Cortland knocks off an undefeated Carthage team to win the Section III Class A Championship

(Photo from Cortland Athletics Twitter).

It was a great final game of the season for the Cortland Purple Tigers, as they won over an undefeated #1 ranked Carthage to bring the Section III Class A title home. The Tigers defeated Carthage in three sets (26-24, 25-23, and 25-14). 

The first two sets were extremely close, with Carthage leading most of the sets with Cortland coming back to win them both. Each team traded the lead towards the end of both sets, but Cortland was resilient and pulled off the win. 

“Everyone was getting frustrated that we couldn’t get a run, so we told each other to ‘calm down, everything is fine, and to get a good set to put the ball in,’’' said Cortland senior captain Kayci Olson.

“Sometimes when we do get down, it gets a little rocky; but we always find a way to help each other out,” added fellow senior captain, Grace Call. “We were unstoppable tonight!”

After losing two close sets, Carthage seemed to lose momentum going into the third. Cortland would take advantage of the fact to close the game out and win the Sectional Championship. 

Olson led the Tigers in kills with 17 kills (she also had eight digs). Call had an impressive 28 assist game, while Tori Cruz recorded 13 digs.

“I'm super proud of this team, because one of the things we’ve done all year is stay calm when we’re pressured,” said Cortland Head Coach Cheri Olson. “Even though we were behind, we did not freak out, and pulled out those first two sets. The third set was how our team has been playing all year. I am really proud of them, and they did not let down.” 

The Tigers ended the season with a 20-1 record.

Here are some Cortland highlights and postgame interviews of yesterday's game: