INDEPENDENCE—Independence rallied back from a first-set loss to beat visiting Kenston in a battle of state-ranked teams on Wednesday, 3-1.
The Blue Devils, ranked 17th in Division VI, beat the No. 7 team in Division III, 24-26, 25-18, 25-23, 25-7.
“Kenston is a great team; they battled us all night,” said Independence head coach Anthony Messina. “This was our first test of the year. I think set one was us realizing, ‘Hey, we’re playing a really good team.’ The girls just persevered the rest of the way. Kenston kept coming at us. I’m very proud and happy with how the girls played.”
Independence initially took the lead in set one 7-2, but the Bombers played their way back into match and tied the Blue Devils, 22-22, and then Emily Grubich’s assist to Sadie Poudevigne clinched the set for the Bombers with a kill.
In set two, Independence responded strongly, taking an early 8-1 lead. Alberta Moreal set up Haley Wilson for the set-winning kill, leveling the match at one set apiece.
Set three saw a similar pattern with Independence leading 9-1 early before Kenston narrowed the gap to 10-7.
Despite Kenston briefly taking the lead at 18-17, Independence regained control with back-to-back kills from Sofia Smotek and a set-winning kill from Anna Waski.
In set four, Independence stayed hot and pulled away from Kenston, capping off a strong performance against a Kenston team that finished 21-5 last season.
“We passed the first test,” Messina said. “But it’s only game six. The season is a progression. We did well tonight.”
Independence will face further challenges before the season ends against teams such as VASJ, St. Joseph Academy, and Archbishop Hoban.
“Since I’ve been coaching here, we’ve put teams like Kenston on our schedule,” Messina noted. “We do that so we get tested. What I’m taking from this is that I want my team to play teams of this caliber to help us with our progression.”
Wilson led the Blue Devils with 20 kills, thanks to 25 assists from setter Moreal. Smotek added 16 kills, while Waski finished with eight.
The Blue Devils improved to 6-0 on the year with the win.
“It’s awesome to be 6-0,” Messina said. “Winning is a lot more fun than losing. This was a test, and it’s good to be where we are right now. We just can’t take anybody for granted.”
Following the loss, Kenston dropped to 7-3 but faces a challenging stretch in its schedule.
“I schedule games like that so we can figure out how to work through tough stretches,” said Kenston head coach Christian Jolley. “I’d rather figure it out now than at the end of the year. We’ve got a lot of players in new roles and positions who are figuring it out. It’s just going to take reps against good teams and getting the crap beat out of us once or twice and learning from it.”
Kenston’s road doesn’t get easier with upcoming matches against Willoughby South and Hoban. Jolley emphasized the focus on growth rather than immediate wins.
“I think South is one of the best teams in the conference,” Jolley said. “And Hoban is ranked number two in the state. I’m not looking for wins; I’m focusing on the growth of this team. I want us to play better each match. We can grow a lot from this one, and we will learn a lot about ourselves in the coming weeks. We’re going to have to figure it out on the fly.”
The Bombers also had standout performances, with Grubich posting 23 assists and Amstutz contributing 12 kills.
Ashlyn Myers played solid defense in the back row with 14 digs, and Raygynn Pampush and Poudevigne added 10 and eight kills, respectively.
Independence hosts Cuyahoga Heights on Sept. 12, while Kenston visits Willoughby South.
