FALCONS COMPLETE INCREDIBLE COMEBACK TO EARN SPOT IN FINAL

SOLON OH- In a matchup of #4 seeded Austintown Fitch Lady Falcons and #6 seeded Aurora Lady Greenmen on Tuesday night.

Set 1 was a tight battle with both teams jockeying for position early on in the set. Fitch opened up with a 4-0 run, The Lady Greenmen responded with a 7-1 run of their own. All in just the opening minutes of set 1.
Austintown took a timeout trailing 13-8 in set 1, after Aurora was just as sharp on defense, much like the match with The Canfield Lady Cardinals on Saturday.

After another run by The Lady Greenmen, Fitch found themselves trailing 18-10 after taking their final timeout in the first set.

Ella Sahli and Erin Burke got fitch out of their funk, with an impressive string of serving, one that saw The Lady Falcons go on a scoring run, trimming Aurora’s lead down to just 3.
But the lead was too large in set 1, and The Lady Greenmen captured the first set 25-21.

Set 2 did not disappoint, as the competitiveness and fight of both teams remained in full force. Fitch jumped out to an early 6-4 lead on Aurora.
Those Lady Greenmen do not know how to quit, but they do know how to play defense. As on the backs of their defensive talent, Aurora tied the game up at 8 a piece.

Maria Parks of Aurora served up a lead for The Lady Greenmen 14-13, their first since leading 1-0 in Set 2.

After exchanging scores back and forth, Fitch was forced to take their first timeout of the set, down 16-18.

Out of the timeout, The Lady Greenmen extended their lead 21-16. Fitch battled, but Aurora’s defense held strong again. Winning set 2 by a score of 25-22.

The marathon did not stop in set 3. As both teams again exchanged scores, all the way to a 12-11 Fitch lead. After forcing an Aurora time out with the lead, Fitch scored three straight to make it a 15-11 lead.

Fitch kept up the same energy, including a key ace by Erin Burke, forcing Aurora to burn their final timeout, trailing 21-17.

The score was 24-19 Fitch, with Aurora having the serve, playing backs against the wall defense. But it was an uncommon error in the serve game of The Lady Greenmen that sealed the se 3 victory for Fitch 25-20.

Fitch held on to the momentum going into set 4. Taking a 6-2 lead on Aurora in the early stages. The Lady Greenmen stayed resilient, much like they had in the previous sets. Going on yet another run of their own, cutting The Falcon lead to just one 7-6.

As Coach Bartlett utilized her first timeout of the set, The Lady Falcons were able to battle through and keep their head above water. Maintaining their lead as the set moved into the later stages.

Some missed swings by Aurora, paired with Jocelyn Jourdan entering takeover mode, Fitch grabbed an impressive 18-11 lead. Forcing The Lady Greenmen to burn both timeouts in the set.

Jocelyn and The Lady Falcons did not take their foot off the gas. Winning the set emphatically 25-15. Setting up a pivotal set number 5, a set in which Fitch was undefeated in the season.
Set 5 opened up with a deafening roar from the crowd to start. As Aurora had the serve to start the race to 15.

Fitch jumped out to a 7-3 lead, forcing Coach Tyler Price of Aurora into a timeout. Fitch rode that momentum to a 13-6 lead in the set, thus leaving Aurora with no timeouts, after using the second.

The Queen Captains of Alyssa Leskovac and Jocelyn Jourdan from that point said, ballgame. Fitch won set 5 by a final of 15-8.

Jocelyn Jourdan broke another school record in as many tournament games. With an impressive 33 kills in the match! Including the one that sent Aurora home.

Fitch now have their sights set on Saturday, October 30th in a matchup with Chardon set to start at 1 p.m.

Set Scores
Set 1: Aurora 25 – Fitch 21
Set 2: Aurora 25 – Fitch 22
Set 3: Fitch 25 – Aurora 20
Set 4: Fitch 25 – Aurora 15
Set 5: Fitch 15 – Aurora 8

Box Score
Jocelyn Jourdan: 33 Kills (New School Record!), 14 Digs, 1 Assist, 1 Ace.
Alyssa Leskovac: 5 Kills, 14 Digs, 3 Assists, 3 Aces.
Erin Burke: 2 Kills, 15 Digs, 41 Assists, 3 Aces.
Ella Sahli: 22 Digs, 2 Assists, 2 Aces.
Sammi Misik: 3 Digs, 1 Assist, 1 Ace.
Afton Roby: 4 Kills, 1 Dig, 2 Blocks, 1 Ace.
Julia Jordan: 7 Kills, 4 Digs, 2 Blocks, 1 Ace.
Jordan Smith: 3 Digs, 1 Assist, 2 Kills, 2 Blocks.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell