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LANG, FREYERMUTH NAMED TO
ALL-WPIAL FIRST TEAM

Photos Courtesy of Jeff Gleason

Senior outside hitters Jackie Lang and Gretta Freyermuth were selected to the WPIAL Class AAA All-Star First Team as chosen by the coaches.  Junior OH Leeanne Haus was named to the second team while junior setter Logan Meinert was selected to the third team.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JACKIE, GRETTA, LEEANNE AND LOGAN!!!

WPIAL CLASS AAA ALL-STAR TEAMS
FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

THIRD TEAM

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2008 PIAA SILVER MEDALISTS!

 Photo Courtesy of Don Sluka

ALLENTOWN CENTRAL CATHOLIC RALLIES TO BEAT
LADY TIGERS, 3-2, FOR STATE TITLE

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Allentown Central Catholic came from a 2-1 deficit to edge NA, 3-2, in the finals of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Central York High School on Saturday.  After losing game one, 25-23, NA won the next two, 25-20 and 25-22.  The Vikettes  came back with a big win in game four, 25-10, setting the stage for the game five finale.  In the fifth game, Allentown was able to prevail, 15-11.

Junior OH Leeanne Haus led the Lady Tigers with 14 kills with senior OH Jackie Lang adding 10.  Junior setter Logan Meinert recorded 43 assists with Lang and sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth combining for 13 blocks in the match.  The Vikettes (21-3) were led by hitters Becky Guman, Laura McFadden, Marika DeSanctis and Colleen Nosovitch.

In the semifinals, the Lady Tigers needed five games to eliminate Avon Grove.  After losing the first game, 25-18, NA came back to win the next two, 25-22 and 25-11.  Avon Grove took game four, 25-21, but the Lady Tigers prevailed in the fifth and final game, 15-13, to advance to the final.

It was an outstanding season for Coach Dan Schall and the Lady Tigers.  NA finished with an overall record of 19-5 that included the WPIAL championship.  In the final match, NA gave Allentown CC all the could handle.  In pool play, the Vikettes had defeated NA, 3-0.  Allentown CC was the 2007 champion and 2006 runnerup.  The Vikettes had also won the title in 2001.  The Pennsylvania Cable Network will televise a replay of the match on Wednesday, November 26 at 9:00 pm and Monday, December 1 at 12:00 noon.

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH SCHALL AND THE LADY TIGERS!!!

MATCH SUMMARY - PIAA CHAMPIONSHIP
ALLENTOWN CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

MATCH SUMMARY - PIAA SEMIFINALS
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  AVON GROVE - 2

2008 PIAA GIRLS' AAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

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LADY TIGERS ADVANCE TO PIAA SEMIFINALS

The Lady Tigers defeated Unionville, 3-0, and Penn Manor, 2-1, before losing to Allentown Central Catholic, 3-0, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Central York High School on Friday.  The 2-1 record in pool play was good enough for second place and advanced the Lady Tigers to the semifinals to be played this morning.

In the semifinal matchups, the Lady Tigers will play Avon Grove, the first place team from Pool A.  In the other semifinal, Allentown CC will take on Garden Spot.   Both matches are scheduled to begin at 11:40 am.  The two winners will play in the Championship final scheduled to start at 5:30 pm at Central York.  The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) will televise the final on a tape delay at 10:00 pm tonight.

FINAL POOL STANDINGS
POOL A

POOL B

* - advance to semifinals

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LADY TIGERS DUMP SCHENLEY, 3-0, IN
 FIRST ROUND OF PIAA PLAYOFFS

Photo Gallery

The Lady Tigers had little trouble with City League Champion Schenley on Tuesday night as they defeated the Spartans, 3-0, the the first round of the PIAA playoffs at North Hills.  NA won the first game, 25-14, cruised in the second, 25-7, and finished off Schenley, 25-12, in game three.

