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MATCH SUMMARIES

TIGER COMEBACK DOWNS
DERRY, 3-1

To listen to a replay of the match, click here!

After losing the first game, 25-23, the Tigers came storming back to win the next three to defeat Derry, 3-1, at the Senior High gym on Thursday night.  Once again, strong play at the net proved to be the difference with seniors Brett Alexander, Russ Hoburg, Kevin Vater and Brian Block leading the way.

The first game was close throughout with the lead exchanging hands a number of times.  Derry took an early 6-5 lead behind the hitting of Nick Dixon and Eric DiPietro.  The Tigers regained the lead at 7-6 as Hoburg answered with a kill off a quick set and a put back of a Derry overpass.  The Trojans returned the favor on kills by Dixon, Nick Kontor, and Tommy Blystone to go back in front, 11-8.  After falling behind, 14-10, the Tigers rallied to outscore Derry, 8-3, and regain the lead.   Strong hitting by Vater and Hoburg, along with a block by senior setter Nate Zunic, put NA back on top, 18-17.  A kill by Hoburg, a cross-court hit by Alexander, and a violation by Derry pushed the margin to 22-19.  After a Derry time out, the Trojans outscored NA, 6-1, down the stretch.  Two kills by Dixon and another by Kontor set the stage for Justin Kowatch who put the Tigers away in game one as Derry won a 25-23 decision.

In game two, the Tigers responded and took control from the outset.  With the score tied at 2-2, Alexander took over with a kill and five straight serving points, including an ace, to give NA an 8-2 advantage.  Derry rallied behind Dixon and Bill Moore to cut the margin to 11-5 but that was as close as the Trojans could get.  Hoburg recorded a pair of kills, Zunic scored on left handed tip, and Alexander drove a strong hit down the middle as NA moved out to an 18-10 lead.  Senior DS Derek Brady came in to serve a pair of points including an ace to extend the margin to 21-11.  Derry could get no closer, and Alexander finished game two with a big hit to give the Tigers a 25-15 win and even the match at a game each.

In the pivotal game three, Derry moved out to a 6-4 early lead behind the hitting of Dixon and Moore.  Once again the Tigers rallied behind Hoburg who registered two kills and a block to put NA back on top, 11-7.  The Tigers extended the lead with a 7-2 run with Alexander, Zunic and Hoburg doing most of the damage.  A cross-court hit by Alexander and a block by Block extended the margin to 21-10.  Down the stretch, Derry committed several hitting errors with Dixon's final attempt missing long as the Tigers took a 25-14 victory in game three and a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth and final game, the Tigers jumped off to a 6-3 lead behind hits by Block and sophomore OH J.J. Leroux.  After Derry came back to tie the score at 7-7, a kill off a quick set by Hoburg put NA ahead, 8-7, and they never trailed.  An ace by Leroux, a strong hit by Alexander down the line, and several Derry hitting errors gave the Tigers a 16-10 lead.  After Hoburg picked up a pair of kills, Derry came back behind Kowatch to cut the lead to 18-14.  Hoburg scored three of the next four points to extend the margin to 21-15.  After Dixon scored on a kill and a service ace, the Tigers put Derry away.  After two Derry hitting errors, kills by Alexander and Vater finished off the Trojans as NA won game four, 25-19, and the match, three games to one.

It was a competitive match for most of the evening, but the Tigers size and depth wore Derry down.  Setters Zunic and junior Matt Snyder did a good job of getting the NA hitters a lot of good swings throughout the match.  Sophomore DS John Wappler did a good job of countering the jump serve of Dixon by digging most of his serves and keeping them in play.  For his efforts at the net and behind the serving line, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Brett Alexander as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers improved their overall record to 7-1 on the season as they won their seventh straight match.  The Tiger varsity will travel to Plum tomorrow for the Plum Invitational while the JV squad will play at Penn Hills.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  DERRY AREA - 1

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TIGERS DROP PENN HILLS, 3-0, FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

The Tigers traveled to Penn Hills on Wednesday night and came home with a 3-0 victory over the Indians.  NA won the first game, 25-16, captured game two, 25-19, and finished PH with a 25-16 victory in game three.

