Fine start for Fitch: Falcons topple rival

Fitch's Katie Mang got her first varsity coaching victory.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Three years ago, when Austintown Fitch High's Caitlin O'Patchen was a first-year starter and then-coach Tom Case referred to her in interviews as "the freshman," the Falcons made their third -- and last -- trip to the state volleyball tournament.
"I'm ready to go back again," O'Patchen said. "It's about time."
O'Patchen, a 5-foot-10 middle hitter, has gotten a lot better since then, emerging as one of the most talented players in the area. She led the Falcons to a district title last season -- their sixth in seven years and their first since Case's retirement after the 2003 season -- and is expecting even more this year.
"I think it's really realistic for us to make it to regionals, for sure," she said, "and maybe even further than that."
First step
Fitch took a step in that direction Tuesday, defeating Federal League rival Boardman in four sets, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17, 25-21, in a rematch of last year's district championship game.
"I hate losing to Fitch," said Boardman's second-year coach, Glen Sivak. "We knew what to expect and, at times, we played very well. At other times, we didn't.
"We had a lot of mental breakdowns. Against a team like that, you can't do that. They won't let you stay in the game if you do."
Katie Mang, a 2000 Fitch High graduate who was a member of the program's first state tournament team, got her first varsity coaching victory.
"I wasn't that nervous before the match," said Mang. "I didn't want any nervousness rubbing off on the team."
Coaching connection
Seated next to Mang was her younger sister, Stacie, a member of the 2003 team who was an assistant at Boardman last season and is now an assistant for the Falcons. The assistant coach in 2003 was O'Patchen's older sister, Cara, who watched Tuesday's game from the stands. (And if you haven't heard enough coaching connections, last year's coach at Fitch, Dana Fellows, was a teammate of Katie Mang's in 1999.)
Caitlin O'Patchen, one of three senior starters, had 18 points, 17 assists and 14 kills for Fitch, which doesn't usually start the season with such a big game. (By contrast, Boardman had already played two games, both on Saturday.)
"We weren't real happy when we saw the schedule," said O'Patchen, "but things turned out good."
Standouts
Senior Karla Farina added eight points and seven kills and Lindsay Von Schwarz had 13 assists, three kills and seven points for Fitch.
"This was a good first step to the rest of the season," said Mang. "Two of our team goals were to beat Boardman and not lose at home, so that was good."
Boardman junior Courtney Schiffauer, who is also a standout basketball player, had nine kills and six blocks for the Spartans (1-2), while Adrienne Porter had nine kills and Danielle Williams added 21 assists.
scalzo@vindy.com