Independence’s streak of five straight state Final Four appearances was snapped last fall with a loss to eventual state champion Lake Catholic in a Division III regional championship match.
The Blue Devils return five starters from that squad and four others with varsity experience, and that group hopes to bounce back and create its own legacy.
“We are still a young team,” said sixth-year head coach Anthony Messina. “The progression as the season goes on is key.”
Independence finished 18-9 overall and won a 11th straight Chagrin Valley Conference title with a 10-0 mark.
The Blue Devils have won 126 straight league matches.
Independence returns three of its six all-conference performers from last fall.
Junior Sofia Smotek and sophomore Haley Wilson both were named to the second team, while senior Emily Richards was an honorable mention selection.
Richards, the team’s lone senior, will play on the right side or as a defensive specialist. Last fall, she recorded 47 kills and 27 digs.
Smotek, an outside hitter, led the Blue Devils with 283 kills last season. She also posted 43 aces, 21 blocks, and 216 digs.
Wilson, a setter/right side hitter, was second on the team with 254 kills and 35 blocks, led the team with 65 service aces, and recorded 115 digs.
Rounding out the projected starting rotation are junior setter Alberta Moreal, junior middle blocker Anna Waski, sophomore outside hitter Anna Jirmasek, and junior middle blocker Emily Novak.
Waski and Moreal played in 89 and 90 sets last season, respectively, so they’re seasoned as underclassmen. Novak played in just 18 sets.
Providing depth for the Blue Devils are sophomore defensive specialists/liberos Madelyn Mudra and Sofia Pichert, junior defensive specialist/setter Ella Sliwinski, and junior right side Mikayla Yonis.
