Welcome to the
NORTH ALLEGHENY
SPORTS NETWORK

The Official Source of North Allegheny Sports


Welcome to the 2007 Spring Sports Season!!!
Schedules

Rosters

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery 2
Photo Gallery 3
Photo Gallery 4
JV Photo Gallery
JV Photo 2

Standings

Match Summaries

Statistics

Junior High Schedules (Girls)
Junior High Rosters (Girls)

 

 



NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY BOYS' VOLLEYBALL

* WPIAL CHAMPIONS *
* PIAA SEMIFINALISTS *
* SECTION CO-CHAMPIONS *

THREE TIGERS NAMED TO
ALL-STATE TEAM

Three members of the WPIAL Champion Tigers have been selected to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association (PVCA) Class AAA All-State team.  Named to the PVCA Finest 40 were juniors OH J.J. Leroux, MH John Skarupa, and libero John Wappler.

CONGRATULATIONS TO J.J., JOHN, AND JOHN!!!

2007 PVCA AAA BOYS ALL-STATE TEAM (FINEST 40)
(NOTE: WPIAL players only!)

NAME TEAM CLASS POS. HGT.
J.J. LEROUX NORTH ALLEGHENY 11 OH 6-3
JOHN SKARUPA NORTH ALLEGHENY 11 MH 6-7
JOHN WAPPLER NORTH ALLEGHENY 11 L 5-9
Seth Katich Fox Chapel 12 OH 5-11
Mike Duffy Baldwin 12 MH 6-5
Drew Dvorsky Fox Chapel 12 OH 6-1
Dan Follett Seneca Valley 12 OH 6-2
Eric Garrison Fox Chapel 12 MH 6-5
Mike Larko Plum 12 S 6-0
Alex Larrimer Shaler 12 S 6-1
Brian Riley Shaler 12 OH 5-10
Joe Sunder Hempfield 12 MH 6-6
Tyler Warden Norwin 12 S 6-0

Click here for a complete listing!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SEMLER, WAPPLER NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Junior setter Steve Semler and junior libero John Wappler were selected to the PIAA Class AAA All-Tournament team by partipating coaches.

CONGRATULATIONS TO STEVE AND JOHN!!!!!

2007 PVCA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

NAME TEAM POS.
Shawn Sangrey Hempfield Opp- MVP
JOHN WAPPLER NORTH ALLEGHENY L
STEVE SEMLER NORTH ALLEGHENY S
Andrew Nguyen Hempfield L
Josh Berry Souderton OH
Justin Brubaker Souderton OH
Tor Covello Pennsbury S
Drew Dillon Hempfield S
Mike Semeraro Pennsbury Opp

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS FALL IN PIAA SEMIFINALS

The Hempfield Black Knights defeated the Tigers, 3-1, in the semifinals of the PIAA Class AAA tournament on Saturday morning at Penn State.  After Hempfield won the first game, 25-22, NA came back to tie the match with a 25-22 win in game two.  The Black Knights then won two close games, 25-23 and 26-24, to advance to the final where they beat Pennsbury, 3-0, for their second straight and ninth title overall.  Junior OH J.J. Leroux led NA with 18 kills while senior MB John Nolan had 11 and junior MH John Skarupa ten.  Junior setter Steve Semler recorded 43 assists along with eight kills.

In addition, Leroux posted 12 perfect passes, three blocks and 8 digs, junior libero John Wappler had 15 perfect passes, 19 digs, and five assists, while senior opposite Alex Grega posted seven digs.  Assistant coach Pete Madia summed up the Tigers' efforts, "It was a great match with awesome overall performances from our guys."  Madia added, "Nolan had a great weekend with only one error, he and J.J. were great for us offensively in the semis.  Semler had a great match both setting and offensively.  The defensive specialists top to bottom were great throughout the tournament as well."

The Tigers completed the season with an overall record of 19-3 while capturing the WPIAL title along with the co-championship of Section 2.  With a number of juniors returning, the future looks bright for Coach Dan Schall and the Tigers!!!!

Photo Gallery

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH SCHALL AND THE TIGERS FOR AN OUTSTANDING SEASON!!!

MATCH SUMMARY
HEMPFIELD - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 4 FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY 22 25 23 24 1
Hempfield 25 22 25 26 3

2007 PIAA AAA BOYS' VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST ROUND - Tuesday, May 29
Hempfield (Dist. 3) def. Council Rock North
Pennsbury def. Parkland
Central York - 3  Fox Chapel - 0
State College - 3  Hempfield (Dist. 7) - 2
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  Schenley - 0
Cumberland Valley def. Kensington
Liberty def. North Penn at Freedom HS, 7:00 pm
Souderton def. Central
QUARTERFINALS - Friday, June 1, at Penn State
POOL A
Hempfield def. Pennsbury (19-25, 25-22, 27-25)
State College def. Central York (25-15, 25-12, 25-14)
Pennsbury def. State College (25-19, 16-25, 26-24)
Hempfield def. Central York (25-22, 25-9, 25-21)
Hempfield def. State College (25-19, 20-25, 25-19)
Pennsbury def. Central York (25-21, 23-25, 25-21)
POOL B
NORTH ALLEGHENY def. Cumberland Valley (19-25, 25-20, 25-16)
Souderton def. Liberty (25-13, 26-24, 25-12)
Cumberland Valley def. Souderton (25-22, 25-22, 25-27)
NORTH ALLEGHENY def. Liberty (25-18, 19-25, 25-21)
Souderton def. NORTH ALLEGHENY (25-23, 25-23, 25-14)
Cumberland def. Liberty (17-25, 25-20, 25-18)

POOL STANDINGS

POOL A RECORD POOL B RECORD
Hempfield* 3-0 NORTH ALLEGHENY* 2-1
Pennsbury* 2-1 Souderton* 2-1
State College 1-2 Cumberland Valley 2-1
Central York 0-3 Liberty 0-3

* - advance to semifinals
(NA defeated Cumberland Valley, 25-21, in tiebreaker)

SEMIFINALS - Saturday
Hempfield def. NORTH ALLEGHENY, 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 26-24)
Pennsbury def. Souderton, 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-9)
FINALS - Saturday
Hempfield def. Souderton, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 30-28)

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS WIN TIEBREAKER TO ADVANCE TO PIAA SEMIFINALS

After wins over Cumberland Valley and Liberty in the first two rounds of pool play, the Tigers lost to #1 ranked Souderton in round three of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs at Penn State on Friday.  The loss forced NA into a tiebreaker game with Cumberland Valley that the Tigers won, 25-21, to advance them into the semifinals this morning.

In the first round, The Tigers lost the first game to Cumberland Valley, 25-19, but rallied to take the next two, 25-20 and 25-16.  In round two, NA downed Liberty from District 11, 25-18, in the first game but dropped the second, 25-19.  In the third and deciding game, the Tigers prevailed, 25-21.  In the final round of pool play, NA dropped a pair of tough 25-23 contests to Souderton before falling, 25-14, in game three.

After the results of pool play were tabulated, NA, Cumberland Valley and Souderton were tied with 2-1 records.  With only two teams advancing, the tiebreaker system was employed.  Souderton had a 7-2 game record to advance, but NA (5-4) had to play Cumberland Valley (4-5) in a tiebreaker game with the winner to move on.  The Tigers won the tiebreaker and will be in the semifinals.

