Light finally shining on Indee

Joe Schmitz is on a fact-finding mission."We've been trying to go back and find the last winning season," said Schmitz, in his fourth year as head volleyball coach at Independence High School. "We know it's been a while."It could be a lengthy hunt. Recent archives indicate a lot of single-win seasons, with losses in the 20s.Not this year. The Mustangs have a new gym and a new, winning look.Independence improved to 16-3 overall, 2-1 in the Wamac Conference West Division after a dramatic five-set win over Marion on Tuesday night. Junior Shelby Lehman contributed 23 kills and 31 digs."We won the first two games, lost the next two and it would have been really easy to get down," Schmitz said. "But we were able to regroup and battle, and we made some plays at the end."The Mustangs have moved into the Class 3A rankings, at No. 15."I just think it's another year of seasoning, another year of getting stronger and more mature," he said. "Where we've really improved is defensively. Our back row is so much more quick to the ball, and our blocking has gotten a lot better."A junior, Lehman leads the team in kills (2.96 per set) and digs (4.46). Sisters Karlie Niedert (senior) and Kaitlin Niedert (freshman) have patrolled the middle, while junior Alyssa Hawkins has become the primary setter after Schmitz switched to a 5-1 offense.Schmitz's first three years at Independence netted a 28-68 record, but even that was progress. Last year's 13-21 mark was the first time the Mustangs reached double-digits in wins in several years.Now, the Mustangs have a spacious new gymnasium to call home. And a good product inside the facility."It's been a real boost," Schmitz said. "It's quite a step up. And we've had nice crowds and loud student sections."Independence is at Benton Community on Thursday. A win there would set up a divisional showdown Tuesday at league-leading Center Point-Urbana.

WAMAC EAST SHAKEDOWNSThree teams, three big matches in the Wamac Conference East Division. And it starts Tuesday.Class 3A No. 8 Mount Vernon (11-4, 4-0) will host 4A No. 5 West Delaware (19-3, 3-0) Tuesday, then entertains 4A No. 2 Solon (14-1, 3-0) a week later.Solon is at West Delaware on Oct. 10.

UPDATE ON PAIRINGSIGHSAU staffer Jason Eslinger said Wednesday that regional pairings will be released within the next two weeks.The postseason series begins Oct. 22, with regional finals Nov. 5-6. The state tournament is Nov. 12-15 at the U.S. Cellular Center.