With the win, the Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA tournament on Friday at Central York High School.  NA is bracketed in Pool B along with Unionville, Penn Manor, and Allentown Central Catholic.  Pool play is scheduled to get under way at 2:00 pm on Friday.  The top two teams will advance to the semifinals on Saturday afternoon.  The final will be played on Saturday night beginning at 5:30 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SCHENLEY - 0

PIAA CLASS AAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

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LADY TIGERS RALLY TO TOP PINE-RICHLAND,
3-1, TO WIN WPIAL TITLE

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

The Pine-Richland Lady Rams won the first match, but the Lady Tigers stormed back to win the next three to capture the WPIAL Class AAA Championship at Chartiers Valley HS on Saturday night.  Junior Leeanne Haus led the way with 22 kills with senior OH Gretta Freymuth adding eleven kills and two blocks and senior OH Jackie Lang nine kills as NA won their third WPIAL title.  After the Rams won the first game, 25-22, NA grabbed an early lead and held off P-R, 25-21, in game two.  In the crucial third game, the Lady Tigers again jumped ahead early on their way to a 25-20 win.  In the fourth and final game, the Lady Tigers pulled away to a 25-16 victory and the championship.

In game one, junior setter Logan Meinert got NA off to a good start with a two-handed kill down the middle.  MB Melissa Morgan and OH Julia McCabe put the Rams ahead 3-2 before Haus went down the middle to tie the score at 3-3.  After MH Carolyn Stegar of the Rams scored off a slide to give PR a 5-4 lead, Haus answered to tie the game.  Three Ram errors gave NA an 8-5 advantage before McCabe scored on a cross court hit.  McCabe and Meinert exchanged kills before Gretta Freyermuth went cross court to give the Lady Tigers a 10-7 advantage.   At this point, the Lady Rams rallied to score the next six points to take a 13-10 lead.  McCabe had a kill and a block, setter Maria Nicholas served an ace, and NA committed several hitting errors during the run.  Gretta Freyermuth finally had an answer with a kill off the front row blockers.  A block by Gretta Freyermuth cut the deficit to one at 13-12.  Hanna Muzzonigro came off the Ram bench to block for a point, but sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth answered with a kill off a quick set to cut the lead to 15-14.  But game one belonged to Pine-Richland as they extended the lead to 20-15 on kills by Ram OH Caitlyn Scioscia and Steger.  NA rallied behind a service ace by Haus and a pair of Ram mistakes to make it a 20-18.  With PR up, 22-18, Gretta Freyermuth went down the middle, and senior libero Liz Overbauth served an ace to cut the margin to 22-20.  Two NA errors put the Rams at game point, 24-20.  A Ram hitting error and a kill by Lang down the middle made it 24-22, but an NA hitting error ended game one with the Rams taking a 25-22 victory and a one game to none lead in the match.

The Lady Tigers came out with a purpose in game two and quickly took a 4-1 lead on a pair of kills by Haus and a block by Kassie Freyermuth.  After a kill by OH Cassie Muzzonigro, NA scored the next four points on two kills by Haus and a pair of Ram hitting errors as the Tiger lead went to 8-2.  After an NA hitting error, it was Haus again with a kill on the back line and a score off the P-R blockers as the Lady Tigers extended the margin to 11-4.  Stegar came back with a kill, but Gretta Freyermuth went down the line and Meinert scored on another two-handed push to make it 13-5.  After McCabe went off the NA blockers, Gretta Freyermuth scored down the middle and cross court, and Lang added a kill off the Ram blockers as NA pushed the lead to 17-6.  The Rams regrouped, however, and began a comeback.  After McCabe went cross court, a pair of NA hitting errors, a service error by the Lady Tigers, a violation by NA and a yet another hitting error brought Pine-Richland to within nine at 19-10.  Haus and senior MB Kayleigh Tony then scored on cross court kills to make it 21-10 and it looked like game two was over.  The Lady Rams had other ideas, however, as Morgan, Scoiscia, and Steger scored consecutive kills to cut the lead to 21-13 forcing NA Head Coach Dan Schall to take a time out.  After Haus hit the back line, the Ram comeback continued.  Stegar scored off a quick set and a lift against NA made it a 22-15 game.  Kassie Freyermuth answered with a kill, but several NA errors and an ace by Scioscia cut the margin to 23-19.  McCabe cut it to a three-point deficit with a kill off the NA blockers before Meinert answered with a tip that brought NA to game points at 24-20.  After a service error, the sixth of the night by the Lady Tigers, Gretta Freyermuth sent a hard smash down the middle to end game two and give NA a 25-21 victory and tied the match at one game each.  Haus led NA with eight kills while Gretta Freyermuth added four kills and a block.