Leading the way in pool play were junior MH John Skarupa with 40 kills, junior OH J.J. Leroux with 38 kills and junior setter Steve Semler who recorded 110 assists.  Also tough at the net were senior MH John Nolan with 17 kills and junior opposite Steve Nicklas with 10.  Skarupa added fourteen blocks and four service aces, Semler five blocks and three aces, and Nolan three blocks.  Defensively, junior libero John Wappler was tough again with 47 perfect passes and 33 digs while senior DS John Friel had 11 perfect passes and 12 digs, senior DS Matt Dunn 10 perfect passes, and senior OH Alex Grega ten digs.  Leroux also posted 47 perfect passes for the winning Tigers.

The Tigers will face defending champion Hempfield in the semifinals this morning.  The Black Knights defeated NA in both the 2003 and 2004 finals.  NA Coach Dan Schall was upbeat after the wins on Friday.  "This NA team has never played Hempfield so what we did in 2003 and 2004 has little consequence in this match."  Match time is scheduled for 11:00 am at Rec Hall at Penn State.  The winner will meet the winner of the Souderton-Pennsbury match at 3:00 pm in the final.  The PCN cable network will televise the final live this afternoon on Comcast Channel 48 and Armstrong Utilities Channel 49.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SKARUPA, WAPPLER NAMED TO WPIAL
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS

Junior MH John Skarupa and junior libero John Wappler were selected by the coaches to the 2007 WPIAL Class AAA First Team All-Stars.  In addition, junior OH J.J. Leroux was named to the second team.  Junior setter Steve Semler and senior OH/S Matt Snyder were selected to the third team.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIVE NA ALL-STARS!!!!!

WPIAL CLASS AAA ALL-STARS

FIRST TEAM SCHOOL HGT. CLASS POS.
JOHN SKARUPA NORTH ALLEGHENY 6-7 JR. MH
JOHN WAPPLER NORTH ALLEGHENY 5-7 JR. L
Joe Sunder (MVP) Hempfield 6-7 Sr. MH
Drew Dvorsky Hempfield 6-0 Sr. OH
Dan Follett Seneca Valley 6-2 Sr. OH
Eric Garrison Fox chapel 6-5 Sr. MH
Mike Larko Plum 6-0 Sr. S
Alex Larrimer Shaler 6-2 Sr. S
Brian Riley Shaler 6-0 Sr. OH
SECOND TEAM        
J.J. LEROUX NORTH ALLEGHENY 6-3 JR. OH
Mike Duffy Baldwin 6-4 Sr. MH
Mike Emling Seneca Valley 6-1 Sr. OH
Justin Hoffman Seneca Valley 6-4 Sr. MH
Seth Katich Fox Chapel 5-10 Sr. OH
Micah Larson Penn Hills 5-10 So. OH
Zach Scahill Central Catholic 5-8 Sr. S
Kevin Sparks Penn Hills 6-2 So. RS
Tyler Warden Norwin 5-11 Sr. S
THIRD TEAM        
STEVE SEMLER NORTH ALLEGHENY 6-0 JR. S
MATT SNYDER NORTH ALLEGHENY 5-9 SR. S/OH
Dave Andreaggi Upper St. Clair 5-8 Sr. L
Mattt Ferragonio Norwin 6-3 Jr. OH
T.J. Hyland Upper St. Clair 6-4 Sr. OH
Joe Irwin Bethel Park 5-11 Jr. S
Juan Manfredi Fox Chapel 6-0 Jr. S/RS
Garrett McNamara Norwin 6-4 Sr. MH
Grant Mitchell Fox Chapel 5-8 Jr. L

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS SHUT OUT SCHENLEY, 3-0, IN FIRST
ROUND OF PIAA PLAYOFFS

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

The Tigers swept City League Champion Schenley in three games at North Hills on Tuesday night in the first game of the PIAA Class AAA Playoffs.  Junior OH Derek Zweig led the way with 12 kills with senior OH Trevor King adding seven and junior opposite Steve Nicklas six as NA won by scores of 25-14, 25-13, and 25-17.

The Tigers started slowly in game one with a kill by junior MH John Skarupa and a block by junior setter Steve Semler helping to keep the game tied at 4-4.  After senior MH John Nolan scored on a kill down the middle, NA opened a 12-6 advantage behind an ace and a kill by junior OH J.J. Leroux, a cross court kill by Nicklas, a kill by senior OH Matt Snyder off the Schenley blockers and a blast by Skarupa down the middle.  The Tigers continued to increase the lead as Leroux scored two straight kills, Skarupa added another and senior MB Mike Scherer blocked for a point as the lead went to 21-9.  Zweig dropped in a tip and King went off the blockers before kills by Schenley's Steve Ankney and Jake Fine cut the margin to 24-12.  A Schenley net violation ended game one with the Tigers taking a 25-13 victory.  The Spartans aided the NA cause by committing nine hitting errors in the game.

In game two, the Tigers jumped off to a quick 9-3 lead behind kills by Zweig, King, Nicklas and Nolan along with an ace by senior DS Matt Dunn.  Schenley rallied to cut the margin to 10-8 with Fine and Ankney doing most of the damage.  Quick kills by senior opposite Alex Grega, King and Zweig along with a pair of Schenley hitting errors restored control of the game for the Tigers as the lead went to 17-8.  After an NA hitting error, King, Zweig and King again scored on kills before Fine answered to cut the lead to 20-12.   A kill by King, another ace by Dunn, and a Nolan block put the Tigers at game point, 24-13.  A Schenley service error gave NA the final point as the Tigers took game two, 25-13, and the lead in  the match, two games to none.

In game three, Tiger coach Dan Schall substituted liberally using his entire bench.  Kills by Nicklas, junior Kevin Dyer, Scherer and sophomore Matt Miller gave the Tigers an early 4-2 lead before Schenley rallied.  Kills by Jake Minden and Ankney gave the Spartans their first lead of the game at 7-6, but Matt Miller came back to tie the game on a blast down the middle.  The teams exchanged points until an NA lift allowed Schenley to tie the game at 11-11.  After a Fine block tied the game at 12-12, Nicklas went cross court to put the Tigers ahead for good.  Scherer served three straight points including an ace before Andy Kubiczki was able to stop the run with a kill.  Matt Miller scored on a dink and senior DS Bernardo Fernandes put back an overpass as NA extended the lead to 18-14.  Down the stretch, Zweig scored on a pair of kills with Ankney and Fine answering for the Spartans as the Tigers went to game and match point at 24-17.  A kill by Zweig off the Schenley blockers ended the game with the Tigers winning, 25-17, and the match with NA picking up a three games to none victory.

It was truly an overall team effort by the Tigers as the easily defeated the overmatched Spartans.  Semler posted 19 assists and freshman setter Michael Krepp added 13 assists and four digs.  Defensively, the Tigers were again led by junior libero John Wappler with 6 perfect passes.  Sophomore DS Matt Robertson posted 5 perfect passes, Fernandes had four perfect passes and three digs, senior DS John Friel added 5 digs, and Dunn four digs.  For his efforts in games two and three, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Derek Zweig as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament.  Pool play is scheduled to get under way at 10:50 am on Friday at Penn State.  Two teams will advance from each pool to the semifinals that will be played on Saturday at 11:00 am.  The championship match will be played on Saturday at 3:00 pm.

2007 PIAA AAA BOYS' VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
QUARTERFINALS - June 1

POOL A
Hempfield (District 3)
Pennsbury
Central York
State College
POOL B
NORTH ALLEGHENY
Cumberland Valley
Liberty
Souderton

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SCHENLEY - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
Schenley 14 13 17 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS RALLY TO DOWN FOX CHAPEL, 3-1,
TO WIN WPIAL TITLE

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

The Fox Chapel Foxes won the first game of the WPIAL Class AAA Championship at LaRoche College on Friday night, but the Tigers rallied to win the next three to give NA its fourth title in the last five years.  After the Foxes took game one, 25-22, NA came back to edge FC, 26-24, in game two, defeat the Foxes, 25-22, in game three and wrap up the crown with a 25-18 victory in game four.  Junior OH J.J. Leroux led the way with 21 kills while junior MH John Skarupa posted 16.  Junior setter Steve Semler recorded 53 assists for the winning Tigers.