Leading the Tigers was senior OH Russ Hoburg who had 10 kills on 10 swings.  Sophomore OH J.J. Leroux recorded 5 kills with senior outside hitters Brett Alexander and Brian Block adding four kills each.  Sophomore DS John Wappler, senior DS Derek Brady, junior opposite Alex Grega and junior DS Matt Dunn all gave solid defensive performances.  Head coach Dan Schall said, it was a "good all-around performance in which we eliminated some of the unforced errors that we had been making in the previous matches."

The win was the sixth straight for the Tigers and improved their overall record to 6-1 on the season.  NA will host Derry tonight in a non-section match at the Senior High gym.  Derry is coming off a big 3-1 victory over Latrobe.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-match show at 6:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN HILLS - 0

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NORTH HILLS FALLS TO TIGERS
IN THREE STRAIGHT

To listen to a replay of the match, click here!

The Tigers defeated the North Hills Indians, 3-0, at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night.  Senior Russ Hoburg led the NA front line as they dominated the Indians at the net.  The Tigers won the first game, 25-19, took game two, 25-15, and finished the sweep with a 25-20 victory in game three.

The Tigers started quickly in game one as they built a 5-2 lead behind the hitting of senior outside hitters  Kevin Vater and Brett Alexander.  After the Indians scored on an NA hitting error, Hoburg blocked for a point and sent a blast down the line to build the score to 8-4.  Zak Remele tallied a pair of points for the Indians to cut the margin to 8-6 before Hoburg dropped in a dink and sophomore OH J.J. Leroux served an ace to make it 10-6.  The Indians rallied behind senior Ben Cominos to cut the lead to 10-9.  With NA leading 12-11, senior OH Brian Block scored three straight points on a block, a cross court hit, and a kill on an Indian overpass as the Tigers took a 16-12 lead.  North Hills stayed close with kills by senior Doug Richey and Remele, but the Tigers were too tough down the stretch.  A kill by senior setter Nate Zunic and a cross court kill by Alexander pushed the margin to 21-16.  Kills by Alexander, Vater and Block finished the Indians as the Tigers went on to a 25-19 victory in game one.

In the second game, the Tigers took control from the outset.  Strong hitting by Leroux and Hoburg, along with serving of Alexander and senior DS Derek Brady led NA to a 9-2 lead.  Hoburg and Leroux kept the pressure on with kills to push the margin to 11-4.  After North Hills rallied to cut the margin to 13-10, two kills by senior opposite Tony Cerilli pushed the margin to 15-11.  Hoburg then took over the match with four kills as NA extended the lead to 21-13.  With senior Naveed Bozorg serving, the Tigers scored four straight points on kills by Alexander and Hoburg and two NH hitting errors.  Alexander put the finishing touch on game two with a kill to give the Tigers a 25-15 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Coach Dan Schall was able to play his entire bench in game three.  The Tigers built a 6-2 lead early with kills by sophomore MB John Skarupa, junior opposite Alex Grega, and junior MB John Nolan.  After senior MH Chuck Shoemaker scored for NH, Leroux put back an overpass and junior John Friel came in to serve four straight points, including two aces, to extend the NA margin to 11-4.  North Hills battled back on kills by Shemaker, Remele and Cominos to cut the lead to 14-9.  Grega and Alexander answered for the Tigers, but the Indians were able to rally to make it an 18-14 game.  Kills by Grega, Leroux and Bozorg pushed the lead back to six at 22-16.  A block and a kill by Skarupa were good enough to end the game with Tigers downing the Indians, 25-20, in game three.  NA won the match, three games to none.

It was a good overall effort by the Tigers against an improved North Hills team.  For his work at the net, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Russ Hoburg as the Player of the Match.