In the crucial third game, the Lady Tigers again jumped off to an early lead.  A block by Kassie Freyermuth, a kill by Lang off the PR blockers, a kill by Kassie to the back line, and a blast by Haus down the middle gave NA a 4-1 advantage. The Rams came back on NA hitting errors to cut the lead to 5-4 before NA ran off six straight points to take a 10-4 lead.  It was Lang and Haus leading the way during the run.  An ace by Scioscia and two NA errors cut the lead to 10-7 before Haus went down the line and Meinert scored on another left handed tip to make it 12-7.  McCabe led a Ram rally that cut the margin to 12-11 before Tony put back an overpass.  Pine-Richland was able to take a 16-15 lead on a Morgan cross court hit and NA errors.  Haus answered with an overpass putback and a scored down the middle to give NA a 19-16 lead and causing PR Coach Emily Gerega to call a time out.  After a Ram hitting error, a Morgan kill, a Stegar block and a Morgan ace made it 20-18 before Haus went off the front row blockers to restore a three-point lead.  Stegar then went down the middle and an NA hitting error cut the NA lead to 21-20.  After Haus scored again down the line, two Ram hitting errors pushed NA to game point.  Fittingly, Haus scored down the middle to give the Lady Tigers a 25-20 victory in game three and a two games to one lead in the match.  Haus finished with 10 kills in game three giving her 20 in the match to this point.  Lang added four kills for NA.

With a 2-1 lead, the Lady Tigers again took control at the beginning of game four.  Meinert served an ace, Lang scored twice on kills, and Gretta Freyermuth went down the middle as NA jumped off to a 5-0 lead.  The Rams came back as they had down all night long on kills by McCabe and Morgan, along with another ace by Morgan, to cut the lead to 6-5 before Kassie Freyermuth answered with a cross court kill.  After a McCabe kill, NA scored the next five points to open a 12-7 lead on an ace by Lang, an overpass putback by Tony, and several P-R hitting errors.  After Haus scored on a two-handed push, the Rams picked up a pair of points on NA errors to cut the lead to 14-8.  Gretta Freyermuth came back with a cross court hit and Meinert continued to find open spaces with her left-handed tips to extend the lead to 16-8 before McCabe went cross court for a kill.  Meinert scored on yet another left-handed tip before McCabe came back with a kill off the NA blockers to cut the margin to 18-11.  After Lang went cross court, the Rams scored three quick points on a Morgan kill down the middle, a kill by Stegar off a slide, and another Stegar kill off a quick set to cut the lead to 19-14.  It was a last gasp by the Rams as NA went on a 6-2 run to close out the match.  Haus scored off the blockers and Gretta Freyermuth scored down the middle to make it 22-15.  After two misplays by the Rams, Scoiscia scored off the NA blockers to bring NA to game and match point.  A Pine-Richland service error ended the game and match with NA winning game four by a 25-16 score and the match by a three games to one count.

It was a great team effort by the Lady Tigers.  Meinert was on target for most of the match and added seven kills in addition to her assists.  The NA front line of Haus, Gretta and Kassie Freyermuth, Lang, and Tony controlled play at times, particularly in the last three games.  Kassie Freyermuth contributed four kills and two blocks and Tony four kills for the winning Lady Tigers.  Defensively, Davies and Overbaugh played well in the back digging a number of balls to save points for the Lady Tigers.   For her outstanding play, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Leeanne Haus as the Player of the Match.

With the win, NA improved their overall record to 17-3 on the season as they advanced to the PIAA Tournament.  The Lady Tigers will play the City League Champion Schenley on Tuesday night at North Hills with match time set for 7:00 pm. 