The Tigers built an early 6-3 lead in game one on kills by Leroux, Skarupa and senior OH Matt Snyder.  Senior OH Seth Katich and senior OH Kyle Richless brought the Foxes back with Richless tying the game at 8-8 with a block.  Hitting errors and a Skarupa kill put NA back on top, 11-9, before senior OH Eric Garrison cut the lead to one.  Garrison hit the back line to give FC their first lead of the game at 13-12.  Senior MH Mike Scherer put NA back on top before the Foxes tied the game again at 16-16.  After an ace by junior OH Kevin Hutchings, junior opposite Steve Nicklas answered with a cross court hit to tie the game again.  After Snyder gave NA another tie at 18-18, an NA hitting error along with a kill by junior Justin Mroz put the Foxes up, 20-18.  Skarupa cut the lead to one before both teams were called for net violations.  Katich and Richless pushed the margin to 24-21 before Leroux kept NA alive with a kill.  Richless ended game one with a kill to give Fox Chapel a 25-22 victory and a one game to none lead in the match.

The Foxes used the first game momentum to built leads of 8-4 and 10-6 in the early part of game two.  Garrison, Mroz, Katich and Richless all scored with Skarupa, Leroux and senior OH Trevor King keeping the Tigers in the match.  Skarupa started a Tiger rally with two quick points and a FC hitting error brought NA back to within one at 10-9.  The Tigers finally caught the Foxes at 14-14 on Leroux's blast down the line.  The teams exchanged points with the score tied at 15, 16, 17, and 18 before a pair of FC errors gave NA the lead at 21-19.  A Katich kill and two NA errors gave the Foxes the advantage at 22-21.  Katich went cross-court to tie the game again at 23-23 before Leroux scored off the FC blockers to put the Tigers at game point.  Katich's kill tied the game again at 24-24.  After Leroux put NA ahead from the back row, the Foxes committed a final hitting error as the Tigers took game two, 26-24, and tied the match at one game each.  There were 20 ties in the first two games.

In game three, Fox Chapel again jumped off to an early 7-4 lead with Katich and junior DS Quinn Donahue leading the way.  Once again the Tigers rallied.  A block by Skarupa, a pair of Leroux kills, a kill by King down the middle and a hitting error tied the game at 9-9.  Leroux then went down the middle to give the Tigers a lead that they would not relinquish.  The Foxes came back to tie the game at 13, 14 and 15 before Leroux again went off the FC blockers to make it a 16-15 NA lead.  A Fox Chapel hitting error, yet another kill by Leroux and a block by King and Leroux extended the margin to 19-15.  The Foxes rallied to cut the margin to two at 21-19, but the Tigers would not be denied.  Leroux went down the middle before a pair of NA errors cut the lead to one at 22-21.  Skarupa added a kill and Semler a block to put NA at game point.  Skarupa then found the far right hand corner to end game three, 25-22, and give the Tigers a two games to one lead in the match.

The Tigers took an early 4-1 lead in game four behind the hitting of Nolan and Nicklas before Garrison put back a Tiger overpass.  Nolan went of the FC blockers and Skarupa added a kill as the lead went to 6-3 before Fox Chapel came back to tie the game at 7-7 on a block by junior Juan Manfredi.  Leroux, King and Leroux again scored on kills before Richless answered on a quick set to cut the margin to 10-9.  From this point, the Tigers gradually took control of the game and the match.  A block by Nicklas, a blast by Snyder down the middle, and two kills by Skarupa gave NA a 15-11 advantage.  Leroux's big hit down the middle pushed the margin to 17-12, the largest lead by either team in the match.  Semler's left handed tip made it 19-14 as the Tigers maintained the five-point margin.  Two hitting errors by Fox Chapel and a block by Snyder extended the lead to 23-15 as the Tigers closed in on the championship.  Nicklas went off the FC blockers to put NA at game and match point.  After a hitting error by the Tigers and a kill by Katich kept the Foxes alive, Nolan finished off Fox Chapel with a strong hit that FC could not return.  The Tigers won game four, 25-18, and the match, three games to one.

It was a team victory in every sense with the Tigers getting contributions from a number of players.  In addition to Leroux and Skarupa, Snyder and Nicklas both added seven kills.  Leroux posted 20 perfect passes while junior libero John Wappler added 15 with senior DS John Friel and Matt Dunn recording five each.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Steve Semler as the Player of the Match.

Before the game five Tigers were named to WPIAL All-Star teams.  Skarupa and Wappler were selected to the first team, Leroux to the second team, and Semler and Snyder to the third team.  Hempfield's Joe Sunder was named the Player of the Year.

With the win, the Tigers improved their overall record to 15-2 as they get ready for the PIAA Playoffs.  NA will meet City League Champion Schenley on Tuesday night at North Hills High School.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game at 6:15 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  FOX CHAPEL - 1

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Fox Chapel 25 24 22 18 1
NORTH ALLEGHENY 22 26 25 25 3

WPIAL CLASS AAA BOYS' VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

FIRST ROUND
Seneca Valley, bye
Fox Chapel - 3  Central Catholic - 0
Norwin - 3  Mt. Lebanon - 0
Hempfield - 3  Butler - 1
Shaler, bye
Penn Hills - 3  Upper St. Clair - 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY, bye
Plum - 3  Bethel Park - 2
QUARTERFINALS - Monday
Fox Chapel - 3  Seneca Valley - 2
Hempfield - 3  Norwin - 1
Penn Hills - 3  Shaler - 2
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  Plum - 1
SEMIFINALS - Wednesday
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  Penn Hills - 0
Fox Chapel - 3  Hempfield - 2
FINALS - Friday at LaRoche College
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  Fox Chapel - 1
CONSOLATION FINAL - Friday at LaRoche
Hempfield - 3  Penn Hills - 1

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS SWEEP PENN HILLS, 3-0, TO
ADVANCE TO WPIAL FINAL

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

The Tigers took control early against Penn Hills in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals on Wednesday night at North Hills and defeated the Indians, 3-0, to move on to the championship match against Fox Chapel.  Junior MH John Skarupa led NA with 14 kills and five blocks as the Tigers dominated play at the net.  NA won the first game, 25-15, overwhelmed the Indians, 25-11, in game three, and held off PH, 25-20, in the third and deciding game.

In game one, the Tigers jumped off to an early 7-3 lead behind the hitting of Skaurpa, a service ace by senior opposite Alex Grega and several Penn Hills hitting errors.  After Will Piccolino scored on a cross court hit for the Indians, senior MB Mike Scherer answered with a blast down the middle to make it 8-4.  Penn Hills stayed close with sophomore Micah Larsen picking up a block and two kills as the Indians cut the margin to 12-10.  Two kills by Skarupa helped extend the lead to 16-12 before Larsen put back an overpass and the Tigers were called for a net violation.  With NA on top, 16-14, the Tigers went on a 9-1 run to close out the game.  Kills by junior OH Steve Nickas, a dink by senior MH John Nolan, and a kill by senior OH Matt Snyder off the PH blockers pushed the lead to 22-15.  Junior libero John Wappler served a pair of aces and Snyder finished things with a kill down the middle as the Tigers won game one, 25-15.