The win was the fifth straight without a loss in section play for the Tigers.  After the first half of play in Section 2, NA is in first place with a 5-0 mark.  The Tigers will travel to Penn Hills tonight to meet the Indians in a non-section match.  The scheduled starting time is set for 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS - 0

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AMBRIDGE NIPS TIGERS, 25-23, IN QUARTERFINALS OF KOLLER CLASSIC

The Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals of the Koller Classic in York on Saturday but were defeated by eventual champion Ambridge, 25-23.  NA defeated Montour to move on to the quarterfinals.  Ambridge won the championship by defeating the #1 ranked team in the state, Northeastern, in the semifinals and Lancaster Mennonite in the final.

 The Tigers will be back in action again tonight when they host North Hills in section play.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-match show at 6:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

In the JV tournament on Friday, the Tigers lost in the semifinals to host Central York, 25-17.

KOLLER CLASSIC
Saturday, April 15, 2006
at Central York H.S.

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TIGERS BEAT BUTLER, 3-0, FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT SECTION WIN

The Tigers took three straight at Butler on Wednesday night for their fourth straight section win without a loss.  NA won the first game, 25-11, to set the stage for the three-game sweep.  In game two, the Tigers prevailed, 25-14, and in the third and final game, it was NA by a 25-20 count.

The Tigers were led by senior Brett Alexander with 10 kills (.615 hitting%) and senior Russ Hoburg with 7 kills (.700).  Excellent serving by senior Derek Brady took Butler out of their offense.  Alexander had five service aces while Hoburg recorded two.  Coach Dan Schall said, "Our offense was very efficient.  With Matt Snyder and Nate Zunic running the offense, we hit .508 for the match."

The Tigers will travel to Central York this weekend for the York Invitational.  In the varsity pool are: Derry, Cambridge Springs, Lancaster Mennonite, and Dallastown.  In the JV pool are: Red Land, Lancaster Mennonite, and Dallastown.  The JV tournament will be on Friday while the varsity teams will play on Saturday.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 0

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TIGERS WIN THREE STRAIGHT TO SHUT OUT SENECA VALLEY, 3-0

The Tigers defeated the Seneca Valley Raiders, 3-0, at Seneca on Monday night.  NA won the first game, 27-25, took the second, 25-20, and finished things with a 25-22 victory in game three.

The win improved the NA section record to 3-0 as they took over first place.  The Tigers will travel to Butler tonight to meet the Tornado in a section match.  NA will travel to York for the York Invitational on Saturday

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SENECA VALLEY - 0

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TIGERS BLANK PINE-RICHLAND, 3-0

The Tigers defeated the Pine-Richland Rams at Pine-Richland on Thursday night in a section contest.  NA won the first game, 25-15, game two, 25-16, and finished things with a 25-15 victory in game three.  Senior OH Russ Hoburg paced NA with nine kills and four solo blocks.

According to Coach Dan Schall, "Blocking and serving were the dominant themes in last night's win.  We performed well in those two areas, an improvement from Tuesday night."   Statistically, senior OH Brett Alexander served three aces with sophomore J.J. Leroux recording four service aces.  Hoburg had four blocking assists in addition to his four solo blocks, senior setter Nate Zunic posted 2 solo blocks and four assists, while sophomore middle blocker John Skarupa had two solo blocks and four assists.

In addition to Hoburg's nine kills, the Tigers featured a very balanced offensive attack with many offensive contributors.

The Tigers will be back in action again on Monday night when they travel to Seneca Valley to meet the Raiders in a 7:00 pm section contest.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PINE-RICHLAND - 0

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SHALER FALLS TO TIGERS, 3-1,
IN SECTION OPENER

The Tigers downed the Shaler Titans, 3-1, at Shaler on Tuesday night as section play got under way.  NA won the first game, 25-18, but Shaler came back to grab game two, 25-22.  In the pivotal third game, Shaler took a 24-22 lead before the Tigers rallied with two great defensive plays to extend the game.  The Tigers eventual won, 28-26, on a block by senior OH Russ Hoburg.  NA went on to win the fourth game, 25-20, and the match, three games to one.