(Thanks to Jordan Dee for the unofficial statistics used in this report!)

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH SCHALL AND THE LADY TIGERS!!!!!

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PINE-RICHLAND - 1

WPIAL CLASS AAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

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LADY TIGERS BLANK LEBO, 3-0,
TO ADVANCE TO WPIAL FINAL

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

The Lady Tigers defeated the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils in three straight games, all by identical 25-22 scores, at Chartiers Valley on Thursday night in the semifinals of the WPIAL Class AAA tournament.  Senior OH Jackie Lang recorded 14 kills to pace NA with senior OH Gretta Freyermuth adding nine kills, 2 blocks and an ace and junior OH Leanne Haus posting nine kills.  Senior OH Sara Scheirman led Lebo with 17 kills.

Game one was close from the outset with the teams tied at 4-4 early.  Errors accounted fro the first four points before Scheirman scored down the middle and Laura Dadowski added a kill to give Lebo a 6-4 advantage.  Haus put back an overpass and a carry on Lebo tied the score before Rebecca Reimer dropped in a dink and Alex Taylor served an ace to put Lebo back ahead, 8-6.  A kill by Gretta Freyermuth off the front row blockers was answered by Lebo setter Kate Begor .  After NA could not return a serve by Laura Dadowski, junior setter Logan Meinert went down the middle with a push, Lang scored off the Lebo blockers, and Gretta went cross court to tie the game at 10-10.  After Scheirman and Gretta Freyermuth exchanged kills, Haus sent a kill down the middle to put NA up, 12-11.  After an NA hitting error tied the game, Lang went off the blockers to make it a 13-12 game.  Scheirman dropped in a dink to tie the game, but NA came back with three straight points on a kill by senior MB Kayleigh Tony off a quick set, a Haus blast down the middle and a carry by Lebo.  After Taylor hit the back line to cut the lead to two, Lang scored from the back row to put NA up, 17-14.  Two NA errors brought Lebo to within one before Gretta Freyermuth answered with a dink to make it 18-16.  With NA ahead, 19-17, Scheirman scored with a kill down the middle and NA committed a center line violation as Lebo tied the game at 19-19.  An error by each team pushed the score to 20-20.  The Lady Tigers then scored the next four points on a dink by Lang, two violations by Lebo, and a service ace by junior DS Kelsey Davies.  After Scheirman hit the back line and an NA hitting error, Lang put the Blue Devils away in game one with a two-handed push as NA won, 25-22, to take a one game to none lead in the match.

The Lady Tigers jumped off to a big lead in game two and then had to hold off a Lebo rally to win.  Meinert served the first four points, including an ace, to go along with a Lang kill and several Lebo errors as NA led 4-0.  After an NA hitting error, sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth went down the middle and Lang scored on a dink before Scheirman scored down the middle as the score went to 6-2.  A kill by Lang off the Lebo blockers, a block by Tony and a kill by Tony extended the margin to 9-2.  After Begor picked up a Lebo kill, Haus made a great play diving into the stands to save the ball and then getting back to the net to finish the play with a kill down the middle.  It was the play of the night for the Lady Tigers!  After Haus followed with a cross court kill, Laura Dadowski answered to cut the margin to 11-4.  A left handed tip by Meinert and a kill by Tony off a back slide extended the lead to 13-4.  Lebo came back with three straight points on two NA errors and an ace by Taylor before the Freyermuth sisters shared a pair of blocks to give NA a 16-7 lead.  Lebo then rallied behind the hitting of Scheirman who scored four straight points as Lebo cut the NA lead to 18-13.  After Gretta Freyermuth went off the Lebo blockers, Mt. Lebanon picked up three more points on a Begor tip and two service aces by the Blue Devil setter.  With NA leading 19-16. Lebo committed a service error and a hitting error to make it a 21-17 game.  With Scheirman serving, The Tigers committed three straight hitting errors to allow Lebo to close within one at 21-20.  Down the stretch, however, the Lady Tigers regrouped.  Haus went off the blockers, Meinert scored on a two-handed push, and Lang served an ace, before an NA hitting error stopped the run at 24-21.  After Taylor picked up a point on a dink, Tony ended game two with a kill off the front row as the Lady Tigers won game two, 25-22, to take a two games to none lead in the match.

