Resurgent Falcons topple Boardman

After a slow start, Fitch has won eight straight matches.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Forget the first part of the season. Forget the lineup changes. Forget the missing starters. Forget the 2-4 start.
Forget all of it.
That was a different Austintown Fitch High volleyball team than the one playing now.
The Fitch team that defeated Boardman 15-3, 15-0 Thursday was the one everyone expected to see when the season began. It was cohesive, dominant and a step above every other team in the area.
"We're doing very good things," said Fitch coach Tom Case, with typical understatement. "If we stay healthy, we're going to be very difficult to play."
Of course, that wasn't the case early on.
Falcon seniors Rachel Terzak and Maggie Case missed a few matches, the lineup didn't mix well and Tom Case decided to make a change, moving freshman Caitlin O'Patchen into the starting lineup.
Once the two seniors returned, Fitch was a different team.
"It's like a 360," said senior Stacie Mang. "We're awesome now."
Hard to argue.
Strong performance
The Falcons, who lost two of three to Boardman last season, took an 8-0 lead in the first set on Thursday and never let the Spartans gain any momentum. Fitch has won eight straight matches.
"Fitch played well and we didn't," said Boardman coach Ron Slipkasky, who lost several key seniors from last year's team to graduation. "Fitch earned some points, but we gave them a lot, too."
Predictably, the match didn't have the same intensity as last year, when the Spartans won the two regular season matches to win the Steel Valley Conference title before falling to the Falcons in the district final.
"We were totally confident tonight," Mang said. "It's always a good rivalry and we always get up for Boardman."
Jaclyn Corroto had seven digs and 15 assists and Jesse Morris collected four kills and four digs for the Spartans (6-6, 3-4 Federal League). April Melquist added four kills and three blocks.
"Tonight didn't go the way we wanted, but we still have 10 more matches," Slipkasky said. "This team has a strong work ethic and we'll get better."
Coming together
Jessica Evans had eight points, seven kills and three digs to lead Fitch (10-4, 5-2) while Terzak added seven points, four kills and six blocks. Jenn Drabison had six points, nine kills and five blocks and O'Patchen, who has played well since the promotion, added six points.
"I give her so much credit," Mang said of O'Patchen. "She's doing awesome. She's definitely someone to look for in the future."
Fitch cannot win the Federal League's regular season title, but winning next weekend's conference tournament would be a nice consolation prize.
"We've really improved," Case said. "We've got a consistent lineup now and that's made it a lot easier. Having the same people out there has helped us develop better chemistry."
And it doesn't hurt that Fitch has three players -- Mang, Case and Terzak -- who started on the 2001 team that advanced to the state tournament.
"We're different off the court, but on the court we click just like that team did," Mang said. "I think we can go very far."
scalzo@vindy.com