One thing the Cattaraugus-Little Valley volleyball team can count on this weekend when it makes its first appearance in the New York State volleyball championships in 10 years, is that history is on its side.

Over the last four years, the small school Section 6 representative has made it through to Sunday’s championship round. Randolph did it three times, winning two titles, and Portville once. Then, too, Mayville, now Chautauqua Lake, won four straight titles from 1991-94, and Salamanca, which plays in the same league as the Timberwolves, won last year’s Class C title.

C-LV now has a chance to continue that streak and claim its first final appearance since 1998 when the then Cattaraugus Big Red fell to Section 1 power Haldane in three games.

The Timberwolves, who advanced to the state Class D Final Four Tournament by sweeping Section 5 champion Lyons in the Far West Regional last Saturday in Lockport, are 21-2 and will be playing in a four-team pool play round on Saturday at the Glens Falls Civic Center (9 a.m.).

The top two finishers in the pool playoffs will then play for the title on Sunday at 10 a.m.

However, the T-wolves must first get through Saturday, where they’ll play two games each against Section 10 champion Chateaugay (20-0), Section 11 titlist Shelter Island (16-0) and Section 4 winner Thomas A. Edison (18-3).

Chateaugay is making its third straight appearance. The Bulldogs lost out in pool play two years ago when they were 2-4, then fell in the finals in four sets to Portville last year by the scores of 25-22, 25-21, 14-25, 29-27.

Shelter Island, meanwhile, will be making its second appearance in the Final Four. The Indians reached Glens Falls two years ago, but left after the first day with an 0-6 pool record. They advanced this year by stunning 1997 champion Haldane in four sets in the state qualifier.

Making its first trip is Thomas Edison, which advanced with a 3-0 sweep over Seward Park last weekend. But the big win for the Spartans came the week before when they upset returning state qualifier Candor in five games after having lost to the two-time state champions twice during the regular season.

Cattaraugus last appeared in the state tourney in 1999 and 1998 where there was no state Class D regional playoffs. In ’99, the team was 3-3 in pool play and failed to reach the finals. Argyle (Sec. 2) won the title that year, beating Houghton Academy in the finals.

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