BAY VILLAGE, Ohio – Rocky River rallied from a 2-0 deficit and then again from being down in set No. 5 to defeat the Bay Rockets, 3-2, on Tuesday.
In what marked the first of two regular-season Great Lakes Conference meetings this season between the Pirates and Rockets, River was victorious by a final of 14-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12. With Tuesday’s win on the road, Rocky River (4-3, 4-1 GLC) is now three games over .500 in league play.
“Tonight was another gritty performance by the girls,” said Head Coach Karlee Bruck. “It’s not easy to come back from 2-0. What an incredible team win tonight!”
The Rockets bolted out to a 17-7 lead in set No. 1, and Bay
would take that game by 11 (25-14). Sadie Joyce and Avery Rion led the Bay effort
in that impressive opening game.
Rocky River trailed, 8-2, at the outset of the second set. A 10-4 River run spurred by senior Emily Stanciu perhaps showed the Pirates’ first bit of resolve, but the Rockets got things back together for the eventual win by a four-point cushion (25-21).
The Pirates dashed to an 8-2 lead to open the third. Bay
clawed its way back to 14-14, but then River went on a 6-1 run. The Rockets
would manage a run of their own late in the set, but Rocky River prevailed by a
score of 25-21. Fine playmaking was on display throughout the ebb and flow of
the third game. Taylor Spies had nine assists for the visitors; Sadie Joyce had
four assists and a kill for the home side.
In the fourth, the GLC rivals split the first 22 points down the middle (11-11). But River would take 10-of-the-game’s-next-14 points to open a 21-15 lead. Once they got to the doorstep, the Pirates kicked in the entryway to set No. 5 and won the fourth game, 25-19.
The bedraggled foes headed for a fifth and deciding set. Rocky River had perhaps a shot more of adrenaline off their 10-4 spurt in the fourth. But to Bay’s credit, it was the Rockets that carved out an early lead in the fifth.
Rallying from the disappointments of games three and four, the Rockets worked their way to an 8-4 lead in game No. 5. But a resolute River squad had more answers. Bruck’s Bucs forced a Bay timeout by going on a 7-2 run and taking an 11-10 lead.
The next six points – the final six – were a 2-for-4 exchange in favor of those swashbuckling Buccaneers.
A heart-stopping 15-12 victory for the Cardiac Corsairs. The Persistent Pirates.
And a long night at Bay High School came to an end with the Pirates winning three games to the Rockets’ two. With the girls from Rocky River winning a total of 100 points, and the girls from Bay Village winning 102.
A Volleyball War by the Shore comprised of 202 battles.
CANNON FIRE …
FROM THE STAT BOOK: Emily Stanciu finished the match with 21 kills and 18 digs. Junior Austoria Miller was credited with nine kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Paige Waite added 12 kills and six total blocks (a River season-high); freshman Madie Shoaf was tagged with five kills and four total blocks. Junior Molly Sheridan had eight kills. Sophomore Taylor Spies stuffed the stat sheet with 34 assists, 28 digs and three service aces. … For Bay, Tuesday’s loss snapped a five-match win streak. The Rockets are now 5-3 overall and 5-1 in GLC matches.
BAY-RIVER II: The Rockets and Pirates are slated to lock horn and match wits again on Oct. 1 (Rocky River Gymnasium, 6:30 p.m.).
by Skip Snow
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