On Monday, the Cougars made the trip back to Clymer, but this time as the underdog in the Section VI Class D playoffs as the 4-seed playing the top-seeded Pirates in the semifinals.

Cassadaga Valley looked like a completely different team in the postseason as it pushed Clymer, but in the end the Pirates showed why they’re ranked No. 1 in Class D with a 25-15, 26-24, 19-25, 25-13 victory to reach the sectional finals on Thursday at Southwestern High School.

“I think that was kind of the theme of the season,” Cassadaga Valley head coach Melissa Kelly said about her team’s battle. “We started off slow in the beginning of the season and we worked together to play together. We overcome a lot of adversity on this team, so I think starting the game off a little slower than we wanted to kind of did it for us. I think the girls battled back and they worked really hard. I’m pretty proud of my team.”

Through roughly the first 10 points from each side the opening set was a close battle, but Clymer then went on a five-point run to get up 14-8 and never looked back once it seized momentum.

Clymer’s Lily Johnson jumps for a spike as teammate Janelle Burchanowski looks on during Monday’s semifinal. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Cassadaga Valley then started the second set strong with its own five-point run that included a pair of aces from Hailey Anderson, but this time an eight-point run from Clymer in response turned the tide.

“As a captain, I told my team that we need to go point by point and any mistakes we make we have to shake them off and just push through,” Clymer’s Janelle Burchanowski stated.

Burchanowski added: “That’s what we did in the first and second set. The third set was not our best, but we pushed back in the fourth set.”

Cassadaga Valley then trailed most of the set, but the squad never quit and managed to battle back even when the Cougars found themselves on the wrong side of a couple long rallies. Trailing 24-21, Cassadaga Valley scored three straight points and tied the game with a huge Emiley Anderson block.

“We had planned for this game,” Kelly said. “We know that we have the ability, it just depends on what team steps foot on that court. So when we start off really slow it’s hard to come back sometimes, but I think that they picked it up. I think that they understood that they had to start out a little stronger.”

Cassadaga Valley’s Alexis Pattyson, left, and Payton Meder jump to hit the ball back to Clymer in the Section VI Class D volleyball semifinals on Monday. P-J photo by Christian Storms

A Clymer timeout settled the Pirates down and they scored the next two points to take the comfortable 2-0 lead, but the Cougars showed they had life in the match.

“We knew that if we started off strong and got at least one win or two wins on the team we would be able to come back and take the overall game,” Burchanowski said about the importance of the second set. “It was really important for us to get that second game so that they couldn’t come back.”

Cassadaga Valley started the third set just like the second, but this time the Cougars made no big mistakes along the way as they stifled the Pirates for a 25-19 win.

Leading Cassadaga Valley’s effort both offensively and defensively was Emiley Anderson as she scored 11 kills, 12 digs and three blocks.

“She is one solid athlete,” Kelly said. “That’s all I can say about Emiley Anderson. She’s a solid athlete, she’ll do whatever she’s asked. She’s constantly learning. It’s only her second year of volleyball so she just brings a lot of athleticism and she’s just solid at the net. I’m very confident when she gets the ball set to her.”

Hailey Anderson added another seven kills, seven digs and three aces, Alexis Pattyson made eight assists and four digs and Adrianna Myers had 12 digs.

Cassadaga Valley looked like it was going to make a game of the fourth set, but after it took a 12-11 lead, the wheels fell off and Clymer began to run away with the contest. The Pirates orchestrated a huge eight-point run and then a six-point run to end the Cougars’ season with a 25-13 defeat.

“We were just finding the people that were on,” Burchanowski said about the final set. “Lily (Johnson) was hitting really good, so I kept setting her up so we could get points there, and serving really mattered so as long as we found a spot and tried to serve to that spot that’s how we were going to get our points.”

Clymer ran away with the final set when Burchanowski stepped to the service line, and it was fitting she was making the serves as the Pirates booked their spot in the finals. Burchanowski orchestrated the Clymer offense with 11 assists, scored three aces and four digs, but it was her 12 digs that stood out with several coming as she went flying through the air or sliding across the floor to keep the ball alive.

“Our coach just tells us to go for every single ball,” Burchanowski said. “So when you see like a tip coming or a hit you just try and get in your spot and I just dive for every single ball.”

Lily Johnson had a big game for Clymer with seven kills, four aces and 10 digs, Ava Nyweide hit five kills, 10 digs and two blocks and Olivia Dellamora made four aces and three kills.

Clymer (15-5) will be the top seed in Thursday’s championship, however the Pirates will be up against No. 6 Ellicottville (14-9) which won both nonleague meetings this season.

Cassadaga Valley finishes its season with a 9-11 overall record.

“I’m just super proud of my team,” Kelly added. “From where they started to where they ended, huge growth and huge commitment as athletes to get better and to work together as a team. So I’m super proud of them.”