Game two belonged to NA from the outset.  Wappler started things with two more service aces and Skarupa and junior OH J.J. Leroux added kills as the Tigers took a 5-1 lead.  After Skarupa and Leroux scored on kills, a pair of NA hitting errors cut the lead to 9-5.  It was as close as the Indians would get.  A block by Nolan, a kill down the line by Nicklas, another block by Skarupa, a Nolan kill down the middle, and two more kills by Skarupa put the Tigers ahead 19-8.  Three straight NA blocks extended the margin to 23-9.  After Leroux went off the PH blockers, senior Trevor King came in and ended the game with a big hit down the middle as NA won game two, 25-11, to take a two games to none lead in the match.

Penn Hills came out strong in game three and took an early 6-3 lead behind the hitting of David Bonnett.  Leroux answered with two quick kills and junior setter Steve Semler put the Tigers back on to with two straight service aces.  After a Bonnett kill tied the game, Leroux dropped in an ace and Nolan blocked for a point as the Tigers took a 10-7 lead.  A kill by Larsen and an NA service error cut the margin to 10-9.  Skarupa came back for a pair of kills but Bonnett answered once again to cut the NA advantage to 15-13.  King went down the line, but Larsen answered as the teams exchanged points.  After Nolan scored on a quick set to push the lead to 19-16, a service error brought Penn Hills back to within two again.  The Tigers then took over down the stretch.  Leroux rolled the ball over the net for a kill, Skarupa blocked two more PH attempts and added a kill as the score went to 24-19.  After a Bonnett kill, Skarupa ended the game and the match with a blast down the middle.  The Tigers won game three, 25-20, and the match, three games to none.

It was a dominating performance for the Tigers particularly at the net where their size advantage paid off.  Leroux had another good night with 5 kills, 16 perfect passes, three aces, 6 digs and two blocks.  Nolan added 5 kills and four blocks while Nicklas had four blocks.  Semler went over the 1000 mark for assists with 35 in the match along with two service aces.  Defensively, Wappler was outstanding with 10 perfect passes, 9 digs (several of which were spectacular!), and four aces, senior DS John Friel had four digs and senior DS Matt Dunn added four digs.  For his strong play at the net, the North Allegheny Sports Network named John Skarupa as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers will play in tomorrow night's championship final against the Fox Chapel Foxes, a 3-2 winner over Hempfield last night.  The match will be played at LaRoche College and will be broadcast LIVE on the internet by the North Allegheny Sports Network.  The pre-game show is scheduled for 7:45 pm with match time set for 8:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN HILLS - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
Penn Hills 15 11 20 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS KNOCK OFF PLUM, 3-1, TO
ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS

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

Led by the return of junior OH J.J. Leroux who posted 13 kills, the Tigers defeated the Plum Mustangs, 3-1, at the Senior High gym on Monday night in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AAA tournament.  Junior MH John Skarupa had 17 kills and three blocks while junior setter Steve Semler was on the mark with 44 assists.

In game one, the teams played on even terms early with Plum taking an early 5-3 lead behind the hitting of Chris Yankosko and Mike Cuccaro.  The Tigers rallied to take the lead for good at 6-5.  Leroux cut the lead to one, senior MB Mike Scherer tied the game, and Leroux went down the line to put NA on top.  Another kill by Leroux and a blast down the middle by senior MH John Nolan extended the margin to 10-7.  Leroux then stepped behind the line to serve three consecutive aces as the lead went to 14-7.  Junior opposite Steve Nicklas came off the NA bench for a kill and Skarupa hit the back line to push the margin to 16-9.  Two more kills by Skarupa, a block by Semler and another block by Skarupa made it 20-11.  Down the stretch, Leroux added two more big hits and senior DS Matt Dunn served an ace as the Tigers went on to take game one, 25-13.

The Tigers took an early lead in game two and were never headed.  After Snyder blocked for a point to make it 2-0, senior opposite Alex Grega served an ace, Snyder went cross court, and Skarupa scored on a quick set to push the lead to 5-1.  Cuccaro led a Mustang comeback that cut the lead to 6-5, but that's as close as Plum would get.  Leroux went down the line, Scherer added another kill, and Leroux scored off the Plum blockers to extend the margin to 10-6.  With NA up, 12-9, Snyder picked up a facial and a blast down the middle and Skarupa blocked for a point to make it a 15-9 game.  Dunn served an ace, Skarupa scored on a slide, and Semler blocked for a point as the lead went to 19-11.  Down the stretch, NA outscored Plum, 6-1, with kills by Leroux, Grega and junior libero John Wappler along with an ace by Semler, with Leroux putting the finishing touches on a 25-14 win with a strong hit off the Plum front line blockers.  The Tigers took a two games to none lead in the match.

In game three, three kills by Skarupa and a Plum service error gave the Tigers an early 4-2 lead.  Plum came back, however, determined to salvage a game.  The teams battled back and forth with ties at six, seven, nine, ten, eleven and twelve with senior setter Mike Larko keeping the Mustangs in the game.  A kill by Skarupa and a pair of hitting errors by Plum allowed the Tigers to take a 15-12 lead.  Larko then scored on a tip and a kill as Plum again tied the game at 16-16.  Sophomore Sean Marvich took over for Plum down the stretch with three consecutive blocks to give the Mustangs a 21-20 advantage.  A kill by Marvich and another by Cuccaro gave Plum a 25-22 victory in game three cutting the NA lead to two games to one in the match.

Game four belonged to the Tigers.  After Snyder scored off the Plum blockers, Grega served five straight points including an ace with kills by Semler, Skarupa and Snyder helping the run.  After Plum scored on a NA serving error, the Tigers continued to increase the lead.  With Skarupa serving, the Mustangs committed three consecutive hitting errors to push the lead to 12-2.  Skarupa added another point with a kill from the back row, and Scherer and Semler picked up blocks as the lead went to 15-2.  After two Plum points, Leroux, Nicklas and Nolan all scored on kills to push the margin to 19-5. With NA up, 20-6, junior Derek Zweig came in to serve three straight points.  Fittingly, Leroux finished things with a strong hit to give NA a 25-7 victory in game four and a 3-1 win in the match.

It was a good win for the Tigers on a night when the co-champions of Section 2 were going down to defeat.  Statistically, the Tigers dominated the match.  Leroux added 11 perfect passes, three aces and four digs to his comeback effort.  Snyder added eight kills and Semler four blocks.  Once again, the NA defense played well with Wappler recording 14 perfect passes and six digs, Dunn five perfect passes, and Grega six digs.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected J.J. Leroux as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers advance to the semifinals against Penn Hills at North Hills tomorrow night.  Penn Hills was a surprise 3-2 winner at Shaler while Seneca Valley was knocked off by Fox Chapel, 3-2.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 pm.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PLUM - 1

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Plum 13 14 25 7 1
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 22 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS HOLD OFF AMBRIDGE, 3-2,
ON SENIOR NIGHT

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

The Tigers were able to defeat the Ambridge Bridgers, 3-2, on Senior Night on Thursday night at the Senior High gym, but it wasn't easy.  After NA won the first two games, the Bridgers came back to win the next two.  In game five, the Tigers prevailed, 18-16.  Junior John Skarupa led the way with 22 kills and eight blocks with senior Matt Snyder adding 17 kills.  Junior setter Steve Semler recorded 57 assists during the long match.

In the first game, the teams played on even terms early in the contest.  Good hitting by Skarupa, Snyder, and senior MH John Nolan was offset by the strong play of Chris Vrooman, Luke Ecimovic and Nick Goodell.  With the game tied at 11-11, the Tigers went on a run to take the lead.  A hitting error, a kill by senior DS Bernardo Fernandes and a block by Skarupa put NA on top, 15-11.  Skarupa, Snyder and Nolan all had kills as the Tigers pushed the margin to 20-15.  A kill by senior OH Trevor King and several Ambridge hitting errors put the game at 24-18.  A block by Skarupa gave the Tigers a 25-18 victory in game one.

