Canton Volleyball Beats Tupper Lake

Bears Beat Lumberjacks 3-1 in Electric Wednesday Night Match

The Tupper Lake High School women’s volleyball team fought hard Wednesday night, but ultimately fell in four sets to the Canton High School Golden Bears at Canton High School. 

It was the Bears’ grit that carried them through, led by senior captain Elle White. White led both teams in nearly every category: four blocks, five aces, eight kills and five assists. She also had six digs, second-most digs in the game, behind Tupper Lake’s sophomore Lacey Pickering, who finished with seven. 

She set the tone early on the very first point, recording a dig and a kill. Despite her strong start, Canton dropped the first set 25-22 after Tupper Lake recorded six straight points near the end of the set. 

White responded immediately in the second set, firing off three straight aces to spark the Bears. Canton cruised to a 25-17 win. Afterward, Elle attributed her success to her teammates. “They’re such an important part of my game and they’re always there to support me even when I mess up,” she said. 

In the pivotal third set, with the game tied at one apiece, Tupper Lake’s libero Katerina Prochazkova registered two digs as well as an assist. However, Canton’s offense stepped up, as junior blocker and outside hitter Berekely Brown and Elise Harris stood their ground in front of the net. They recorded one kill and three assists total, and two kills and one assist respectively. Canton won this set convincingly by a score of 25-14. 

The fourth set was the tightest of the night. Tupper Lake surged late as Canton’s defense faltered, but in a thrilling back-and-forth finish, the Bears edged out a 25-23 win to secure the match. Though the Lady Lumberjacks fell short, head coach Courtney Bennett praised her team’s fight. “We didn’t win, but we fought, and that’s what we want, and that’s what happened here tonight,” she said. 

As for the Bears, who barely avoided falling in the fourth set, head coach Carla Wentworth emphasized aggression to her players in between sets. “I definitely tell them to be aggressive. Be aggressive, get something done, stay together on everything you do,” she said. 

The loss drops the Lady Lumberjacks to 2-7 on the season, while Canton remains undefeated at 4-0. Tupper Lake will face off against Gouverneur Central School on Oct. 1, while Canton will play Sammon River Central School on Sept. 30.