LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The Rocky River Swat Team returned to action Thursday, did so in a deployment across the bridge in Lakewood, and came away with a victory, as the Pirates defeated the Rangers, 3-0, to open their 2021 season.

The Double-R prevailed by set scores of 25-19, 25-11, and 25-19 in the Great Lake Conference affair. Senior Paige Waite and sophomore Samantha Young registered 10 kills each and hit a combined .341 on a night that saw the Pirates solidly defend their back court while snaring some points on aggressive serves.

Sophomore Maggie Pfahl logged 14 digs and eight aces. Rocky River (1-0, 1-0 GLC) had 13 aces as a team. And the frontcourt swung its way to a .235 hitting percentage.

"That's a scrappy defense we want to carry forward as we go," said first-year head coach Brittany Morris, who snagged career victory No. 1 in the triumph at Lakewood. "A lot of what we worked on in preseason showed up on the court, and this was a great way to start."

What showed up on the hardwood Thursday included nine kills by junior Madie Shoaf, five digs and two aces by Young, and 25 assists, two kills, and three digs by senior Estella Giomini.

It all made for River's first victory in a season-opening match since 2015. The Pirates have now swept the Rangers in three matches over the last two seasons.

The Double-R's next match is slated for Monday, when the Pirates host a GLC tilt against Normandy. They will head into that match in the best way possible: undefeated.



by Skip Snow

# # # RR # # #