Stonebraker sets 1,000th assist for the Royals
Delmarva Christian senior Ashlyn Stonebraker needed just 19 assists to reach the 1,000th of her high school career. She reached the milestone in the second set of the Royals’ Sept. 21 match against Sussex Central, and finished the afternoon with 47 helpers as Delmarva Christian defeated Sussex Central 23-25, 25-15, 25-21,17-25 and 15-6.
“I didn’t feel pressure for getting 1,000. I knew I was kinda around that number. I just went out and played, and I had great passes and great hits,” Stonebraker said. “I give credit to everyone around me. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. They kept the ball in play. The back-row passers kept us in system, and then my hitters just took care of it putting them down.”
“Ashlyn is a really good player,” said head coach Jim Berger. “Sierra went off outside today too.”
Teammates Mia Berger, Sierra Troyer and Savannah Stewart continue to be hot at the net, hitting 19, 17 and 14 kills, respectively.
Grace Fetterman recorded 23 digs for the Royals, while Troyer put up 16 digs, and Berger and Chloe Wilson tallied eight each.
“One of our keys was to move Savannah [Stewart] and Olivia [Giltner] around and try to freeze [Knights middle blocker Bre Reid],” said Stonebraker. “We knew if we hit it in front of her, she would block it. She’s got a great block.”
Reid led the Knights with 22 kills and six blocks. Katelyn Evick and Victoria Jacobs had 13 and 10 digs, respectively. Makenna Mesina and Emily Gutierrez tallied seven digs each.
Tied at two sets each and up 5-2 in the fifth, Berger substituted in his freshman secret weapon, Tessa Kwiatkowski, who hit seven straight winning serves.
“It was very stressful,” said Kwiatkowski. “My heart was beating so fast. I was so nervous. I think this game will give us a lot of confidence to work as a team together.”
“We had a slow start and made some unforced errors,” said Berger. “We need to play the first point like it’s the last point. I said from the start that Sussex Central is one of the better programs downstate this year. They are going to be the team that’s going to surprise a lot of people. Bre [Reid] is a beast at the net. This is definitely a momentum boost, to see where we can be down a little bit and have the ability be able to come back. It’s always nice to know you can win that fifth set.”
The 4-1 Royals were set to travel to Worcester Prep Monday, Sept. 23, to face the Lady Mallards.