In game two with the score tied at 4-4, an ace by Brian Presto, a kill by Vrooman and several NA hitting errors put the Bridgers on top, 7-4.  The Tigers rallied to tie the score at 10-10 on hits by Nolan and junior opposite Steve Nicklas.  The teams continued to exchange points until the Tigers were able to use a dink and a kill by Skarupa and a block by Snyder to take a 17-14 lead.  The teams exchanged points until Nolan's kill gave NA a 21-18 advantage.  Down the stretch, Ambridge hitting errors and a block by Skarupa put NA at game point, 24-21.  A blast by Skarupa down the middle ended game two with the Tigers winning, 25-21, and taking a two games to none lead in the match.

In game three, it was Ambridge that took the early lead and maintained it throughout most of the game.  Strong hitting by Charlie Goodell, Vrooman, and Nick Goodell put Ambridge ahead, 9-5.  With the Bridgers holding a 13-8 lead, the Tigers rallied behind a block and a kill by Skarupa and several Ambridge errors that allowed NA to close within one at 14-13.  Skarupa's kill near the back line finally tied the game at 16-16.  After a Snyder block gave the Tigers their only lead of the contest, a kill by Ecimovic and an NA hitting error put Ambridge back on top.  After kills by Vrooman and Mat Morski pushed the lead to 22-19, Nicklas went cross court and Skarupa down the middle to cut the margin to 22-21.  After Morski and King exchanged points, a kill by Charlie Goodell off the NA blockers put Ambridge at game point.  A block by Vrooman gave the win to the Bridgers, 25-22, as they cut the lead in the match to two games to one.

Game four was a classic.  The Tigers started quickly building a 9-4 advantage behind the hitting of Skarupa and Snyder.  Kills by Nicklas and Skarupa kept the lead at five with the score going to 14-9.  Vrooman then led an Ambridge comeback with an ace by Charlie Goodell cutting the lead to 16-15.  Senior MH Mike Scherer, Snyder and Semler countered the hitting of Vrooman to keep the Tigers on top, 21-18.  After Morski tied the game at 22-22, Skarupa hit the back line and an Ambridge hitting error put the Tigers at game and match point, 24-22.  A kill and an ace by Charlie Goodell tied the game and Vrooman went off the NA blockers to put Ambridge at game point.  After Snyder tied the game, Vrooman again scored down the middle to make it 26-25.  A service error tied the game again, but the Tigers were called for a net violation making it 27-26.  A kill by Snyder and a kill by King off the Bridger blockers put NA back on top, 28-27.  Ecimovic then tied the game on a disputed tip.  A kill by Vrooman and an NA hitting error gave Ambridge a 30-28 victory in game four and tied the match at two games each.

In game five, the Tigers took a quick 6-3 lead on kills by Nolan, Scherer, and a pair of service errors by the Bridgers.  A kill by Nicklas and a block by King, along with a Bridger hitting error, extended the margin to 9-4.  Nick Goodell answered with a kill and a block, Ectimovic added a block, and Charlie Goodell a kill as the Bridgers rallied to cut the lead to 10-9.  After King went off the Ambridge blockers, Charlie Goodell answered with a kill to make it 11-10.  Skarupa and Snyder then posted kills to push the lead to 13-10.  After Vrooman went down the middle, Snyder answered with a cross court hit that put the Tigers at game and match point.  With NA leading, 14-11, Ambridge rallied to score the next four points with Vrooman leading the charge with three kills.  With Ambridge leading, 15-14, Scherer scored off the Ambridge blockers to tie the game.  Vrooman's blast down the middle was answered by Snyder as the score went to 16-16.  King gave NA the lead with a big hit that Ambridge blocked out of bounds.  An Ambridge attempt at the back line missed and the Tigers finally gained an 18-16 win in game five to win the match, three games to two.

In addition to the totals by Skarupa and Snyder, Nolan added seven kills, Scherer six kills, and  King six kills and five blocks.  The Tiger defense was strong again with junior libero John Wappler posting 19 perfect passes and 12 digs, senior DS Matt Dunn nine perfect passes and seven digs, and senior DS John Friel five perfect passes.  The Tiger team posted no errors in game one.  For his work down the stretch, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Matt Snyder as the Player of the Match.  Snyder had no errors in games one, two and four.

With the win, the Tigers completed their regular season with an overall record of 12-2.  The pairings meeting will be on Monday to decide the playoff dates, sites and opponents.  We will post the pairings as soon as we receive them.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  AMBRIDGE - 2

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 4 5 FINAL
Ambridge 18 21 25 30 16 2
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 22 28 18 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NORTH HILLS NO MATCH FOR TIGERS, 3-0, AS NA FINISHES AS SECTION CO-CHAMPION

Photo Gallery

The Tigers overwhelmed North Hills, 3-0, at North Hills on Tuesday night to finish the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in Section 2-AAA.  Twelve different players had kills for the Tigers as Coach Dan Schall played a number of players in the match.

The Tigers won the first game, 25-10, the second, 25-11, and finished the Indians with a 25-5 crushing in game three.  A number of players posted match stats.  Leading the way at the net were senior opposite Alex Grega with 7 kills, junior OH Kevin Dyer with six, senior MB Mike Scherer with four kills and two blocks, sophomore Matt Miller with two blocks, and junior OH Steve Nicklas with two blocks.  Setting was shared by junior Steve Semler with 19 assists and freshman Michael Krepp with ten.  Defensively, junior DS John Wappler had 6 digs and four perfect passes, junior OH Derek Zweig had five digs, sophomore DS Matt Robertson had five digs and three perfect passes, and senior DS Bernardo Fernandes had four perfect passes.

With the win, the Tigers finish with a section record of 8-2 and tied with Seneca Valley and Shaler for the section title.  The Tigers will host Ambridge tomorrow night on Senior Night.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 25 3
North Hills 10 11 5 0

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS BLANK HEMPFIELD, 3-0

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

The Tigers handed visiting Hempfield a 3-0 shutout at the Senior High gym on Monday night in a non-section match.  The Spartans came into the match ranked #2 in Quad A but were no match for the Tigers.  Junior MB John Skarupa posted 11 kills, senior OH Trevor King nine and senior OH Matt Snyder six with junior setter Steve Semler picking up 30 assists. 

The Tigers took control from the outset in game one building a 10-1 lead.  A block by Skarupa set the stage as senior opposite Alex Grega served six straight points.  King picked up two kills and Snyder one and Hempfield contributed several hitting errors to aid the NA cause.  The Spartans rallied behind kills by 6-7 senior MH Joe Sunder and setter Phil Karanovich to cut the lead to 12-4, but game one belonged to the Tigers.  Kills by King and Snyder, along with a tip by Semler, and continued hitting errors by Hempfield allowed the lead to increase to 19-10.  A cross-court hit by Snyder and a service ace by Skarupa put the Tigers at game point.  With Snyder serving, the Spartans once again could not return the serve as the Tigers won game one, 25-14.  Hempfield committed 16 hitting errors in the contest.

In game two, the teams played evenly in the early going battling to a 5-5 tie.  Sunder had a pair of kills but King and Skorupa answered during the run.  A block by junior OH Steve Nicklas gave NA the lead, but OH Drew Dvorsky brought the Spartans even at 8-8.  A big blast by a high flying Snyder put the Tiger ahead for good at 9-8.  Kills by Skorupa and Snyder pushed the margin to 15-12.  After Semler scored down the middle, two kills by Dvorsky brought Hempfield back to within two at 16-14.  With NA up 18-15, the Tigers took over.  Senior MH Mike Scherer found the back corner, Snyder served an ace, and senior MH John Nolan and King blocked for points as the Tigers increased the margin to 24-16.  A kill by King ended game two with NA winning, 25-16, and taking a two games to none lead in the match.

