Independence Boys Volleyball Punches Ticket to State Championships

Photo by Al Kornspan

The Independence Blue Devils Boys Volleyball Team claimed their spot in the OHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships with a 3-1 victory over Chardon on Saturday afternoon.

After going down 1-0 in a closely contested first game, the Blue Devils came back to win three straight sets, 25-18, 25-23, and 25-16 to punch their ticket to the OHSAA State Championships.

“The first set, I was a little nervous, just because we lost,” said Independence Head Coach Lexi Prokopius. “But then, the second set, we worked hard, we played hard. We fought back and we ended up winning, which is awesome.”

 

Two players who helped the Blue Devils win three straight games were senior Joey Spacagna and junior Landon Jatsek.  

“Our middles definitely help out a lot,” said Prokopius. “They have done so much this season, they’re great.”

After winning the regional title game, Jatsek and Spacagna talked about the victory, the support the community, students and fans provided, and the importance of senior leadership.

“We were dominant all night at the net, and that comes with communication and playing as a team,” said Jatsek. “One of the key points in us winning (was our fans). They had the energy, they brought it the entire match. Even when we lost the first set, they were ready to go in the second set, keeping us in it.”

 

In addition, captain Joey Spacagna provided important senior leadership.

 “After that first set, energy and intensity was down, and we just weren’t ourselves that first set. As a captain, I needed to make sure my team was hyped and that they were ready to go. This was an unbelievable job by them. They were resilient the whole way and I am very excited that we got the win.”

The Blue Devils travel to Wittenberg University on May 27 to participate in the OHSAA State Championships. They will face DeSales in the state semifinal, with the winner playing the next day for the OHSAA State Championship.