Independence junior Maura Collins and seniors Hallie Zumack and Mallory Trombetta have taken on bigger roles since the injury to teammate Emily Magas.
The three were instrumental in leading the Blue Devils to a 3-0 sweep of visiting Perry on Tuesday.
“They’re filling roles and our freshmen are stepping up to fill in some of the gaps that we’re missing due to some unfortunate injuries,” said Independence coach Megan Osysko. “The girls played great and we came out on top.”
Zumack was second on the team in both kills (7) and digs (19) and dished out a team-high 21 assists.
“She was kind of all over the place,” Osysko said. “That’s no surprise. She did awesome again.”
Collins posted team highs in kills (11), aces (3) and digs (22) while Trombetta pitched in with eight digs and had 12 service receptions.
Both helped to hold off Perry’s attack.
“Mallory and Maura defensively did great,” Osysko said. “They’re out there with three or four freshmen at a time so that just says a lot about our team.”
Independence, which improved to 10-4 overall and 9-0 in Chagrin Valley Conference play, won the first set 25-16, the second 25-11 and closed out the match with a 25-16 win in the third set.
The Blue Devils can clinch their third straight CVC title and first in the Chagrin Division with wins over Wickliffe and West Geauga or losses by Perry and Chagrin Falls and a win over Wickliffe.
