ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 22, 2022) -- Rocky River closed out its 2022 season with a hard-fought loss in Saturday postseason action. The Pirates were edged 3-0 (25-21,27-25,25-21) by the Brecksville Bees in round 2 of the
DI Maple Heights District Tournament.
The contest -- played at Magnificat High School and initially scheduled for Thursday -- was delayed to Saturday due to a power outage. But there was no lack of energy from a Rocky River team that showed heart and hustle in the front court and on defense alike. Maggie Pfahl helped set the defensive tone of the match early when she garnered eight digs against no errors in Game 1. Samantha Young paced a strong River effort at the net, especially in the second set, when the Pirates (16-7) hit .218 and sent that game into extra points. Young had seven kills in the second game and would finish with 17 in the match.
"We played some great volleyball today," said coach Brittany Morris, whose Pirates finished as Great Lakes Conference runners-up in the regular season. "We just barely fell short, but the girls were competitive every point, and I'm proud of their effort."
The River effort included five players (Young, Ella Brokaw, Haddie Holton, Avery LaPorte, Katelyn Heavey, Madie Shoaf) logging multiple kills in the match. The Pirates hit .128 and registered seven blocks and eight service aces. On defense, the Double-R recorded 64 kills against 28 errors.
Young had 18 digs along with her 17 kills. She finished a remarkable junior campaign with 379 kills, which came up one short of the program's single-season record (380-Maureen Kessler in 2008). Young went into Saturday's tournament match hitting .330 on the season. On Oct. 13, she passed Ava Rauser as the Pirates' all-time kills leader.
Holton had four total blocks in what marked hers, Shoaf's (three blocks, two aces), and Clare Duffy's (six digs) final career match.
"All three of our seniors played some good volleyball in ending their high school careers," said Morris. "They are a great group, wonderful leaders for us, and they will be missed."
Maggie Pfahl finished with 18 digs against six errors. She also had a pair of aces in the contest. Kylie Spies had a pair of aces and 13 assists. Ella Duffy added 18 assists and seven digs.
This fall marked the seventh consecutive season the Pirates have registered an over-.500 record.
Tab the '22 campaign as one that saw the squad court its best on more nights than not. And that amounted to a net gains, on and off the hardwood.by Skip Snow