Freeport rallies to earn 2A crown
Yellow Jackets win 3 sets in row after falling in opener
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Freeport’s win in the PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball title match Saturday at Johnstown Richland High School had even more significance than the obvious.
“It’s the first state title in school history, in any sport,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “I couldn’t be happier for our players, our faculty, our community, and especially our fans. It’s a dream cometrue.”
Freeport(21-4), the WPIAL runner-up, posted a 3-1 comefrom-behind victory against District 3 champion Delone Catholic (20-1), and handed the Squirettes their first loss thisseason.
The Yellow Jackets had made seven previous appearances in the PIAA tournament but never made it past the quarterfinals. Delone Catholic was making its fourth appearance in the PIAA final and first since 2013. The Squirettes had to settle for a third runner-up trophy.
“Winning a state championship is the best feeling in the world,” said senior libero Claire Crytzer, who led the Yellow Jackets defense with 30 digs. “It’s much better than the two WPIAL gold medals I have. It’s a great way to end my high school career. I couldn’t imagine anything better.”
Freeport looked a bit nervous at times in the first set, as Delone Catholic jumped to a6-2 lead. The Yellow Jackets rallied to tie the match at 8-8. Thatwas the first of 11 ties, as the two teams traded points. The Squirettes scored the final two points to pull out a 2523victory.
“We regrouped after that first set and knew we were going to win the next three,” Crytzer said. “There was no other option. We didn’t want togo to a fifth set.”
Freeport dominated the second set by jumping to a 7-1 lead en route to a 25-9 victory. Allison DeJidas recorded seven of her match-high 20 kills to lead the way.
“Ally [DeJidas] played a huge role on the right side,” Phillips said. “We looked at the matchups and thought we could exploit the right side. That’s why we went to her so much. Ally is a great player. She did a great job today.”
Freeport continued its fine play in the third set by building a 14-8 lead. Delone Catholic rallied to tie the matchat 18-18, but the Yellow Jackets pulled out a 25-23 victory.
“The momentum we picked up in the second set carried over to the final two sets,” Phillips said.
Freeport trailed only once in the fourth set and came away with a 25-22 victory, thus clinching the match and title.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win the state title,” junior middle hitter Haley Graham said.