Despite a 3-0 loss at Hempfield last Tuesday, the Buckskin boys' volleyball club has proven to be a force on the court and currently holds a 1-1 record as the season starts to gain traction.

The trip to the Black Knights' gym might have ended in Hempfield's favor, but CV was in the mix during each of the three closely contested sets (25-22, 25-16, 26-24).

Senior Sawyer Shertzer powered 18 kills and two aces over the net to boost the Bucks' attack and Dominic Brabant supplied an impressive 26 assists.

Shertzer and Charles Janvrin led the club in digs with five apiece, with Janvrin also dishing a trio of aces. Adam Yoder made his presence known at the net with two blocks.

"Our senior leadership has been big so far this season," credited head coach Blake Youndt. "Sawyer Shertzer has been a force at the net, but we're looking to get more guys involved and build upon our team game."

In their season opener against Penn Manor, the Buckskin crew demonstrated their tenacity in a come-from-behind 4-1 win over the Comets. After dropping the first set, the Bucks relied heavily on their seniors' skills and leadership to rally and claimed three straight sets (19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19).

GIRLS' LACROSSE

Lady Bucks lacrosse outlasted another two opponents last week to sustain their flawless record at 4-0.

On April 7th, CV hosted Lampeter-Strasburg for a league showdown and prevailed 10-8 in their closest match to date.

The contest featured a barrage of shots from both squads, with L-S narrowly outshooting the Bucks 20-19, but stellar goalkeeping from CV's Jamie Handwerger resulted in nine saves.

CV scored eight in the first half, giving them a two-goal advantage over the Pioneers who netted six. An evenly matched second half produced two more goals for each team.

Abigail Morley notched five CV goals, Ellie Livingston three, and once apiece from Bella Silvaggio and Jessica Chen.

On April 1st CV went up 10-1 in the first half in a game at Conrad Weiser, ultimately taking the contest 13-2.

The Lady Bucks' relentless offense fired 30 shots on goal, finding the net with six from Morley, three from Amanda Yingling, two from Livingston, and one apiece from Chen and Jordyn Hironimus.

Handwerger scooped up six saves guarding the Buckskin goal.

BOYS' LACROSSE

Wednesday's trip to Lampeter-Strasburg came down to the wire, and a goal from Keller Dillman with just two minutes left to play sealed the 11-10 win for the Buckskins.

CV had a 6-3 advantage at halftime but the Pioneers came roaring back with a six-goal third period to capture the lead.

In an explosive final quarter, the Bucks outscored the Pioneers 5-1 to edge ahead for the win with just two minutes remaining. Ben Nolt came up big with six saves in the CV goal.

CV goals were scored by Dillman (4), Zach Fisher (2g, 2a), Jeff Fisher (2), Hunter Silvaggio (2), Kyle Jankowski (1), and Noah Harrison had an assist.

"We came out flat in the second half, but the defense dug their heels in during the fourth quarter, allowing the offense to get back into a rhythm," explained head coach Nick DiPiano. "I am very proud of how this team responded with their back up against the wall. This was a true team win."

In another nail biter on April 1st, CV fell 4-3 against the visitors from Conrad Weiser. Both teams managed to fire 20 shots on goal, but a three-goal third period gave Weiser the edge.

Buckskin sophomore J. Fisher scored all three CV goals and Nolt gathered six saves.

TENNIS

Ephrata got the best of the Bucks in a 7-0 sweep last Tuesday, but the CV squad has both the potential and opportunity to display their skills in the coming weeks.

Senior Nolan High currently leads CV in singles play with a 3-1 record, and No. 4 singles competitor, Grady Ray (1-3), has competed in two tiebreaks showdowns in the early season.

"Grady Ray has been pushing his opponents to the limit," pointed out coach Dale Gregg. "Overall, we came into the season with limited experience competing, but with each passing practice and match this squad is learning additional skills and adding strategy to their game."

The coming weeks will be packed with opportunities to implement those improved skills.

"I would like them all to play one point at a time regardless of where they are in the match," emphasized Gregg. "They can also find their opponents' weakness and capitalize using those strokes while utilizing our own strengths."

TRACK

While hosting Warwick last Tuesday, both boys and girls of CV had plenty of standout performances despite team triumphs going to the Warriors.

For the girls, freshman Mae Linder amassed quite the resume with first place wins in both the 200 (28.5) and the long jump. Linder's 16-5 jump will qualify her for the league post-season. She was also second in the 100.

Emily Castronova crossed first in the 800 with a time of 2:26.8.

Destiny Ellerbe claimed the top spot in shot put (33-11.75) with teammate Shalee Daniels complimenting with a third-place effort, and Maya Longhi's 6-6 pole vault was the second best of the day.

While CV did not pick up a win in the hurdle events, they filled the top three places with Jessica Koenig taking second in the high hurdles and Grace Lapp's second in 300 hurdles. Teagan Schaub earned third place finishes in both hurdle events.

The boys were also dealt a loss from the Warriors (81-69), but no one could deny CV's dominance in the sprinting events, featuring a pair of first place finishes from Owen Linder in the 100 (11.3) and 200 (23.3). Teammate Josh Rennekamp kept the winning streak alive with his first-place time of 53.5 in the 400.

Linder and Rennekamp also ran a leg of CV's 4x400 relay win, joined by Kyle Thrush and Emmanuel Gitonga.

Tarius Jackson pulled in additional points in the jumping events securing a pair of first place performances with a 20-3 long jump and a 39-0 triple jump.

BASEBALL

CV baseball gave up their first loss on Wednesday the 7th when Solanco got the best of them in an 11-4 showdown.

Solanco got ahead early, and held a 4-0 lead after three innings, but CV rallied and almost managed to level the scoreboard before the Mules pulled away in the seventh.

Logan Kline produced a two RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, scoring Ethan Weaver and Josh Pattison, to bring the Bucks within one run, 5-4, but the Mules initiated a pitching change that led to the final two Buckskin outs, squelching the comeback.

Weaver and Darren Burkholder each collected two hits to lead the Bucks at the plate, and Kline and Gavin Fisher had one apiece.

Sam Thompson threw six innings, taking the loss while allowing eight hits and six runs. He struck out five Solanco batters.