Freeport wins state title
Yellow Jackets’ balanced effort the difference
A balanced offense and a stingy defense were the keys to victory for Freeport in the PIAA Class 2A final. The Yellow Jackets rallied from a six-point deficit in the first set to record a 3-0 sweep of York Catholic.
“We had a total team effort today,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “Everybody took turns making big plays all day long. We had a strong balanced offense and played great defense. You can’t ask for much more than that in a statetitle match.”
Freeport ( 23- 2), the WPIAL champion, was making its second appearance in the finals, with the first coming in 2017, and claimed its second championship trophy. York Catholic (23-2) was making its first appearance in the finals.
York Catholic (24-3), the District 3 champion, built an 18-12 lead in the first set with junior Ashley Patterson recording three kills.
After a timeout chat with coach Tom Phillips, Freeport returned to the court and scored 11 of the next 12 points and rolled to a 25-21 victory. Sophomore Alaina Whitlinger recorded six kills for the Yellow Jackets.
Freeport jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the second set, but York Catholic rallied to tie the set at 12. The Yellow Jackets took charge from that point on and rolled to a 25-15 victory. Junior Josie Russo led the way with four kills and three blocks for a point.
York Catholic had a glimmer of hope when it built a 16-14 lead in the third set. Freeport dashed those hopes by scoring 11 of the next 13 points to complete a 25-18 victory, thus completing the sweep.
Whitlinger led Freeport with 13 kills. Russo and senior Cassidy Dell each had seven kills for the Yellow Jackets.
Class 3A
North Catholic watched a one-set lead turn into a five-set loss in the Class 3A final, as Pope John Paul II rallied from a 2-1 deficit to pull off a 3-2 upset of the stunned Trojans.
North Catholic (21-2), the WPIAL champion, was making its third title match appearance in four years and was considered the favorite after winning a PIAA
Class 2A title in 2021. Pope John Paul II (27-0), the District 1 champion, was making its title match debut.
“It was heartbreaking,” North Catholic coach Amanda Fetter said. “I don’t want to take anything away from our opponent, because they are a very good team, but it’s a real bummer to have our season end that way.”
The two teams traded points in the first set until the score was tied 8-8. North Catholic scored the next six points and never looked back in a 25-15 victory. Senior Ally Feczko led the way with eight kills.
Pope John Paul II completely dominated the second set, as North Catholic’s serve-receive fell apart. The Panthers scored the first 10 points, with Gabriella Manza recording four serving aces, and came away with a 25-12 victory.
North Catholic rebounded with a 25-18 win in the third set. Feczko was the star again with five kills and three aces.
Pope John Paul rebounded in the fourth set with a 25-16 victory, in which the Panthers scored the final five points. Junior Natalie Ricevuto picked up four kills.
North Catholic served for match point three times in the fifth set, but came up short in a 19-17 heartbreaking loss. Ricevuto had four more kills and finished the match with 17.
Feczko led all hitters with 22 kills. Ella Koziara added 15 kills for the Trojans, while Sydnei Jones and Katie McNelly each had eight.