NYSPHSAA VOLLEYBALL: CORNING STARTS FAST, BUT FALLS TO SHEN IN REGIONAL FINAL (24 PHOTOS) (November 15, 2025)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
OWEGO — The Corning Hawks got off to a dominant start, but in the end the Shenendehowa rallied for a 3-1 victory over Corning.

The Hawks were dominant in the first set, but Shen, who has won 10 regional championships in the past 12 years, came alive over the next three sets. 

Corning won 25-17, before Shen won 25-22, 25-17 and 25-21.

In the first set the Hawks got off to a dominant start, leading 13-5 and 19-10 on their way to the victory. 

“The first game was great,” Corning coach Barb Smith said. “We came out, put our foot on the gas, we were having fun, smiling. I’m not sure what they were thinking, with them coming back in the second and third and (us) losing. I think it was written on their faces and I tried to tell them you have to have fun again. It was unforced errors on us that I guess did it in for us.”

The second set saw both teams got back and forth. The match was tied at 11 and then Corning went up 12-11.

Shen tied things at 12, then won the next five points to go up 17-12. The Hawks battled back within 18-17, but Shen got a point and then a block and eventually went up 22-17.

Shen took a 24-20 lead, but Char Starns had a kill and Bella Gonzalez had an ace to get within 24-22, but Shen was able to get the point to close out the set.

“They (Shen) started moving the ball around very well,” Smith said. “Their setter disguises where she’s going to set very, very well and we needed to be quicker getting to that block. They beat us on that.”

And, Shen started to key on Molingou and Char Starns, making hard for Corning’s two big girls in the middle.

“They started throwing the double block on them, so then we had to let Sam and Char know you either have to come to spots two or four where they are not going to be. They just didn’t get the opportunity to do that.”

Shen led early and never trailed in the third set, and then in the fourth set they got off to a huge lead, going up 8-2, 10-3 and 15-5. 

Sam Molingou and Jillian Wood each had kills to get Corning within 16-9, but Shen would eventually go up 20-12.

Corning fought to within 24-18, but Shen was a point from a win. However, Char Starns got a block and Corning got another point to get within 24-21, but that’s as close as things got. 

“Extremely happy (with how the team fought back in the final set),” Smith said. “We were down 10 points and to lose 25-21, that was a huge improvement, but it had to happen sooner.”

With a number of underclassmen on the team, the Hawks players can learn from Saturday.

“I am hoping they can see they still have the future,” Smith said. “We have some girls moving up who are really good and they should be just as strong. We are losing five good girls, and some girls that are really strong, but I think we have some people that can step into those roles next year.”

The five seniors — Sydney Layton, Riley Austin, Makenna Page, Melina Schwesinger and Evelyn Starns — are tough for Smith to say goodbye to.

“You get a little emotional with it,” she said.

Paisley Emmick had 29 assists and four points and Schwesinger had five points, three digs, an ace and three kills. 

Molingou had 11 kills and three blocks and Evelyn Starns had five kills and three blocks. 

Wood had two points, an ace, seven digs and seven digs.

Gonzalez had eight points, an ace and 25 digs and Char Starns had four points, an ace, a dig, 12 kills and four blocks.

Mia Madden had seven points, two aces and eight digs and Delaney Castle had eight digs.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE MATCH:

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