In the third and final game, the Lady Tigers once again took an early lead building a 7-3 advantage.  Gretta Freyermuth hit the back line, Kassie Freyermuth blocked for a point, and Gretta went cross court to give NA a 3-0 lead.  After Begor scored on a block, Lang again found an open space before a hitting error made it a 4-2 game.  Senior libero Liz Overbaugh made a good return of a save that Lebo could not play to push the lead to 5-3 before Scheirman answered with a dink.  A service error and a Tony kill off a quick set extended the margin to 7-3.  Lebo came back on kills by Scheirman, Christine Tuchnowski, and a Begor block to get within one at 8-7.  The Lady Tigers answered with a Gretta Freyermuth cross court kill that hit the line, and a Lebo hitting error as the lead went to 10-7.  After a service ace by Laura Dadowski, Gretta Freyermuth scored off a slide and Gretta and Kassie combined on another block before Begor's block cut the lead to 12-10.  After Kassie Freyermuth blocked for a point, Lebo scored four straight to take a 14-13 lead behind the hitting of Scheirman, Colleen Dougherty and a block by Dougherty and Taylor.  After a Lebo service error, Scheirman went down the line to make it a 15-14 game.  After another Lebo service error tied the game, Scheirman scored from the back row, hitting the back line to put Mt. Lebanon back ahead, 16-15.  A cross court kill by Haus and an ace by Haus leapfrogged the Lady Tigers back on top, 17-16. Lebo scored the next four and looked like they were going to extend the match to four games.  A kill by Laura Dadowski down the middle, a block by Riemer, a hitting error by NA, and an ace by Taylor made it a 20-17 Blue Devil advantage.  Once again, as they had in the previous two games, the Lady Tigers were tough down the stretch.  After a Begor tip made it 22-19, the Lady Tigers scored the last six points.  Lang went cross court, Lebo was called for being into the net, and a Mt. Lebanon hitting error tied the game at 22-22.  After a Lebo time out, Haus went cross court to give NA the lead at 23-22.  After a Haus dink brought NA to game and match point, Gretta Freyermuth sent a serve that tipped the net and fell in for the winning point.  The Lady Tigers had taken game three, 25-22, and the match, three games to none.

It was another good team performance for Coach Dan Schall's Lady Tigers.  Meinert was on target with her sets for most of the match and the NA hitting corps of Lang, Gretta Freyermuth, Kassie Freyermuth, Haus, and Tony did the job at the net.  Defensively, Lang and Gretta Freyermuth, along with Davies and Overbaugh, did a good job of digging the powerful hits of Scheirman and keeping the ball in play.  For her efforts at the net and in the back again, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Jackie Lang as the Player of the Match for the second straight time.  Scheirman was tough in defeat as she led all hitters with 17 kills.

With the win, NA advances to the WPIAL Championship tomorrow night at Chartiers Valley.  The opponent will be a familiar one in neighborhood and section rival Pine-Richland, a 3-2 winner over #1 seed Seneca Valley in the first semifinal.  NA won both matches against the Rams during the regular season winning by a 3-2 margin at home.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 5:45 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  MT. LEBANON - 0

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LADY TIGERS HOLD OFF BUTLER, 3-2, TO
ADVANCE TO WPIAL SEMIFINALS

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

The Lady Tigers won the first two games against Butler in the WPIAL quarterfinals at North Hills on Tuesday night, but had to hold off a furious Butler rally to defeat the Tornado, 3-2.  NA took game one, 25-16, and game two, 25-14, and it looked like it would be a relatively easy win for the Lady Tigers.  Butler came back, however,  to win game three, 25-23, and game four, 25-22, to force a fifth and final game.  In the final game, the Lady Tigers jumped off to a 6-2 lead on their way to a 15-11 victory that sent them to the semifinals.  Senior OH Jackie Lang had 17 kills, senior OH Gretta Freyermuth sixteen, and junior OH Leeanne Haus 15 and two blocks in a well-balanced NA attack.

