Whether it was new or familiar, girls volleyball teams from Fayetteville-Manlius and Jamesville-DeWitt had ambitions beyond the Section III championships they both earned on Nov. 9. The players for the Class AA champion Hornets were experiencing the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament for the first time and would meet Section II’s Niskayuna in Saturday’s regional final at Gloversville High School. All that F-M did was step up and, with one of its best performances of the fall, took just three sets to put away Nisky and, by doing so, reach the state final four for the first time in program history. Showing no big-match nerves, F-M claimed the opening set 25-18. The second set proved crucial as Niskayuna nearly pulled even, only to have the Hornets get the clutch points it needed to win a 25-23 decision. Once that was put away, the third set went fast, F-M winning it 25-14 to deliver its historic regional title led again by Kalyna Dannenberg, who had yet another double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs, plus three aces and two blocks. Malana Noble earned nine kills and seven digs, with Olivia Tom earning six kills. Kara Evans got four kills and two blocks as, on the back line, Laila Duggal had 25 assists and Larah Schepp got 11 digs. Madeline Housel had three aces. F-M now goes to the state final four at Glens Falls’ Cool Insuring Arena. The Hornets will start round-robin play next Friday at 2 p.m. along with Half Hollow Hills West, Brighton and Minisink Valley, with the final Saturday at 4 p.m. J-D was in the state tournament for the third year in a row – and just like those previous two occasions, a familiar nemesis kept the Red Rams from getting any further. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the Section II powerhouse, took on J-D last Wednesday in the opening regional round at Stillwater High School and again got the best of it, defeating the Rams in three sets. A lopsided first set went 25-9 in Burnt Hills’ favor, and while J-D was closer in the next two sets the Spartans still claimed them by 25-15 and 25-19 margins. Alana Bates led the Rams with three kills and shared Hannah Trevisani’s total of five digs, adding two aces. Eliyana Deng got two kills, with Quinn Pfister getting a pair of blocks. Lacey Phaneuf had four assists and Yeva Balayan added three assists. Concluding its season at 13-7, J-D will see a strong senior class led by Balayan, Bates, Trevisani, Merris Kessler and Lyla Commandeur graduate, but return the likes of Deng, Pfister and Aaliyah Anderson for 2025.