The volleyball team at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy ventured into uncharted territory this fall. During the Inter-Ac League season, the Blue Devils secured victories against two longtime league powers for the first time in the modern era.

They ended up going 1-1 against both Germantown Academy and the Academy of Notre Dame, and the three teams finished in a tie for the 2025 Inter-Ac championship with identical 6-2 records.

After that, SCH went into the Pennsylvania Independent Schools tournament as the top seed, notching 3-0 victories over eighth-seeded Cristo Rey High School in the first round, and fourth-ranked Perkiomen School in the semifinals.

On Nov. 4, the Blue Devils appeared in the championship match for the first time ever. They won the opening set against second-seeded Notre Dame but then lost the next three against the Irish, who were seasoned veterans when it came to playing on the big stage. With the 3-1 win, Notre Dame became the Independent Schools champion for the 11th time.

Springside Chestnut Hill finished the season with an overall record of 12-3; the Blue Devils had clearly taken a major step forward under ninth-year head coach Dave Noll. Previously, Noll had a successful tenure coaching the team at Inter-Ac member Agnes Irwin.

When Noll took over at SCH, only a few of his athletes played volleyball outside of the school season. Now, a majority of the players belong to competitive club teams and play almost year-round.

In the Nov. 4 Indy Schools final, played on a neutral court at Germantown Academy, SCH went ahead early in the opening set. Later, Notre Dame called time-out with the Blue Devils leading 14-11.

After an exchange of points made it 15-12, SCH got a side out when a hit by junior Sidney Smith went out of bounds off a Notre Dame block. Smith then stepped to the service line to direct a four-point run by the Blue Devils. Later, with the score 23-15, Smith continued to excel, executing a kill for the last SCH side-out.

She put the ball in play from the service line at match point, and SCH ended the set when London Jackson, a senior on the right side, drove the ball to the floor along the right sideline.

After the Devils’ 25-15 win in set one, everyone expected a strong response from the seasoned Notre Dame squad, and the Irish started out the second session by scoring five straight points. SCH never fully recovered from this, and later, another five-point run had Notre Dame ahead 15-3.

After the score reached 18-6, the Blue Devils were able to fire off six consecutive points, with sophomore Simisola Mabogunje sending over two unreturned serves and with several other points coming off blocks. Calling time-out at 18-12, the Irish then got back on track, answering with their own 6-0 surge and eventually clinching the set at 25-14.

Notre Dame gained an 8-4 advantage early in the third set, but SCH battled back. Sophomore hitter Maddi Moynihan scored a kill, and she also fooled the Irish with several clever tips over their blocks. In the middle of the set, the teams were locked up at a dozen points apiece.

SCH had to call a timeout as Notre Dame pushed ahead, 19-14. The Blue Devils were only able to muster up two points after that, on a “quick” pass by freshman Lielle Freund and a kill by sophomore Chloe Roberts. The Irish won, 25-16, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Blue Devils scored two points at the start of set four. Then Notre Dame went ahead by posting five points in a row. Points on a tip and a kill by Roberts helped SCH stay close behind as the tally rose to 7-5. Three more Notre Dame points caused the Devils to call timeout, and they slowly crept back into contention.

Moynihan slammed down a few kills and then a true service ace by Mabogunje cut Springside’s deficit to a single point, at 13-12. The Blue Devils were never able to pull even, though, with the Irish putting up four of the next five points. Despite continued SCH resistance, Notre Dame went on to win the set, 25-20, clinching the championship.