In game one, the Lady Tigers jumped off to a 7-1 lead and controlled play throughout the game.  Gretta Freyermuth started with a kill and a block, Lang went down the line, Gretta added another block, sophomore Kassie Freyermuth blocked for a point, and Butler committed several hitting errors during the run.  After 6-2 senior MH Becky Smith scored on a kill and a block, Haus scored down the line and off the blockers as the NA lead went to 11-4.  Rachel Doutt answered for the Tornado, but a series of Butler errors extended the NA lead to 14-9.  MH Abbie Druschel and OH Amanda Skidmore led a Tornado rally that cut the margin to 15-12, but that was as close as Butler would get.  Kills by Gretta Freyermuth and Lang pushed the lead to 17-13.  With junior DS Kelsey Davies serving, NA scored five straight points to make it a 22-13 game with Haus and Lang doing most of the damage.  Butler handed NA the final three points of the game on hitting and service errors as the Lady Tigers won game one, 25-16, to take a one game to none lead in the match.

The Lady Tigers once again took an early 7-2 lead in game two.  After Gretta Freyermuth hit the back line to tie the game at 1-1, junior setter Logan Meinert served four straight points, including an ace, with a block by Lang and a kill by Kassie Freyermuth key during the run.  A block by Smith and a kill by Doutt off the NA blockers cut the margin to 7-4, but Lang came back with a kill and a block and Haus went down the line to extend the NA lead to 10-5.  The Lady Tigers continued to pile up points with Gretta Freyermuth scoring on an overpass kill and a block, senior MB Kayleigh Tony putting away two consecutive kills, and Butler again committing hitting errors as the NA lead expanded to 18-8.  Smith had a block and a kill for the Tornado, but down the stretch it was all NA.  A kill by Haus down the line, a tip by Tony, a cross court blast by Haus, and a block by Haus put NA at game point, 24-14.  Tony put the finishing touches on a 25-14 Lady Tiger victory with a block as NA went up two games to none in the match.

Butler stayed close early in game three.  After kills by Lang and Gretta Freyermuth gave NA an early 2-0 lead, Druschel and Marina Gracik answered for Butler to cut the lead to 3-2.  After Lang put back an overpass, Smith came back off the NA blockers to make it 5-4.  Smith and Huey brought the Tornado into a 6-6 tie before a hitting error and a cross court kill by Kassie Freyermuth put NA back ahead, 9-7.  After Lang went down the line, Gretta Freyermuth served three straight points, including an ace, with Haus blocking and putting back an overpass during the run that put NA on top at 13-8.  Haus went cross court to push the margin to 15-9.  Haus scored on two more kills off the Butler blockers to extend the margin to 17-12.  Gretta Freyermuth hit the back line, Meinert served an ace, and a Butler violation gave NA a 21-16 advantage, and it looked like the season was over for the Tornado.  At this point, Smith took over the match, scoring on three kills and a block to lead a 9-2 Butler rally that gave them a 25-23 victory in game three to cut the NA lead to two games to one in the match.

The Lady Tigers built an early 4-2 lead in game four behind the hitting and serving of Gretta Freyermuth.  Smith then scored on kills off the NA blockers and down the middle to tie the game at 4-4.  An NA hitting error put Butler ahead at 5-4, and they held the lead for the remainder of the game.  After a block by Lang, Smith recorded a pair of kills before Haus went cross court to cut the Butler lead to 9-6.  Two kills by Huey offset a blast by Tony down the middle, and a block by Huey extended the Tornado lead to 12-7.  Gretta Freyermuth led an NA rally with a pair of kills and a putback of an overpass by Kassie Freyermuth cut the margin to 12-10.  The Lady Tigers continued to battle and cut the Butler lead to two at three separate times before a left handed tip by Meinert made it 19-18.  After NA blocked three consecutive Butler attempts at the net, a hitting error pushed the margin to 20-18, and Druschel hit the back line to make it a three-point Tornado lead.  A service error and a kill by Smith extended the lead to 23-19 before Lang answered with a pair of kills.  After Butler scored on a dink in the middle, Lang came back with a two-handed push to cut the lead to 24-22.  Smith was there again, however, and ended game four with a block in the middle as the Tornado took game four, 25-22, and tied the match at two games each.

