VOLLEYBALL: Lyons defeats Geneseo in DDD Finals

BLOOMFIELD — The Geneseo girls’ volleyball team’s season ended Friday night in Bloomfield, losing in the Class DDD Finals to the Lyons Lions in three sets.

The Lady Lions took the first set 25-13, the second set 25-19 and the final set 25-16.

While the Lady Devils lost the game, head coach Chris Butera was impressed with the effort they put forward in the championship game.

“We were ready, we were mentally and physically prepared, based on what we’ve been doing in practice,” Butera said. “We had a lot of players who haven’t played at this stage before. Lyons is a team who has made it to the sectional finals I think nine years in a row, so they knew what to expect and they were ready. We gave it our all, I told my girls that they need to be able to say when they leave the court that they couldn’t have played any better and I’m confident they did that, Lyons was just the better team tonight.”

Butera felt a lack of execution hurt the Lady Devils.

“I think our game plan broke down a little bit and we didn’t execute,” he said. “I think we could’ve executed a little better and made it harder for them. We didn’t play our best game and they did play theirs, so it made it a little easier for them.”

Butera also spoke about his two Class DDD sectional all-star team members, middle hitter Aubrie Johnsen and libero Rachael Nicholls.

“They’ve been dominating, one in the back row, and one in the front row all season,” he said. “When we’re able to pass the ball, and get the ball to Aubrie, no one could stop her. Rachael, she’s been the unsung hero in the back row, gets a lot of balls up that nobody else in the county would get up, so we wouldn’t be where we are without those two and it’s nice they were recognized.”

Butera said he was very happy with the season his team had, but still sees goals on the horizon for next year.

“It was a season that I think a lot of people didn’t expect from us,” Butera said. “We lost five two-year starters, so making it this far was an accomplishment in itself, but one thing I told the girls was ‘we’ve been this far two years in a row now, so we know what it feels like to lose, so let’s try to get the other feeling.’ I don’t think anybody would’ve expected us to make it to the finals, if you asked them before the season started, so it was a great accomplishment.”

Geneseo finished the season at 18-3.