UNIONTOWN–Independence swept Smithville in a Division VI regional semifinal on Thursday and has advanced to play in its second regional championship in the last four seasons.
The Blue Devils won the match 25-15, 26-24, 25-9 in improving 24-3 on the year.
“We’ve been working for this since day one,” said Independence head coach Anthony Messina. “Saturday is our opportunity to go back to states. We haven’t been there in three years. We’ve worked all this way, one match at a time, for this opportunity.”
Smithville found an early 4-1 lead before Independence turned the tables with a 9-1 run courtesy of a trio of Sofia Smotek kills, with Hailey Wilson joining in to cap off a set one win.
The Blue Devils showcased their depth in the second set, with Anna Jirmasek and Anna Waski putting down a kill each for an early 14-10 advantage.
The Smithies rallied to tie the match up at 24-24, forcing an Independence timeout.
“We knew we let up a little bit,” said Smotek about Smithville closing the gap. “Once they tied it, we knew what we had to do. We finished the job.”
Wilson did just that with the decisive kill for a 2-0 match lead.
Independence caught fire in set three, cruising to a sweep of Smithville, and capped off an all-around night with a Jirmasek ace.
“We got it together,” Messina said of the set three win. “Our girls played really well tonight. We just had to take care of the ball and do what we do. They figured out how to finish it off.”
Independence had seven different girls record a kill tonight, making life easy for setter Alberta Moreal.
“It’s nice having such great options,” she said. “I have so much confidence in all of my teammates. One thing I like to focus on is setting up the hitter behind me. It gives them more space to hit, and I trust them.”
The Blue Devils also tossed a wrench into the mix with their two-setter rotation between Moreal and Wilson to complement the attacking versatility.
“(The two-setter rotation) helps us because when someone’s doing really well, we notice that,” Moreal said. “And if someone is struggling, then we have a backup. Having the change (in setters) is nice because when we get down, we can switch the rotation and get back up, and it gets better from there.”
Independence’s seniors will make their second regional championship appearance, having previously done it as sophomores.
“I’m so excited,” Moreal said about being able to play a regional championship game in her senior season. “All season, our goal has been to play on Saturday. We know what we have to do, and we’re focused more than ever. There are five seniors, and it’s our last hurrah, so we really have to get the job done.”
Smotek, another senior, added: “We made it that far my sophomore year. We ended last season in the regional semis. I’m so excited to be back.”
With a great output offensively and defensively, the Blue Devils set their sights on Dalton, Saturday’s Elite Eight opponent.
“We played really well tonight on both sides of the ball,” Messina said. “We’ve worked all season so that in our second rotation, we’re not struggling. This team can play defense when they want to. Defense is a mental state. They wanted to play defense tonight.”
Wilson led the attack with 16 kills, connecting on 10 assists with four blocks. Moreal wrapped up with 22 assists.
Smotek pitched in with nine kills and four blocks, Jirmasek finished with four kills and three service aces, while Waski pitched in with four kills and a pair of blocks.
Emily Novak added three kills, with Emily Slusher and Mia Mudra each pitching in with two.
Independence takes on Dalton in a Division VI, Region 21 championship game at Uniontown Lake High School on November 2.
OTHER CVC SCORES
Wellsville 3, Cardinal 2
Cardinal’s magical postseason run came to an end with a five-set loss to Wellsville in a Division VII regional semifinal. The Huskies dropped the match 17-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-22, 9-15 and finished the year 15-11.
Marlington 3, Edgewood 0
Edgewood ran into a buzzsaw in the regional semifinals. Marlington, who improved to 25-1, won the match 25-14, 25-8, 25-11. Edgewood closed out the year 19-6.
