LaGRANGE, Ohio -- The Pirates' 2021 season came to an end Wednesday, as Rocky River lost to Copley, 3-1 (18-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-8), in DII district semifinal action.
The loss came in a hard-fought match with both sides scratching and clawing for every point and ounce of momentum. A thrilling River victory in the opening set was countered by two remarkable Copley wins in sets comprised of 50 points. Game No. 4 spilled a bit further into the win column for the Indians (18-7), as Copley closed out the 3-1 victory by taking 25-of-33 points.
For the match, a strong Indians defense held Rocky River swatters to an .087 attack mark. The Pirates did manage 10 service aces, but they also misfired on eight serves. The Maroon & White were tagged with 29 hitting errors and 27 dig errors.
Individually, the Pirates (14-11) were paced by Paige Waite (15 kills, .305 attack percentage, seven digs, three block assists) and Samantha Young (15 kills, five aces, 17 digs). Harper Piguet added five kills and five total blocks. Maggie Pfahl chipped in with 22 digs. Clare Duffy had three aces. Estella Giomini registered 35 assists and 10 digs.
Waite gave River a big lift with eight kills against no errors in an opening set that saw the Pirates swing their way to a .314 average. Maggie Pfahl and Madie Shoaf were in the middle of Rocky River's strong defensive efforts in games 2 and 3. The Pirates logged 46 digs against just 11 errors over those middle games.
"We played some of our best volleyball these last few matches," said head coach Brittany Morris. "I'm very proud of these girls and how they played to make it this far."
How they made it included going 6-1 from Oct. 7-21. And the Pirates weren't ousted until they reached the district doorstep and fell to a Copley squad which has now won 13 of its last 14.
Indeed, River played against a hard-working, talented team Wednesday. Copley can say the same.
CANNON FIRE ...
SENIOR SEND-OFF: Wednesday's season finale brings a close to the prep career for five Pirates. The 2022 graduating class of Rocky River Volleyball is comprised of Estella Giomini, Megan Lally, Harper Piguet, Taylor Spies, and Paige Waite.
A SPIKE IN NUMBERS: Samantha Young finished her sophomore season with 358 kills. That total and Young's 4.9 kills per set mark the best single-season figures for a Rocky River player over the last seven years.
by Skip Snow
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