Rapid River senior Ava McCarty (2) blocks a kill attempt by Carney-Nadeau junior Mariska Laurila (12, in green) during a match on Sept. 14, 2023 at Rapid River High School.

RAPID RIVER — For any card player, aces are treated like gold. Get a pair of aces or even three aces and you’ll win in nearly any card game.

In volleyball 20 aces highlighted Carney-Nadeau’s blistering performance from the service line in a 25-13, 25-14, 25-16 road win over Rapid River on Thursday.

“We’re really working on driving that ball hard,” C-N coach Steve Kedsch said. “It makes for a tougher serve coming in low and fast. We’ve been working on that. It seems to be paying dividends for us. We’ll just continue to be aggressive.”

Sporting an 18-12 lead in the third frame, C-N pounced from the line to put the match away. Senior Samantha Kedsch rattled off three-consecutive aces to go up 21-12 and force a Rockets timeout. A Rapid River service error sent Mariski Laurila to the line. The lengthy junior rattled off the last three points, including a pair of aces to win the final frame 25-16.

With a 9-6 lead in the opening frame, a Rockets’ service error put the Wolves on the line. Senior Kaitlyn Jackson was the first wolf to sink her teeth in from the service line, an 11-point service run to open an 18-9 lead. The Rockets rallied to add four more points in the frame, but the damage was done as C-N claimed set one 25-13.

The Wolves continued to feast from the line in the second stanza. A seven-point service run from Samantha Kedsch opened a 13-8 advantage. A four-point run from Bristal Castle gave C-N an 18-7 lead. From there, the Wolves coasted to a 25-14 set win.

However, the Rockets did show flashes of grit and resilience on Thursday. Trailing 17-11 in set three, the Wolves passing and hitting was in full swing. Laurila mustered three heavy swings which resonated off the walls and ceiling of the gym like thunder in a stormy sky. All three times the Rockets dug deep to dig each swing of the onslaught. After a back-and-forth battle which spanned nearly a full minute, Rapid River won the point.

“We’ve had games that were around the same scores, but I’m not too disappointed,” Rapid River coach Ellie Moberg said. “I’ve always respected Steve (Kedsch) as a coach. If I can make him shake his head just a little bit, it’s alright.”

As for where the Rockets go from here, what transpired in the locker room after the game, according to Moberg, may indicate a step in the right direction.

“I’ve always known what they’re capable of. But I learned tonight that it took some experience like this for (the girls) to see what they’re capable of,” Moberg said. “In our locker room they (said) ‘girls, we are so capable of these things that we doubt ourselves about all the time.’ I was really proud to hear them say that.”

Rapid River senior Ava McCarty finished with 12 assists, a pair of kills and one block. Madi LaCrosse totalled two kills, an assist and a block.

For the Wolves, Samantha Kedsch amassed a game-best 18 assists and eight aces to go with seven digs. Laurila added a team-best 11 kills with four aces and a dig. Castle added a pair of aces and a kill. Elodie Leneca finished with 10 kills and seven digs. Jackson produced a pair of aces and three digs.