Three Chagrin Valley Conference volleyball teams will play for a district title on Saturday after winning their district semifinal matches on Wednesday.
Independence topped Norwayne, 3-0, Kirtland swept Lakeview, 3-0, and Jefferson edged Hubbard, 3-1.
The Blue Devils defeated the Bobcats 25-18, 25-12, 25-18 and advanced to play Fairless in Saturday’s championship game.
“It felt good to see the entire team do well and did what we needed to do to advance to the district championship,” said Independence’s Anna Jirmasek. “We have been working really hard and we got the result we wanted.”
Independence got off to a fast start and made key plays down the stretch to respond to Norwayne’s runs.
Norwayne led by as many as five points in the third set before the Blue Devils rallied for the lead and finished off the match.
“We dug deep when it mattered most and we made the right plays at the right moments,” Jirmasek said. “Communicating also was a big help when it came to tight moments in each set.”
The 18-6 Blue Devils will play Navarre Fairless for the district title at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at Elyria Catholic High School. The Falcons are 17-8 and edged Northwestern, 3-2, in the other district semifinal.
“We believe that we are playing good volleyball, but we know that we can be better,” Jirmasek said. “We have to continue to work hard in practice, communicate with one another, and show that on the court Saturday night.”
Kirtland overcame a competitive Lakeview team in beating the Bulldogs, 25-21, 25-21, 25-20.
“I’m very pleased,” said Kirtland coach Ricky Sanders. “We scouted Lakeview from their last match and with our game plan of keeping them out of system. It worked the whole match. Their talented middle couldn’t get on.”
Kirtland recorded five aces and used aggressive serving to keep Lakeview uncomfortable.
“We served tough tonight and attacked them down the line on both sides to eliminate their blocking out the middle,” Sanders said. “We played from behind all three sets but kept our composure throughout.”
Battling through adversity is nothing new for the Hornets, who improved to 16-8.
“It’s super exciting to be back at districts,” said senior setter Katie Reynolds. “We struggled this season at times, and I think there was a period when we all thought this just wasn’t our year. I’m so glad we’ve found ways to persevere and fight all the way back to districts.”
Reynolds and Alexis Schaffer combined for 35 assists in the match with Schaffer posting a team-high 19 and Reynolds with 16.
Their successful distribution of the volleyball allowed six different Hornets to earn a kill.
Nina Loncar led the way with 16 and Georgia DeJohn added 12. Keely Young contributed with seven, Kristiana Katic added five, Nora Withrow pitched in with four, and Reynolds had one kill.
“Nina Loncar and Keely Young both had great offensive matches tonight,” Reynolds said. “Nina could not be stopped hitting down the line, racking up a lot of kills this game. Keely was terminating from the middle and right side, and she gets our team pumped up when she makes great plays. Nora Withrow also made an impact from the right side, putting down the sets she got and making some great diving plays.”
The Hornets now turn their attention to avenging their district championship game loss to Crestview, who won that match 26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17.
“The team is all excited to see Crestview again,” Reynolds said. “We all know they’re a great team, but we watched their match before ours and know if we play our best, they’re beatable. These next two practices will mean a lot to the game on Saturday, and we’re ready to put in the work to get the gold medal instead of the silver this year.”
Jefferson got off to a fast start against Hubbard but did lose the third set before responding with a win in the fourth to close out the match with a 25-16, 25-17, 14-25, 25-17 win.
“We knew we just had to clean it up,” Jefferson senior Sara Stone told the Star Beacon about her team’s response to the third-set loss. “We can play better than that. We had to figure it out and play as a team.”
The Falcons, who finished as a district runner-up last season, will play defending district champion Marlington for the district title on Saturday.
Jefferson last won a district title in 2005.
Other CVC Scores:
- Bay 3, Chagrin Falls 0
- Marlington 3, Edgewood 0
- Padua 3, Lutheran West 0
