INDEPENDENCE–Independence celebrated Senior Night with a 2-0 sweep of visiting Lutheran West in a Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division showdown on Thursday.
The Blue Devils won the match 25-8, 25-11, 25-12, improving to 12-1 overall and 8-0 in league play.
“The theme the last few days was that tonight is a double-header,” said Independence head coach Anthony Messina. “The first part of the double-header was honoring our seniors, and then we had to play. I will say the girls came to play. They got focused. They did what I asked of them.”
Independence opened the first set in style, going up 7-1 early and riding that wave of momentum to an opening set win.
In the second set, the Blue Devils carried on business as usual.
Independence jolted to a 15-3 advantage and held on to win set two, with Sofia Pichert putting down the decisive kill.
A Nicole Byrda ace gave Lutheran West an early set three lead, but Independence clawed back with an Anna Waski kill to go up 7-5.
The Blue Devils would not relinquish their lead, with Haley Wilson putting down the match-winning kill.
“We’re trying to get better every match,” Messina said. “We played well tonight, and we have some big challenges coming up, but the girls are playing well right now.”
Those challenges include games against VASJ and Hoban and a trip to Avon Lake for a tournament on September 28.
“The whole idea with our nonconference schedule is to get challenged to make us better,” Messina said. “We do that so when we get to the postseason, we’re ready to go. After that stretch (of games), we’re onto the playoffs.”
Sofia Smotek led the offensive attack racking up 10 kills and Alberta Moreal finished with 15 assists.
Wilson put together an all-around night with 10 kills, three service aces, and 11 assists, while Anna Jirmasek had five kills with two service aces in the win.
Lutheran West falls to 8-9 on the season following the loss.
“Right now, we’re playing well as a team,” said Lutheran West head coach Laura Thrasivoulou. “At one point tonight, I had three freshmen on the court, getting them over the nerves of playing a big game like we had tonight.”
Lutheran West made Independence work hard in certain stretches, most notably in the third set, when it trailed 20-8; the Longhorns rallied to trim the deficit to just seven.
Those moments and stretches are important for a team mixed with youth and experience.
“We just have to keep encouraging (the girls),” Thrasivoulou said. “We also need to be aggressive and keep swinging. We can’t get down ourselves and need to work hard.”
Layla Meaux led the attack with six kills, and Liv Adams had five assists. Aryana Garcia finished with three assists and digs, while Ella McCarty had three kills and one block. Hannah Bryda came away with 11 digs defensively.
Independence will compete in an Avon Lake tournament on Sept. 28, while Lutheran West visits Midview.