The game was even in the early going in game three with Skarupa and Sunder exchanging points.  With the score tied at 5-5, junior libero John Wappler got a kill off the Hempfield blockers to give the Tigers the lead for good.  Dvorsky had a pair of kills to keep the Spartans close but King answered with three kills as NA extended the lead to 12-7.  Sunder led a Spartan rally with two kills and a service ace as Hempfield cut the lead to 17-16.  Nolan's kill sent the Tigers on an 8-2 run to end the game and the match.  Snyder added an ace, King went down the middle, Wappler served an ace, and Skarupa added a pair of kills to push the lead to 24-18.  Nolan ended the night for the Spartans with a big swing as the Tigers won game three, 25-18, and the match, three games to none. Hempfield did not have a good night committing a total of 34 total errors.

Statistically, senior DS Matt Dunn added four perfect passes and seven digs and senior DS John Friel had three perfect passes.  The star of the match, however, was Wappler with nine digs and nine perfect passes.  For his all-around performance, the North Allegheny Sports Network named John Wappler as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers improved their overall record to 10-2 and should increase their chances for a higher seed in the upcoming WPIAL tournament.  NA will visit North Hills tonight as section play ends.  A win against the Indians will give the Tigers no less than a tie for the section championship.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  HEMPFIELD - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
Hempfield 14 16 18 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SENECA VALLEY STOPS TIGERS, 3-0

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

Seneca Valley defeated the Tigers in three straight games at the Senior High gym on Thursday night.  The Raiders won the first game, 25-23, the second, 25-16, and the third and final contest, 25-20.  Junior MH John Skarupa led NA with 11 kills while junior setter Steve Semler recorded 32 assists.

In the first game, the teams battled on even terms in the early going.  After Adam Beebe opened the scoring with a cross court hit, the Tigers answered on a kill by junior libero John Wappler who looped the ball over for a point.  The teams exchanged points all the way to a 9-9 tie with Adam Beebe, Dan Follett and Conor Barrett doing most of the damage for the Raiders.  For NA, senior MH John Nolan, junior OH Steve Nicklas and Skarupa answered.  Seneca opened a three-point lead at 12-9 on hits by Adam Beebe and Justin Hoffman.  After a Skorupa kill, Follett dropped in a dink as the lead went to 14-10.  Two kills by senior OH Matt Snyder and another by Nolan on a quick set brought the Tigers to within one at 16-15.  The teams continued to exchange points with NA tying the game at 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 with Nicklas, Snyder, Skarupa and senior MH Mike Scherer keeping NA close.  Senior OH Trevor King finally put the Tigers ahead, 23-22, on a kill off the Seneca blockers.  The Raiders regrouped, however, to score the last three points to win game one, 25-23.

The second game belonged to the Raiders.  After the Tigers rallied behind hits by senior opposite Alex Grega and Snyder to tie the game at 5-5, two NA hitting errors and a kill by Follett made it an 8-5 SV lead.  Kills by Adam Beebe and Follett extended the margin to 11-7 before Nolan went down the middle to stop the run.  The Raiders  then went on an 8-2 run to push the lead to 19-9 with big hits coming from Follett and Adam Beebe along with a block by setter Dan Beebe.  The Tigers rallied on a pair of kills by Snyder and another by Skarupa to cut the margin to 20-14.  Seneca closed out game two with a 5-2 run as Adam Beebe, Barrett and Follett ended the Tigers' chances with a 25-16 victory.

In game three, the teams battled evenly again exchanging points all the way to a 13-13 tie.  For NA, Skarupa came alive to score five kills with Nicklas and Nolan also contributing.  The Raiders took the lead, 15-13, on two hitting errors and were never headed.  A Nicklas block brought the Tigers to 15-14, but Adam Beebe, Hoffman and Dan Beebe all posted kills to extend the margin to 18-14.  Once again the Tigers rallied on a kill by Skarupa on a quick set, a Scherer dink, and a block by Semler to cut the lead to 20-19.  A cross court hit by Adam Beebe ended the run, and the Raiders finished things on hits by Follett, Dan Beebe, and fittingly by Adam Beebe to end game three with a 25-20 victory and the match in three straight games.

The Tigers played well at times but could not find the answer to Seneca's Adam Beebe for much of the evening.  Statistically, in addition to Skarupa's 11 kills, Snyder added eight kills, 7 digs, and seven perfect passses, Nicklas 5 kills and three blocks, and Nolan with five kills and four blocks.  Wappler was solid again on defense with 8 digs and 13 perfect passes, while Grega recorded  5 digs and senior DS John Friel six perfect passes.  For his timely hitting and blocking during the match, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Steve Nicklas as the player of the match.

With the loss, the Tigers section record fell to 7-2 and dropped them into a first place tie with both Seneca Valley and Shaler.   The overall NA mark is now 9-2 on the season.  The Tigers will host Hempfield on Monday night in a non-section contest at the Senior High gym.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
Seneca Valley 25 25 25 3
NORTH ALLEGHENY 23 16 20 0

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS FINISH OFF FOX CHAPEL IN
THREE STRAIGHT

The Tigers traveled to Fox Chapel on Tuesday night and came home with a big victory.  NA downed the Foxes in three straight games, 25-16, 25-19, and 25-23 to remain in first place in Section 2.  The Tigers won the match at the net behind the strong play of junior MB John Skarupa, senior OH Matt Snyder and senior OH Trevor King.

Junior setter Steve Semler set the table for the NA hitters recording 37 assists and adding a pair of blocks.  Skarupa finished with 17 kills, 6 blocks and four digs, while Snyder added 13 kills and an ace and King 8 kills, five perfect passes, and two blocks.  Senior MH John Nolan chipped in with five kills and two blocks.  Defensively, junior DS John Wappler was huge with 15 digs and 13 perfect passes with senior DS John Friel recording four perfect passes and senior DS Alex Grega four digs.  Snyder did not make an error in the first two games while Skarupa was errorless during games one and three.

With the win, the Tigers improved their section mark to 7-1, the overall record to 9-1 on the season.  NA will host Seneca Valley tomorrow night with the section title on the line.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  FOX CHAPEL - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 25 3
Fox Chapel 16 19 23 0

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS FALL TO HEMPFIELD IN
FINAL OF PLUM TOURNAMENT

The Tigers advanced all the way to the championship game of the Plum Invitational on Saturday before losing to Hempfield.  NA knocked off host Plum in the quarterfinals and Penn Hills in the semis before the loss to the Spartans.

Statistically, junior MB John Skarupa led the way with 33 kills and 11 blocks while senior Matt Snyder added 23 kills and senior John Nolan 16 kills.  Junior setter Steve Semler posted 49 assists and 7 blocks, senior opposite Alex Grega recorded 7 digs and three services aces, and junior OH Kevin Dyer three aces.  Defensively, junior DS John Wappler had 16 digs and 39 perfect passes, senior DS Matt Dunn, 8 digs and 15 perfect passes and senior DS Bernardo Fernandes 11 perfect passes.

The Tigers will resume section play on Tuesday night when they travel to Fox Chapel for a 7:00 pm section contest.  On Thursday night, NA returns home to meet second place Seneca Valley in a match that will probably decide the section title.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there on Thursday night to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

JV NOTES: The JV team won the Penn Hills Invitational on Saturday!

