CHAGRIN FALLS—Independence shrugged off a slow start to defeat Chagrin Falls in three sets on Thursday, 25-19, 25-8, 25-13.
With the win, the Blue Devils improved to 9-1 overall and remained undefeated in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division.
The Tigers, meanwhile, used the match against the defending conference champions and Division III state final four participant as the inspiration to step up their own game.
“We had a goal to earn more points than anybody else in our conference had earned in a single set and we met that goal,” said Chagrin Falls coach Heather Piccone. “Nobody in our conference had scored more than 17 against them; it was Geneva in a third set. They scored 17 so our goal was to score more than that and we met our goal.”
Chagrin Falls junior Madeline Swentor and senior Aly Miller both played well against the Blue Devils.
“I was extremely happy specifically with Madeline Swentor, our libero,” Piccone said. “She was all over the place and plays with a lot of passion. Aly Miller also did a great job. She played very unintimidated and with passion and that’s all I can ask of her when you’re going up against hitters like that. She stepped up and went for it.”
