Oct. 23—The Spike is the Mitchell Republic's regular look at high school volleyball in the Mitchell area, highlighting the top teams, players and accomplishments.
AVON, S.D. — Rilyn Thury has spent the past several seasons developing her game, learning from teammates and finding her place on the volleyball court for the Avon Pirates.
Now, in the final season of her high school career, that work is paying off in a big way as she leads the Pirates' attack as an outside hitter and helped gear the team toward a potential postseason run.
"In my younger years, we had some pretty good outside hitters that I could learn and watch play that have really helped me become the player and leader I am today," Thury said. "I have just really grown a lot as a player and teammate the last few years."
That growth has made Thury one of South Dakota's most productive offensive players. According to MaxPreps statistics through matches reported Wednesday, Oct. 21, Thury leads the state across all classes with 380 kills and ranks second in kills per set at 5.2. She has also contributed 277 digs, the third-highest mark on the Avon roster.
Thury's path to becoming the Pirates' primary offensive threat has involved adjusting to different roles throughout her high school career. She began her freshman season as a setter before transitioning into the middle hitter position last year. As last season progressed, she began moving to outside hitter, a role she has embraced during her senior campaign.
"When I think of Rilyn, she's a worker," Avon head coach Lindsey Fathke said. "She is probably one of the most coachable kids I have ever had. We ask her to do something, she does it. She started her freshman year actually as a setter. I needed a setter for our C-team, so we told her that and she was totally fine with it even though she wanted to be a hitter. That's a testament to who she is as a player and leader. She's always willing to work and be there for the team."
That team-first mentality has helped the Pirates build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Avon has a 19-6 record and has won 11 of its last 12 matches, and is riding an eight-game winning streak.
The Pirates extended their streak with a pair of road wins this week, sweeping Ethan on Monday before earning a five-set victory over Corsica-Stickney on Tuesday. In the win over the Jaguars, Rilyn Thury tallied 28 kills and 25 digs, Brielle Voigt had 53 assists, Jordyn Voigt recorded 33 digs and Kaydence Metzger posted 30 digs and 17 kills. The results strengthened Avon's position as the top seed in Class B Region 5.
While Thury has been a major part of the offensive success, Avon's balanced roster has also played an important role. Junior outside hitter Metzger ranks third in South Dakota with 61 service aces and 11th in kills with 260. Sophomore setter Brielle Voigt has recorded 54 aces, ranking fifth statewide, while her 705 set assists rank third.
Freshman middle hitter Rowan Brandt has totaled 27 blocks, while sophomore middle hitter Raegan Brandt has added 22. Senior libero Jordyn Voigt, one of just two seniors on the roster alongside Thury, leads the team with 307 digs.
"We've all been able to help each other out in a lot of ways with getting good passes to getting a good set to be able to finish it over the net," Thury said. "All of our success leads to winning games. And the past couple years we have played on a summer team as a school, and that's really helped us play together and click the way we are right now."
For Thury, the closing stretch represents an opportunity to build on an already productive senior season while helping Avon pursue its playoff hopes.
"Obviously, our goals are to win the rest of the season, win our region and make it the state tournament," Thury said. "But also for this being my last season, I want to end it the best I can, so I can look back and not regret what happened. I can't wait to see what is in store for us as a team."
* In a battle between two of the top teams in its respective Class A regions, Wagner found a way to win down the stretch against Winner in five sets on Tuesday in Winner. The Red Raiders (20-5) picked up their ninth win in 10 matches, and were paced by the play from Hannah Holzbauer, who had 24 digs and 22 kills. Ravyn Medricky added 13 kills, Braxton Nedved tallied 42 assists, Brianna Fuchs had six blocks and Mateya Bruguier had 20 digs and four aces. For the Warriors (17-7), Payton Sargent recorded 19 kills and 18 digs, while Seventh Zeigler had 12 kills and three total blocks. Josie Corkle tallied 42 assists, Alice Wilson had 32 digs and Harper Audiss had four aces in the loss.
* Tripp-Delmont/Armour's Mia Reiner earned her 1,000th career kill despite a loss to Platte-Geddes on Monday.
* Parkston swept Bon Homme on Tuesday in Parkston to improve to 16-8 on the season. Keeara Oakley paced the Trojans with 18 kills and two blocks. Berkley Ziebart tallied 12 kills and two blocks, while Alexis Holzbauer recorded 32 set assists and Kennedy Knippling had fight kills and two blocks.
* Sanborn Central/Woonsocket earned a four-set home victory over Hitchcock-Tulare, its sixth consecutive sweep, to improve to 16-8 on Tuesday. Addison Bartholow paced the Blackhawks with 18 kills and 13 digs, while Kaidence Fridley tallied 33 set assists, 12 digs and two blocks. Carley Edwards had 10 kills, Hudson Fouberg had 22 digs and Ellie Hofer recorded eight kills, four blocks and two aces.
* Platte-Geddes downed Kimball/White Lake in straight sets on Tuesday in Kimball for its third consecutive win to move to 16-9 on the year. The Black Panthers got eight kills and three aces from Claire Maydew, 10 digs and seven kills from Kori VanDerWerff, 19 assists and nine digs from Kolbi Hoffman, plus 17 digs and two aces from Taylor Schrank.
* Wessington Springs picked up a road sweep against James Valley Christian on Tuesday. Kaitlyn Braun had eight kills to lead the Spartans, and Raygen Teveldal tallied six kills and five aces. Brooke Mohling recorded 17 assists, Kenzie Kolousek posted 26 digs and Londyn Mikkelson had four aces.
* Lyman defeated Highmore-Harrold in a five-set battle on Tuesday. Jordyn Scott paced the Raiders with 22 kills and two blocks, while Brooke Montgomery had 16 kills and five aces. Ella Ehlers recorded 34 assists, and Kenzie Wagner had six kills, three blocks and three aces.