PLUM INVITATIONAL
Saturday, April 28, 2007

QUARTERFINALS
Hempfield - 1  Derry - 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  Plum - 0
Norwin - 1  Penn-Trafford - 0
Penn Hills - 1  Montour - 0
SEMIFINALS
Hempfield - 1   Norwin - 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  Penn Hills - 0
FINAL
Hempfield - 1  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS REBOUND TO BEAT BUTLER, 3-1

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

After losing their first match of the season on Tuesday night at Shaler, the Tigers came back to beat Butler, 3-1, at the Senior High gym on Thursday night.  Junior John Skarupa led the way with 23 kills and 12 blocks with junior setter Steve Semler posting 48 assists.

The Tigers took control from the outset of game one as they jumped off to a 9-0 lead behind the serves of senior Alex Grega who served eight straight points.  Skarupa had two kills, junior OH Derek Zweig added one and Grega served an ace during the run.  Butler rallied to cut the lead to 11-4 won kills by Rob Soldner.  Kills by senior MB Mike Scherer, senior MH John Nolan, and senior OH Matt Snyder pushed the margin to 15-4.  Andrew Willison brought the Tornado back with three kills but the Tigers still led by ten at 19-9.  Snyder scored on two quick kills and a lift by Butler pushed the lead to 22-10 before Justin Holt dropped in a dink for the Tornado.  With the Tigers up 24-14,  junior opposite Steve Nicklas finished off the Tornado with a well place shot just inside the back line.  The Tigers won game one, 25-14.

In game two, the Tigers again took an early lead on a pair of kills by Grega and another by Skarupa.  Two Butler hitting errors made it 5-2 before Soldner scored on two kills to offset another Skarupa blast to cut the lead to 6-5.  NA then went on an 8-2 run to take control of the game.  Two kills by Skarupa, a kill down the middle by Scherer, an ace by Skarupa, and a  blast by Snyder gave NA a 14-7 advantage.  Semler scored on a tip and Skarupa added yet another kill before Billy Roberts answered with a pair of kills to make it a 17-9 game.  Hitting errors by Butler along with kills by Nolan and Skarupa pushed the NA lead to 22-10.  Two kills by both Soldner and Walter Santa cut the margin to 24-14 before Scherer went down the middle to end the second game with the Tigers winning, 25-14.  NA took a two games to none lead in the match.

Butler came out strong in game three and stayed close in the early going.  After two kills by Skarupa and one by Grega gave the Tigers an early 4-2 lead, Santa picked up a pair of kills to make it a 5-4 game.  Once again, Skarupa scored off the Tornado blockers and served an ace but Butler answered on a Holt block to cut the lead to 7-6.  Nolan and Scherer kept the Tigers on top until a kill by Cody Moffitt and a block by Roberts allowed Butler to tie the game at 10-10.  The Tigers built a 14-11 lead behind a kill, a dink and a block by Skarupa but Butler came back again to tie the game at 16-16 on hits by Santa, Roberts, and Soldner.  Once again, NA scored three straight to take a 19-16 lead on a kill by senior OH Trevor King and two Butler hitting errors.  Roberts and hitting errors by the Tigers allowed the Tornado to tie the game again at 20-20.  A kill by Willison was answered by Nolan, but Roberts put Butler ahead for good at 22-21.  A block by Santa ended game three with Butler scoring a 25-22 victory and cutting the NA lead to two games to one in the match.

Butler used the momentum from game three to take a 5-1 lead early in game four.  A putback on an overpass and a kill both by Skarupa brought the Tigers to within one a 5-4, but the Tornado continued to play well.  Kills by Santa and Willison and several NA hitting errors gave Butler a 10-6 lead before the Tigers rallied.  Kills by Scherer and Zweig and Butler hitting errors brought NA even with the Tornado at 11-11.  Willison scored two quick kills, but NA answered on blocks by Nolan and Skarupa to jump ahead, 14-13.  After a Santa block, Skarupa scored on two kills and combined with Semler on a block to push the Tigers to an 18-14 advantage.  After Moffitt sent a kill cross court, Snyder took over for the Tigers.  The NA senior scored the final seven points on kills that went off the Butler blockers, cross court and down the middle.  With Snyder leading the way, the Tigers won game four, 25-16, and the match, three games to one.

It was a good performance by the Tigers in games one, two and four.   At the net in addition to Skarupa, Snyder added nine kills and Scherer six.  On defense, junior DS John Wappler tallied 20 perfect passes and 7 digs, senior DS Matt Dunn seven digs, Grega 5 digs, and junior OH Kevin Dyer seven perfect passes.  For his role in taking charge at the end of the fourth and deciding game, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Matt Snyder as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers improved their section record to 6-1 and moved back into first place in Section 2 with Seneca Valley losing to Shaler.  The overall NA record improved to 8-1.  The Tigers will travel to Plum tomorrow morning for the Plum Invitational with action getting under way at 8:00 am.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 1

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Butler 14 14 25 16 1
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 22 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SHALER UPSETS TIGERS, 3-1

Photo Gallery

The Tigers lost their first match of the season with a 3-1 defeat at Shaler on Tuesday night.  Junior MB John Skarupa had 17 kills and six blocks while junior setter Steve Semler recorded 36 assists to pace NA.  The Titans won the first two games, 25-16 and 25-14, before the Tigers came back to take game three, 25-16.  In the fourth and final game, Shaler held off NA, 25-23, to win the match, three games to one.

Senior OH Matt Snyder posted seven kills and 4 digs, junior OH Derek Zweig added six kills, junior opposite Steve Nicklas had five kills and 4 blocks.  Defensively, junior DS John Wappler recorded 11 digs and 15 perfect passes, senior DS Matt Dunn had 8 digs and 10 perfect passes, senior DS John Friel added six digs and 6 perfect passes and senior opposite Alex Grega had six digs.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 5-1 in section play, 7-1 overall.  NA will host Butler tomorrow night in a section match at the Senior High gym.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
SHALER - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 4 FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY 16 14 25 23 1
Shaler 25 25 16 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS FALL IN QUARTERFINALS AT CENTRAL YORK

The Tigers gave eventual champion Souderton all they could handle before falling, 35-33, in the quarterfinals of the Koller Classic at Central York High School on Saturday.  The Tigers finished second in pool play with two wins over Red Land and a split with Central York.  In the first round, NA downed Cambridge Springs before losing the tough match to Souderton.  In the final, Souderton downed Montour in two games.

Leading the way for the Tigers were junior opposite Steve Nicklas with 17 kills and 9 blocks, junior MB John Skarupa with 37 kills, 8 blocks and 2 aces, and senior OH Matt Snyder with 15 kils, 3 blocks and 4 digs.  Junior setter Steve Semler recorded 84 assists, 5 blocks and 13 digs with junior DS John Wappler adding 39 perfect passes, 35 digs and one ace.  Also performing well for NA were senior DS John Friel with 20 perfect passes and 7 diggs, senior DS Matt Dunn with 20 perfect passes and 18 digs, and senior MB Mike Scherer with 8 blocks.

The Tigers will be back in section action on Tuesday night when they travel to Shaler.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

JV NOTES:  The JV team won the championship on Friday night by defeating Hempfield (District 3), 25-14. 

KOLLER CLASSIC
April 21, 2007

POOL PLAY (NA only)
NA 25 Central York - 23
Central York - 25 NA - 23
Montour - 25 NA - 22
Montour - 25 NA - 22
NA - 25 Red Land - 13
NA - 25 Red Land - 12
FIRST ROUND - Playoffs
NA def. Cambridge Springs
QUARTERFINALS
Souderton - 35  NA - 33
SEMIFINALS
Souderton def. Pennsbury
Montour def. Hempfield (Dist. 3)
FINAL
Souderton - 25 Montour - 17
Souderton - 25  Montour - 20

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS CRUSH NORTH HILLS, 3-0, TO REMAIN UNBEATEN IN SECTION PLAY

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

Despite missing two starters, the Tigers had little trouble with rival North Hills at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night as they defeated the Indians, 3-0.  North Hills scored on 22 total points as NA won the first game, 25-8, game two, 25-7, and the third and final game, 25-7.  Junior OH Kevin Dyer stepped in and led the Tigers with 11 kills while senior Matt Snyder took over the setter duties and recorded 18 assists.

