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Fitch cruises past Harding in girls volleyball
By Matthew Peaslee
AUSTINTOWN
Prior to Fitch’s first home volleyball match, head coach Allison Jakubec stressed three concepts to her Falcons.
“Defense, keeping our head in the game and communication,” Jakubec told her players.
A combination of that perfectly executing triad led to Fitch’s three-game sweep of Warren Harding on Tuesday. The scores were 25-11, 25-7 and 25-14.
The beginning of game one was a back-and-forth affair with no team gaining a significant advantage for the first 10 points.
But with the game tied 11-11, the Falcons went on a 14-point run for a 25-11 victory.
In that streak, Tori Wise earned two straight aces that picked up the momentum for the Falcons. Wise finished the match with nine aces.
“Their serving is what got us,” Harding head coach Stephanie Shimko said, “We couldn’t receive the serve.
“Some more back row practice wouldn’t hurt because we need to put that in play,” Shimko said.
It appeared that Harding found some momentum by scoring the first three points of game two. However, the Raiders scored just four more points in losing the second game.
Shimko said the Labor Day holiday break may have been the culprit of her squad’s shortcomings. The Raiders did not practice all weekend and getting back into game day shape was a challenge.
“To come back on a Tuesday and play, it was tough to find a rhythm,” Shimko said. “They weren’t talking like they know how to talk. They weren’t moving their feet and there was a little confusion.”
On the other side of the net, the Falcons were a lively bunch.
Jakubec praised her girls for coming through on her keys to the game.
While defense and focus were indeed important, she said she feels it was teamwork that earned the Falcons a decisive victory.
“The girls realize that its six players and they need to work together as a team and that’s our main goal in practice, just working together,” Jakubec said.
Alaina Callahan especially exemplified that togetherness. Always vocal and showcasing a bright smile, Callahan, the libero, led the Falcons with six digs.
“She’s the back row player that needs to be on top of everything and be able to have that communication with the rest of the girls and she does a great job of doing that,” Jakubec said.
Fitch rolled in the third game as they approach the first season in the All-American Conference Red Tier.
“I’ve got a really strong group of seniors,” said Jakubec of her six most-experienced leaders. “[They] have grown so much together from freshman and JV. I can sub them in to any position and they know they can easily play that position.”
For the Raiders, Kara Jones was the leading setter with 19 attempts and 10 assists. Maya Bell led all defenders with three blocks.