After the second game, Head Coach Dan Schall went to a lineup that the Tigers had not used, juggling some positions.  According to Coach Schall, there were three key performances in the victory.  First, senior Nate Zunic platooned with senior Matt Snyder at the setting position, giving the Tigers a lift in games three and four.  Second, senior opposite Tony Cerilli, who has been battling illness, came off the bench in game four with two effective stretches of serves to give the Tigers a cushion.  Finally, senior MB Kevin Vater had four kills and two blocks in the latter part of game four to seal the win.

Coach Schall commented, "Shaler played outstanding defense and blocked exceptionally well throughout the match."  Statistically, senior OH Brett Alexander led the way with 16 kills while Hoburg had 12 kills along with a .380 hitting percentage.  Sophomore OH J.J. Leroux added 8 kills while Vater recorded seven kills with a .500 hitting percentage.

With the win, the Tigers moved to 1-0 in section, 1-1 overall.  NA will travel to Pine-Richland tomorrow night to meet the Rams in a 7:00 pm section contest.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SHALER - 1

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PLUM EDGES TIGERS IN DERRY INVITATIONAL FINAL

The Plum Mustangs defeated the Tigers, 25-15, in the championship game of the Derry Invitational Tournament on Saturday.  NA defeated Dubois in the quarterfinals and host Derry in the semifinals to advance to the championship final.

The Tigers will travel to Shaler on Tuesday night in the section opener.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

DERRY INVITATIONAL
Saturday, April 1, 2006

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TIGERS DROP OPENER TO AMBRIDGE, 3-2

The Tigers lost a tough 3-2 decision at Ambridge on Tuesday night.  NA battled back to tie the match after dropping the first two games only to see Ambridge prevail, 15-10, in the fifth game.  With the exception of one stretch in game four, neither team took a lead of more than three points.

Ambridge won the first two games, 25-23, and 26-24.  The Tigers took game three, 25-22, and game four, 28-26, before dropping game five.  Senior Brett Alexander led the way with 20 kills with senior Russ Hoburg adding 18.  Senior Brian Block posted 13 kills while sophomore John Skarupa recorded 9 kills and 10 blocks.

Coach Dan Schall said, "This was a great measuring stick against one of the best teams around and made us aware of some areas that will need improvement.  The Tiger mentor added, "We passed the ball exceptionally well with Russ Hoburg, Brett Alexander, and John Wappler; this made for an efficient offense."

The Tigers will travel to Derry on Saturday for the Derry Invitational for both varsity and JV.  Match time is scheduled for 9:00 am.  Section play will begin next week.

MATCH SUMMARY
AMBRIDGE - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

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TIGERS FALL IN QUARTERFINALS OF
 NA INVITATIONAL

The Tigers opened their season on Saturday in the 14-team NA Invitational Tournament.  In games played at both the Senior High gym and the Baierl Center, the Fox Chapel Foxes won the title with a 25-20 victory over Ambridge in the championship game.   In the quarterfinals, Fox Chapel edged NA, 25-23, to eliminate the Tigers.

In Pool competition, the Tigers finished in third place i Pool A with Central York first, Ambridge second and Plum fourth.  In Pool B, Upper St. Clair was first, followed by Fox Chapel, Montour, and Central Catholic.

The Tigers will travel to Ambridge on Tuesday night to meet the Bridgers in a non-section match.  Starting time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.  Next weekend, NA will in the Derry Invitational with both the varsity and JV teams competing.  The starting time on Saturday at Derry is scheduled for 9:00 am.

NA VARSITY INVITATIONAL
PLAYOFF RESULTS

POOL ASSIGMENTS

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org