's Londyn Wilmot jumps to spike the ball past two Windsor defenders in Saturday's NYSPHSAA Class B regional volleyball match at Candor High School. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

CANDOR — Just a few seasons ago the Fredonia girls volleyball team struggled to win matches, but on Saturday afternoon at Candor High School the Hillbillies found themselves one win away from a spot in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B championships.

The only thing in Fredonia’s way was the section that won it all last year, but this time represented by a young Windsor team that was unsure if it would even make the playoffs.

Not only did Section IV’s Windsor show it belonged in the playoffs, the Black Knights showed they were the real deal as they swept Section VI’s Fredonia 25-21, 25-21, 25-16 to advance to the state final four next week in Glens Falls.

“These kids are incredibly young and when we started practice August 21st we were wondering if we were going to make playoffs,” Windsor head coach Scott Symons said. “Now these kids are in the final four of the state tournament, it’s indescribable.”

Having to play a subregional matchup prior to Saturday’s affair, Fredonia set out early to prove it belonged in the regional matchup and it did exactly that.

Fredonia's Katherine Fortna hits the ball over the net during a NYSPHSAA Class B regional against Section IV's Windsor at Candor High School on Saturday. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

“This is a very special group of girls,” Fredonia head coach Amanda Krakowiak stated. “I’ve been with the core group of them the last three years. They’re such hard workers, they’re so dedicated, they’re an amazing group of girls to work with. I’m so proud of everything that they accomplished from when they first started to now. They have really shown a lot of growth, they’re very passionate about the game and that’s all a coach can ask for.”

With Windsor being the first team to pull away in the first set using a 6-point run to take a commanding 16-9 lead over the Hillbillies, Fredonia needed a response.

After cutting off the run, Fredonia rallied back with its own 6-point run which included an ace from Lydia LaBarr and before you knew it the match was 16-15.

“The one thing I love about my girls is they fight,” Krakowiak stated. “They fight tooth and nail, they’re not going to let anything get to them and they’re very passionate. They really want this and I was very proud of them to not just step back and give up.”

It was tight until the finish with Fredonia even taking a 20-19 lead after Elizabeth Morris struck an ace, but the Black Knights were dead set on their goal. Windsor did not allow consecutive points the remainder of the set and closed out the opening win 25-21.

Despite letting the first set slip away, Fredonia came out hungry in the second as it scored the first five points with a pair of aces from Kaylen Rollins.

Fredonia led and looked like the better team a majority of the second set, but Windsor would not go away and the failure by Fredonia to go on any long runs left the frame up for grabs.

As Fredonia’s offense stagnated, Windsor chipped away then heated up when it counted most.

“They had a strong offense when they did set it up,” Krakowiak said about the Black Knights. “We didn’t have a lot of opportunities to get our offense going. The few times we did our hitters didn’t have the consistency today that they have had in the last couple games.”

With Fredonia’s lead at 20-17, Windsor picked the perfect time for a run as it scored three straight including an ace from Rylie Conrow. Fredonia stopped the run and held its final lead at 21-20, but otherwise there was not an answer as the Black Knights scored five straight to pull within a victory of states.

“Our kids have done that all year,” Symons said about his team. “We’ve dug a ditch all year and the kids find a way back. I didn’t even take a timeout because I really believed the kids were going to dig their way out of it and they did both times.”

The third set was up for grabs most of the way as both offenses could not string together points with the contest even being tied at 15-15.

Then with the ceiling, a couple close calls and a few errors Fredonia’s season began to slip away. Windsor took control of the game with Conrow at the service line again and the Black Knights scored five straight for a 20-15 lead.

Fredonia finally ended the run, but there was no response as Windsor scored four straight before eventually punching its ticket to Glens Falls with a 25-17 victory.

“It’s just been an incredible run,” Symons said about this season. “I’m surrounded by great parents and I have great kids.”

Fredonia’s season comes to an end just one win shy of the state semifinals, a long way from where the initial group of seniors first started.

“The girls trusted me, I asked a lot from them,” Krakowiak said about this group. “I am appreciative that they trusted the process and they wanted it, they had the heart. That’s where everything starts, they put in all that time in the summer and the offseason and those are small things that help you take big strides forward.”

The Hillbillies were led by Londyn Wilmot with six kills, five digs and a block, Morris scored four kills, two aces and led with 10 digs, LaBarr finished with four kills, two aces, six digs and a block, Maddie Saunders made 13 assists, six digs, an ace, a block and three kills and Rollins had two aces and six digs.

“Those are going to be huge shoes to fill for sure,” Krakowiak said about her small group of seniors. “We have amazing seniors who demonstrate great leadership, they’re encouraging, they’re positive and are definitely a huge force on the floor. We will miss them tremendously because they bring so much passion and fight each day to the game and they really have inspired the younger girls that they play with.”

While the loss stings, Fredonia will have a lot to look forward to next year as it graduates just four seniors, bringing back a now playoff-seasoned group headlined by Londyn Wilmot who will have two more seasons with the ‘Billies.

“It makes the believe that they actually can,” Krakowiak said about the returning players gaining this playoff experience. “It’s one thing as a coach to say ‘I believe in you, I know you can’ but to actually see this. The girls see it can be done, so it makes it more tangible, more believable so they invest a little bit more into that goal.”

This marks the second season in a row that Section VI has had its season come to an end at the hands of Section IV as eventual state champion Lansing ousted Southwestern in the state semifinals a year ago. Even with a young squad, Windsor has lofty expectations headed into states next weekend.

“I think we have some very good volleyball in our area,” Symons stated. “We want to keep showing off the rest of the state that Section IV is just as strong as everybody else.”