ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Aug. 31, 2023) -- The Maroon & White earned a win in their 2023 Great Lakes Conference West Division opener as they defeated the team down Wagar Road Thursday. Rocky River defeated Fairview 3-0, got a signature kill from their career leader in that department, and signed off from August action with an unblemished 4-0 mark.
The Pirates bludgeoned the Warriors 25-6, 25-13, 25-16. The 35 total points allowed marked a season-best for Rocky River, which has now won three consecutive matches in straight sets. For the home side, one of River's 75 points certainly stood out.
Senior captain Samantha Young's sixth kill of the evening marked the 1,000th of her career. Young finished with a team-high seven kills on a night that saw the Pirates hit .172.
"We are so happy for Sammy and very proud of her," said coach Brittany Hensley. "The reaction of the girls was great. They were truly happy for her and really are a part of that milestone."
Young's milestone is an extension of the RRHS career record for kills she already held. Young -- a first-team all-district performer in 2022 -- registered 221 kills as a freshman in 2020. She logged 358K in 2021 and 379K in 2022. Young leads the Pirates in kills this season with 43.
On Thursday, Lyniah Campbell-Cass had 6K and hit .750. But the good work of Young and Campbell-Cass was less prevalent in a match that saw Rocky River (4-0, 1-0 GLC West) log 19 service aces. Ella Brokaw and Kiley McCourt each had six of those aces. McCourt also had four digs on the night.
Ella Duffy peppered Fairview with four aces; she also had eight assists. Kylie Spies recorded nine assists.
"We hope we can take the excitement from tonight and carry it over into next week," said Hensley.
Rocky River will play GLC West foes North Olmsted (Tuesday at home) and Westlake (Thursday on the road) next week.
On Tuesday, the Pirates will be five matches into their season. And 1,001 kills into the career of one terrific outside hitter with an inside lane on her way to becoming one of the best to ever represent the Double-R on autumn hardwood.
by Skip Snow
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