JOURDAN’S DOUBLE DOUBLE HIGHLIGHTS FALCONS IMPRESSIVE START

AUSTINTOWN OH-

In one of many volleyball games to kick off the high school season, Austintown Fitch opened up their season on Saturday morning. Their opponents? A Federal League Foe in The Massillon Perry Panthers! These two teams last met in 2021 as a part of a tri-match in which Austintown won two sets to none.

In their rematch from a year ago, both teams had different looks teamwise, as both teams graduated a fair number of players a season ago. One constant that returned from last year was senior superstar Jocelyn Jourdan, who had 14 Kills in the win against Perry in 2021.

She would end up being a huge contributor again the second time around, as Set 1 was back and forth all the way down to the end. Neither team was able to capture a lead larger than 4 points throughout the first set. But it was the play of freshman Rylie Simons, securing two aces to score the final two points in Set 1, winning it for Fitch 25-22!

In Set 2, The Falcons used that momentum from the prior set and forced Perry into a lot of mistakes early on. At one point, Austintown led by as much as eight points 17-9; however, Perry battled back! With the play of Sarah Mohr and Emma Weirich, Perry scored nine consecutive points to take an 18-17 lead. But Fitch showed composure, exchanging points but ultimately coming out on top 25-23 over The Panthers in Set 2.

By Set 3, Jocelyn Jourdan was on a different level! Finishing multiple kills emphatically, totaling 17 on the night, as Austintwon put the finishing touches on a 25-22 Set 3 win! A victory that lead to the overall match win that put Fitch at 1-0 on the season!

The Falcons will hit the road for the next three games, as the first game will be against a great program in Hathaway Brown. Stats for the match can be found below!

Sets

S1: Fitch 25 – Perry 22

S2: Fitch 25 – Perry 23

S3: Fitch 25 – Perry 22

Player Stats

Jocelyn Jourdan: 17 Kills. 14 Digs.

Jordan Smith: 8 Kills. 10 Digs.

Julia Jordan: 6 Kills. 1 Block.

Afton Roby: 2 Blocks.

Rylie Simons: 36 Assists. 8 Digs. 6 Aces. 11 Service PTS.

Lillie Dilts: 7 Digs.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell.