Anthony Wayne volleyball beats Rocky River Magnificat in battle of No. 2-ranked teams

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Anthony Wayne and Rocky River Magnificat gave a whole new meaning to playing 2-on-2.

The Generals, ranked No. 2 in Division II, made the trek across Ohio to Magnificat to take on the No. 2-ranked team in Division I in a dream matchup for volleyball fans, and the teams did not disappoint.

Anthony Wayne solidified its status near the top of Division II with a thrilling 30-28, 25-27, 25-16, 25-14 over the Blue Streaks in the first all-time in-season meeting between the two teams.

“We beefed up our schedule knowing the talent we had returning, and we look forward to our Saturday matches that tend to be more competitive,” Generals coach Chrissy Graven said of her 16-1 squad. “Matches like this prepare us for tournament time, and to show up the way we did was impressive.”

Magnificat (13-5) had control of the first set, leading 21-18, but a service error, a dig-kill from Jessie Kennelly, and three straight kills from Mallory Pike (20 kills) helped tie the set up at 22-22. The two teams traded sideout points until Leah Pike and Mallory Pike came up with two huge kills to claim the set.

“We knew we had to keep our heads in the game, and the intensity was good for us,” said Leah Pike, who finished with a match-high 26 kills. “We know that’s how things are going to be in the tournament, so we just have to stay locked in in these types of matches.”

It looked like the Generals were going to go up 2-0 in the match leading 23-20, as Leah Pike dominated with eight kills, but three straight hitting errors for Anthony Wayne put the Blue Streaks right back in the set.

Middle hitter Ava Carney came up with a kill and a block-kill for Magnificat, along with a Fiona Greulich kill, as the Blue Streaks came back to take the second set.

“We just had to get back to basics after that second set,” Graven said of the set-two loss. “We know that points that we can control are going to matter in matches like this, especially in the postseason.”

After a pair of intense sets, the Generals found a way to make the final two sets rather pedestrian in knocking out Magnificat.

The score sat at 12-12 in the third set when Anthony Wayne strung together a 7-1 run on three Mallory Pike kills on Aubrey Rieger sets, a couple of Blue Streak hitting errors, an Elena Carlson block-kill, and an ace by Mallory Pike.

“We have such talented hitters, and I know when I put the ball up, they will be able to put it down,” said Rieger, who finished with 55 assists. “Tournament time is coming up fast, and we have been able to play at a higher level against some of the better teams we have faced.”

The fourth set started innocently enough with the Blue Streaks holding an 8-7 advantage, but in the blink of an eye, it was all but done for the Generals.

Mallory Pike got things started with a four-point service run interrupted by a service error, but following a Carlson tip-kill, senior libero Ryan Dzierwa nearly served the match out with a 10-point run for a 23-9 lead, including three aces.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect that, I trust my teammates when I’m serving and our energy was insane today,” Dzierwa said. “I had to reel my energy in while serving because I could see where this match was going. It feels awesome to play so well against a team as talented as them.”