In the fifth and final game, NA wasted no time in taking an early lead.  A kill by Tony on a quick set, followed by a block by Tony, gave NA a 2-0 advantage.  After Huey blocked for a point, senior libero Liz Overbaugh made a good play off a serve to record a kill to make it 3-1.  After an NA hitting error, Kassie Freyermuth rolled a ball over the net for a kill, and Lang went down the line to make it 6-2.  After another NA hitting error, it was Lang again down the middle to push the margin to 7-3.  Smith came back with a kill after a Tornado hitting error to make it an 8-4 game.  A service ace by Hannah Williams cut the lead to three, but Lang answered again as she hit the back line.  After an NA service error, Haus scored on a pair of kills to push the lead to 11-6.  After a lift call against NA, Haus went down the line as the lead went to 12-7.  After two consecutive NA hitting errors, Gretta Freyermuth took over with a kill off the Butler front row blockers to make it a 13-9 game.  After a service error, it was Gretta again down the line to put NA at game and match point.  Smith kept the Tornado alive with a kill off the blockers, but Gretta Freyermuth finished off the game and match with a kill to give NA a 15-11 win in game five and a three games to two victory in the match.

It was a good team effort by the Lady Tigers.  With Meinert setting well for most of the match, the NA hitters teed off against the Tornado.  Good defense by the Lady Tigers stymied Butler for much of the match with the exception of Smith who had a career night with 22 kills and nine blocks.  For her work at the net and in the back and at key points in the match, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior Jackie Lang as the Player of the Match with honorable mention going to Haus and Gretta Freyermuth.

With the win, the Lady Tigers advanced to the semifinals where they will meet Mt. Lebanon.  Earlier in the season, Lebo came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat NA, 3-2, at the Senior High gym in a non-section match.  The match will be played at Chartiers Valley with the starting time set for 7:30 pm.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.

Photo Gallery

(Thanks to Jordan Dee for the stats used in this report!)

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 2

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LADY TIGERS ELIMINATE HEMPFIELD, 3-1

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

The Lady Tigers defeated Hempfield, 3-1, in the First Round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs on Thursday night at the Senior High gym.  NA won game one, 25-13, and took game two, 25-19, before Hempfield rallied to win game three, 25-21.  In the fourth and final game, the Lady Tigers pulled away from an early tie to beat the Lady Spartans, 25-16, and win the match three games to one.  Senior Kim Foy led Hempfield with 13 kills, two blocks and an ace.

In game one, the Lady Tigers jumped off to an early 4-1 lead behind the hitting of Gretta Freyermuth with Foy answering for Hempfield.  After Foy served an ace, Lang scored on a dink to make it a 5-3 game.  NA went on a 5-1 run with senior MB Kayleigh Tony scoring down the middle, junior OH Leeanne Haus putting back an overpass, an ace by Lang and another putback of an overpass by Tony.  Senior Casey Rottler ended the run with a block as the score went to 10-5.  After Haus went down the line, the Lady Spartans rallied behind an ace by Kelly Cichkowski and a block by Foy before Gretta Freyermuth scored the next three points to give NA a 14-8 advantage.  The Tigers continued to extend the margin on a block by sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth and Hempfield hitting errors that pushed to 17-9.  After Foy scored on a kill and a block, Lang went cross court and Gretta Freyermuth served an ace to make it 19-11.  Down the stretch, NA outscored the Spartans, 6-2, with Haus going cross court for a kill and senior DS Maura Jeffries serving a pair of aces as the Lady Tigers took game one, 25-13, to take a one game to none lead in the match.

