Feczko, Jones share honor
CRANBERRY TWP — One is dubbed by her coach as a silent killer. The other is arguably one of Pennsylvania's best at her craft. Together, they helped make history for North Catholic's girls volleyball program this year.
Outside hitter Ally Feczko and setter Sydnei Jones, both juniors with the Trojanettes, have been named the Butler Eagle Girls Volleyball co-Players of the Year for 2021.
The pair lifted North to a 21-1 record and both a Class 2A WPIAL championship and a state crown this fall. It was the first time the team won both in the same season.
“I don't know how you would pick one over the other,” Trojanettes coach Amanda Fetter said. “I wouldn't trade either of them for anything in the world.”
“Most of my life, I've been seen as the quiet kid,” Feczko said. “I'm not one to make an entrance. I like coming out of nowhere.”
Opponents would have been foolish to make the mistake of ignoring Feczko a second time around. Along with 170 digs and 25 aces, she totaled 324 kills throughout the course of the schedule. Jones contributed 633 assists, 174 digs, 84 kills, 48 blocks, and 42 aces.
“Ally and I's connection is unlike anyone I've set ever in my life,” Jones said. “It's kind of awesome having that duo on the court and just knowing you can trust someone.”
“We work so well together,” Feczko added. “We've played on a few teams together and it gave us the chance to build a setter-hitter connection that strengthens our offense.”
Prior to this season, the tandem played together for Renaissance Volleyball Club, which Feczko said built more of a foundation heading into the summer.The familiarity helped, especially since Feczko's older sister and two-time Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association All-State honoree, Elizabeth, moved on from the Trojanettes after 2020 to play at Villanova.With the younger Feczko the team's big hitter and Jones running the offense, their roles were the same as they were in their sophomore seasons. Both settled into leadership positions this year, however. The girls' previous experience, Fetter said, made them comfortable and helped them understand their own methods of guidance.“I'm not the loudest person in the gym, but I worked really hard this year to lead the team, not just vocally, but by example,” Feczko said.“Last year was my first year at North,” Jones said. “I didn't really know anyone. We were just molding our friendships and molding how we wanted our season to look like. This year was just an end product.”Both girls, Fetter said, are well-versed in the game, recognizing things within the flow of a match that not even the coaches can see.“They both grew as players,” Fetter said. “(Ally) kind of stepped out of her shell when she was on the court this year. And Sydnei could control the offense because she had been playing longer. Just the way that she controls the tempo and finds Ally constantly and gets her in the position to score is impressive.“(Sydnei is) one of the top setters in the state. There's not a doubt about that to me. Her ability to get the ball distributed was incredible. (Ally) just finds a spot on the floor and her ability to see the court when she's attacking is phenomenal.”Feczko is still figuring out what her function would be if she were to play at the next level. Jones has already verbally committed to continue her volleyball career at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Both still have senior seasons to navigate.“Whenever next year comes, we're going to face it just like we did this year,” Jones said.“We'll have a lot of our starters back,” Fetter said. “It's going to be fun.”
