Royals down Salisbury Christian School in ESIAC semifinal
The Delmarva Christian volleyball team had an easy time in the ESAIC semifinal Oct. 24, as they downed Salisbury Christian 25-21, 25-5 and 25-13 on their home court.
Royals junior setter Ashlyn Stonebraker led on the stat sheet with 16 assists and five aces. Libero Siera Jones served seven aces and assisted on five points. Hannah Picconi led the Royals at the net with seven kills. Savannah Stewart and Sophia Dykstra knocked down four kills each.
“It’s really great to play for the ESIAC title,” said senior Holly Baker. “It’s everything I could have hoped for in my senior year. It’s all kinda coming together for all of the years that I’ve played volleyball, and I’m really excited for our team for what we’ve done this year and everything that we’re going to do.”
“I think that with our attitude and our talent, we can pull off a lot,” said senior Rachel Mills. “We work really well as a team, and I appreciate every single one of the girls. We also have an amazing coach.”
“We’re just looking to get some momentum,” said Royals head coach Jim Berger. “It was nice that we were able to get a lot of girls touches on the court because you never know when you’re going to need people stepping in and making a difference in the game. We are really trying to solidify our offense by running some quicker plays and moving our hitters around. So that’s what we’re doing here the next couple of weeks to get our offense firing on the same page.”
The Royals host Holly Grove Christian School on Friday, Oct. 26. The teams split two games this season, with the Eagles taking a tough five-setter at Westover, Md., and the Royals powering to a 3-0 win in Georgetown.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
