In what was a hard-fought battle between the Blue Devils (15-7) and Pirates (15-8), neither team would net fewer than 17 points in a single set. Tallmadge took sets one (25-17), two (25-21), and four (25-23); Rocky River took the third set, 25-18. [Match stats unavailable at time of publication.]
River’s season ends with a loss but with plenty of optimism for next fall. Talented seniors Austoria Miller, Molly Sheridan, Emma Liszeski, Jaidyn Cruz, and Emily Slyman move on, but their skilled understudies helped the Pirates post some impressive performances over the final month of the season. A trio of gutty 3-2 wins – two on the road against tough Great Lakes Conference foes -- were part of a stretch that saw Rocky River win eight of nine matches from Oct. 1-22. River’s hitting numbers spiked late in the 2020 campaign, and production up front and on the back line was deep.
Big individual performances were meshed into solid team play throughout the late-season Pirate surge. In a season that itself was a question mark a couple months ago, the Maroon & White were sharp in providing answers and getting better week-by-week.
by Skip Snow