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Boardman volleyball team wins final three games vs. Fitch
By Greg Gulas
AUSTINTOWN
Just six matches into their volleyball season, it is rather apparent Boardman counts upon strong senior leadership, especially when they are forced to play catch-up.
Austintown Fitch, on the other hand, are still hoping that a team leader will emerge.
The Spartans stopped the Falcons, 3-1 in All-American Conference, Red Division action Tuesday at the Austintown Fitch Gymnasium, sweeping the final three games of the match for their second conference victory.
Krista Johnson had 21 kills and 18 digs, Katie Platt registered 11 points, 53 assists and three aces and Courtney Platt added 16 digs to pace the Spartans (4-2, 2-1).
“We started slow in the first game and didn’t run our offense like we normally do. After the first game coach [Danielle] Siembida told us to pick up our energy and that’s when the momentum began to shift,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to work on some things when you’re ahead and tonight we worked on our service runs. When the game is close, you’re always on your toes and just trying to prevent a run by your opponent.”
The opening game featured 14 ties and 11 lead changes as the Falcons (2-4, 1-2) came back from a 15-11 deficit for a 28-26 victory.
Maria Beltran notched the final point of the game for the victory.
“So far this season we’ve been satisfied with one victory while having trouble carrying that momentum over to the next game. We’ve had a lack of communication and leadership and we’re looking for someone to be that leader for us,” Fitch head coach Steve Mohr said. “Tonight, we were able to substitute some of our junior varsity players at the end and they got some valuable playing time. We just need to get back to basics in practice and work on our block, block-touch and follow through.”
Two points by Platt helped stake the Spartans to a 14-9 advantage in the second game, but four points by Beltran knotted the game at 14.
After Sarah Obradovich’s four points gave the Falcons a 21-18 lead, Kaylin Burkey’s five points staked the Spartans to three-point lead and a 25-22 victory to knot the match at a game apiece.
“After the first game, coach Siembida told us to take control of our own game. She told us not to let them control the speed of the game and just focus on our own play,” Platt said. “We expected Fitch to keep the ball in play so we had to be prepared. We weren’t prepared in the opening game, doing a much better job the final three games of the match.”
Boardman led from opening serve to final point in the third game with Platt registering five points and Johnson adding three more for a 25-11 victory.
In the final game, the Spartans opened a 19-6 advantage behind Amber McMillan’s six points and eventually won, 25-13.
“Ball control is our strength and tonight, when we decided to play our game and run our offense, that’s when things started to go our way,” Siembida said. “Our six seniors have plenty of experience and are excellent leaders. We’ve always been small in stature but big in desire to win. Krista is a great leader and the player we go to offensively while Katie runs our offense and is the quarterback of our team. She gets the ball to our hot hitter and has a great serve. She also has the ability to take opponents out of their offense.”
Beltran had eight points and three aces, Obradovich had 13 kills and 26 digs for Fitch. Bree Hunter 26 assists and Jayla Crawley four blocks for the Falcons.