Stanciu’s serves lead Pirates over Rockets

Rocky River continued its impressive season with a 3-1 win over visiting Bay Oct. 3 to stay one match behind Holy Name in the Great Lakes Conference race.

Other than the second set in which, according to coach Karlee Bruck, the Pirates faltered on serve receive, Rocky River dominated its rival and used aggressive serving to expose the Rockets. “I was like, ‘You’ve got to perform up to that level you’re capable of,’ ” Bruck said of what she told her team after the second set. “They kind of understood what I was saying in that we were playing down and going through the motions rather than our standards and our expectations.” Emily Stanciu’s 12-point service run led the Pirates to a 25-6 win in the fourth set, and the sophomore said the longer her run went, the more confident she became as Bay could not come up with an answer for Stanciu’s powerful jump serve.

“I (was just trying) to serve aggressive, keep it consistent,” Stanciu said. “Whenever we have a lead, I like to try to serve more aggressive because that’s the time to try new things, so I get more confident.”

Callie Cmiel, the lone Rocky River senior who was honored before the match, added the team took the second set lightly after a big win in the first and had to re-energize to pick up what is a crucial win in the hunt for a conference title.

“It was a huge win, especially playing our rival,” Cmiel said. “I think we just fell apart in the second set and we tried to gain back our confidence and our energy in the third and fourth set.”

Cmiel finished with a season-high 45 assists in her final home game as a Pirate, and Bruck said watching her senior grow

after a devastating injury as a sophomore has been incredibly rewarding.

“The fact that she’s been able to come back and run an offense for us, I mean, she’s been a huge, huge part of our success and why we are so good,” Bruck said.

The Pirates totaled 47 kills in the match. Ava Rauser, Olivia Young and Emily Stanciu each had 12 while Rachael Waite had 11.

After starting the season with what Bruck called a “one-dimensional” offense, Rocky River was able to incorporate plays and other offensive schemes against Bay that were simply not possible the first half of the season.

Lauren McClure had 17 assists, Maggie McAndrew had eight kills and Leila Psota had six kills for Bay (10-7, 6-3).

Rocky River (16-4, 9-1) travels to Holy Name Oct. 5. A victory will ensure at least a share of the GLC title, while a loss will knock the Pirates out of the race.