After the teams were tied at 3-3 early in game one, the Tigers took control.  Junior MB John Skarupa served fourteen straight points to give NA a commanding 17-3 lead.  During the run, junior OH Derek Zweig contributed two kills, Skarupa served four aces, and the Indians contributed a number of hitting errors.  After Andrew Dames scored on a kill to stop the run, Zweig went off the NH blockers and senior MH John Nolan scored on a dink to make it 19-4.  The Indians got kills from Donte Anglin and Kyle Kirchgessner to cut the lead to 22-7 before senior OH Trevor King went off the blockers.  Skarupa ended the match with a pair of kills to give the Tigers a 25-8 victory in game one.  Skarupa finished his night's work with four kills and four aces.

In game two, Snyder served the first nine points of the game, including an ace, as NA dominated from the outset.  Kills by Zweig and senior MB Mike Scherer paced NA during the run.  After Anglin and Patrick Musgrave scored kills for the Indians, Scherer went down the middle, Zweig served an ace, and Dyer scored on a cross-court hit as the lead went to 14-3.  The Tigers went on another run to score eight of the next nine points.  A kill by Nolan, three more by Dyer, an ace by senior Bernardo Fernandes and yet another kill by Dyer marked the run as NA took a 22-5 lead.  After two NA errors, the Tigers finished off the Indians with a kill by Dyer, a blast by Nolan, and an ace by Dyer.  The Tigers won game two, 22-7, and took a two games to none lead in the match.

Game three was close early as Coach Dan Schall cleared the bench including three JV players that were brought up for the match.  After a kill by Kirchgessner closed the NA lead to 6-5, the Tigers went on a 9-1 run to take control.  Senior DS John Friel came in to serve four straight points including a pair of aces.  After an NH point, Dunn served four more points, including an ace, behind kills by senior opposite Alex Grega, Dyer, and Friel.  After an NA error made it 16-7, freshman Michael Krepp came in to serve the last nine points.  Kills by Dyer, Krepp and Grega, along with NH hitting errors, ended the night as the Tigers finished off the sweep with a 25-7 victory in game three.

The Tigers were without junior J.J. Leroux, out with a hand injury, and junior setter Steve Semler, home with the flu.  Dyer stepped in and had a big night with 11 kills, five perfect passes, four digs, and two aces.  Zweig finished with five kills, three perfect passes and two kills while Scherer added four kills.  Dunn had six digs and junior DS John Wappler posted four digs in limited action.  For his contributions, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Kevin Dyer as the Player of the Match.

With the win, the Tigers improved their section record to 5-0, the overall mark to 7-0.  The Tigers will travel to Central York for a tournament on Saturday that features some of the top teams in central and eastern Pennsylvania.  Action is scheduled to get under way at 8:30 am.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS - 0

SCORE BY GAMES 1 2 3 FINAL
North Hills 8 7 7 0
NORTH ALLEGHENY 25 25 25 3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS FALL IN SEMIFINALS OF
FOX CHAPEL CLASSIC

Photo Gallery

The Tigers were defeated by eventual champion Saegertown, 30-28, in the semifinals of the Fox Chapel Classic on Saturday.  NA had downed Spring Grove, 25-20, in the quarterfinals before losing to the Panthers.  The Tigers were led by All-Tournament selections junior OH J.J. Leroux, junior MB John Skarupa, and junior libero John Wappler.

In preliminary pool play, the Tigers defeated Moon, Baldwin, and Saegertown.  In second round pool action, NA beat Ambridge twice, lost a pair to Montour, and downed the host Foxes twice.

Statistically, Skarupa had a monster tournament with 47 kills, 11 blocks and 5 aces.  Leroux followed with 32 kills and 32 perfect passes while Wappler recorded 40 digs and 42 perfect passes.  Junior setter Steve Semler posted 109 assists and 7 blocks, senior MH John Nolan had 12 kills, senior opposite Alex Grega 15 digs, senior Matt Dunn 9 perfect passes and 9 digs, and senior Bernardo Fernandes 9 perfect passes.

The Tigers will resume section play on Tuesday when they host rival North Hills.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 5:50 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.  NATV will record the match for later broadcast.

FOX CHAPEL CLASSIC
Saturday, April 14, 2007

PRELIMINARY POOL PLAY (NA only)
NA - 30  Moon - 24
NA - 30  Baldwin - 28
NA - 30  Saegertown - 25
SECOND ROUND POOL PLAY (NA only)
NA - 25  Ambridge - 22
NA - 25  Ambridge - 21
Montour - 27  NA - 25
Montour - 25  NA - 23
NA - 25  Fox Chapel - 19
NA - 25  Fox Chapel - 21
QUARTERFINALS (NA only)
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 25  Spring Grove - 20
SEMIFINALS
Saegertown - 30  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 28
Montour - 25  Plum - 20
FINALS
Saegertown - 25  Montour - 17

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

J.J. LEROUX, OH - NORTH ALLEGHENY
JOHN SKARUPA, MB - NORTH ALLEGHENY
JOHN WAPPLER, LIBERO - NORTH ALLEGHENY
Chris Vrooman, OH - Ambridge
Eric Garrison, MB - Fox Chapel
Charlie Goodell, Opposite - Ambridge
Ryan Williams, Setter - Montour (MVP)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WPIAL VOLLEYBALL - 2007

The Tigers will compete in the newly created Class AAA along with 18 other teams.  The top four teams and ties for fourth place will enter the team championships set to begin on May 15, 2007.  Ties for first place will not be broken.  Teams tied for first place will be declared section co-champions.  Both will receive a plaque and both will enter the tournament.  If two teams tie for the fourth playoff entry, but one of the teams has lost both head-to-head section contests, that team will not enter the tournament round.  If multiple teams tie for the fourth playoff entry, that tie will be broken in the following manner:

a.  Section won-lost records of all the tied teams will be compiled
b.  The team with the best numerical section record among the tied teams will enter post-season play

EXAMPLE:

Teams A. B, and C are tied for fourth place.  In section competition between each other team A has a section record of 4-0, team B is 1-3, and team C is 1-3.  Team A will enter the tournament as the fourth team.

c.  If the tie cannot clearly be broken, all will enter post-season play.

All matches will be played with the best of five format.  The top three teams will represent the WPIAL at the PIAA Championships.  A consolation match will be held in each classification to determine the third place team.  The PIAA Championships will be held on June 1 and 2, 2007.

CLASS AAA - 19 TEAMS

SECTION 1 SECTION 2 SECTION 3
Baldwin NORTH ALLEGHENY Gateway
Bethel Park Butler Hempfield
Canon McMillan Fox Chapel Norwin
Central Catholic North Hills Penn Hills
Mt. Lebanon Seneca Valley Penn Trafford
Upper St. Clair Shaler Plum
    Woodland Hills

 

 

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

Baseball

Softball

Volleyball

Tennis

Track and Field

Girls' Lacrosse

Boys' Lacrosse
Rowing
Cheerleaders
Sports Update

Athletic Director

Baierl Center

NA Hall of Fame

Links

Lifetime Activities

Community Swimming
NA Athletic Training
Weekly Athletic Schedule
NASN Home Page