WOODSTOCK — The final numbers painted an accurate picture of how strong the Richmond-Burton volleyball team was during its straight set win over Marengo Tuesday night.
The No. 4 seed Rockets (17-14) cruised to a 25-15, 27-25 victory in a Class 3A Woodstock Regional semifinal — and out of the 92 combined points scored by both teams, the 5th-seeded Indians (16-13) led for just three of them.
Senior outside hitter Kayla Malec set the tone early, hammering home four kills on R-B's first five points in the opening set. She finished with a team-best nine kills, and was also a huge factor defensively near the net, with nine blocks.
"We needed momentum right away, so I immediately wanted to attack big, and wanted to make sure we made a statement that lasted the rest of the game," Malec said. "We came out strong as a team, and that's why our first set was so good."
Junior Abby Svenson was also impressive in the first set, racking up four of her five kills during that span. Senior Bailey Dean, who had 23 assists, played a huge part in facilitating finishes for Svenson and Malec.
"We've struggled with consistency a little bit this year," Rockets' coach Kaycee Kaywood said. "So to see us play such a clean match with so few unforced errors — aside from the tail end of the second set — was good to see.
"Making sure we make the other team earn points instead of giving them away is something we've discussed quite a bit. The girls seem to be taking that to heart. Our serving game was really strong tonight. And our serve receive and defense were pretty good, too, led by Cameron Bayer (11 digs) and Kaitlyn Suhr (six digs)."
MOVING ON
The Rockets advance to face top seed Antioch (23-11-1) for the regional title at 6 p.m. Thursday.
R-B lost to the Sequoits earlier this season, but much has changed since then.
"We've altered our lineup quite a bit compared to the first time we faced them," Kaywood said. "Also, Cameron is our new libero, which has allowed us to tinker with our front line some. I'm hoping, without being too specific, we're able to use some of the changes we've made to take advantage of minor defensive slip-ups I've noticed in Antioch's game. That, and we will have to try and manage No. 11's (Katherine Barr) game as best we can, because she's a huge force for them."
Marengo coach Meg Dobbertin, meanwhile, thanked her players for their season-long efforts. The Indians lose five seniors — Riley Connell, Celia Calbow, Emily Euker, Keridan Velasquez and Anna Walsweer.
"It's always hard to have a final match," Dobbertin said. "I haven't had a group of girls quite like this one. They are not only hard workers on the volleyball court, but in school, they are accelerated students. They are leaders in a positive way. And they're all making good choices. Plus, they had tireless work ethics. That makes it hard to say goodbye when they're such great kids."
IN OTHER ACTION
Earlier in the evening, No. 8 seed Woodstock North put a huge scare into Antioch. The Thunder (20-16) had a dominant first set, winning 25-11, before dropping the next two sets (25-17, 25-19).
According to Thunder coach Eric Schulze, it was the first time North's girls volleyball program ever had a winning season.
"I was going through some difficult times as a coach during the offseason, and even questioning myself and my ability at the club level, Schulze said. "But these kids made me fall in love with volleyball again after 19 years of coaching. That shows you just how much of an impact they had. They all had the heart of a champion.
"The one thing I will remember most about this group was that first-set win over Antioch tonight. Simply because it was a culmination of everything we'd worked so hard on all season long. It was incredible to watch them dominate a top seed so thoroughly. I wish we could've pulled off the upset, but what those girls did in the first set of that match was a beautiful thing that I will never forget."
The Thunder were led by Brooke Amann (14 kills, nine digs, two aces), Sami Long (nine digs, six kills, three aces), Lauren Kunke (12 digs, four aces) and Grace Huelsman (five kills, two blocks).
STAR OF THE MATCH
Kayla Malec, Richmond-Burton, sr., middle blocker
Malec's energy and intensity, especially early-on, seemed to fire up her teammates. Her nine kills and nine blocks were both team highs.
THE NUMBER
23: Assists by R-B senior Bailey Dean, who also had several spectacular diving digs to keep plays alive.
AND ANOTHER THING...
"We've matured a ton since the first time we faced Antioch," Malec said. "Thursday's regional title match is going to be a great one. There's equal talent on both sides of the net. It's anyone's game."