Hempfield got off to a 3-1 lead on two kills by Foy and an NA hitting error.  Lang came back to score three straight points to even the match at 3-3 before Angie Comilla scored on a kill to give the Lady Spartans a 4-3 edge.  With the score tied at 6-6, senior libero Liz Overbaugh served two straight aces and Gretta Freyermuth went down the line to give NA a 10-6 lead.  Hempfield answered with four straight points behind the hitting of Rottler and Robin Tabaka along with an ace by Wichkowski to tie the game at 10-10.  The teams exchanged points as the score was tied at 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, 14-14, and 15-15 before senior OH Stef Avalli hit the back line to put NA on top 16-15.  Foy and Rottler led another Hempfield rally that tied the score at 18-18 before NA took over.  A tip by Lang and a blast by Lang down the line gave the Lady Tigers a 20-18 lead.  After a Foy kill, Haus went cross court and down the middle with kills to push the margin to 22-19.  A pair of hitting errors and a kill by Lang on a quick set finished the Spartans in game two as NA won by a 25-19 score to take a two games to none lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall and facing playoff elimination, Hempfield came back to win game three.  After an early 2-2 tie, Foy served seven straight points with Erica DiAndreth and Rottler doing most of the damage as the Spartans built a 9-2 advantage.  A kill by Kassie Freyermuth, a left handed tip by Lang, and a block by senior OH Natalie Masters led an NA comeback that cut the margin to 10-7.  Hempfield pushed the margin to 115-10 on an ace by Comilla, a kill by Hannah Frankhauser, and several NA hitting errors.  At this point, the Lady Tigers rallied again to close with two at 20-18 on kills by Lang, an ace by Gretta Freyermuth and hitting errors by the Spartans.  Kills by Tabaka, Rottler, and Foy pushed the lead to 23-19.  After a service error and a kill by Gretta Freyermuth down the middle closed the gap to 23-21, Foy finished off game three with a kill and a block as Hempfield took a 25-21 victory and cut the lead in the match to two games to one.

In the fourth and final game, the Spartans stayed close early.  After kills by Lang and Haus and an ace by Gretta Freyermuth, a kill by Rottler, a service ace by Kim Sossong, and an NA hitting error tied the game at 7-7.  Haus gave NA a lead at 8-7, but Rottler and another NA hitting error put the Spartans ahead 9-8.  After a service error by the Lady Spartans, a kill by Tony down the middle put NA on top, 10-9.  After a kill by Tabaka tied the game, Tony gave the Lady Tigers the lead for good with a blast down the middle.  An ace by Haus, a kill by Lang from the back row, and another kill by Tony on a slide pushed the NA advantage to 14-11.  After a service error, Kass Freyermuth hit the back line and sister Gretta added another kill to push the lead to 16-12.  Hempfield came back on kills by Comilla and Rottler to cut the lead to two, but a service error and a hitting error extended the NA margin to 18-14.  A violation by Hempfield and a kill by Haus down the middle was answered by a kill by Patty Thompson off the NA blockers but the Lady Tigers still held a 20-15 advantage.  After a service error, junior DS Kelsey Davies came in to serve four straight points, including an ace to finish off the Lady Spartans.  Two kills by Tony gave NA a 25-16 victory in game four and a three games to one win in the match.

Leading the way for the Lady Tigers were Gretta Freyermuth and Lang with 14 kills each.  Junior setter Logan Meinert was on target for most of the night as the Lady Tiger hitters controlled the net.  NA recorded nine service aces with Gretta Freyermuth posting three.    For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Gretta Freyermuth as the Player of the Match. 

With the win, NA advances to the quarterfinals that will be played on Tuesday against section rival Butler 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 show at 7:15 pm.  Match time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.  .

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MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  HEMPFIELD - 1

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LEBO TOPS TIGERS, 25-17, IN TOURNAMENT FINAL

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The Lady Tigers advanced to the finals of the NA Invitational at the Senior High gym and the Baierl Center on Saturday before falling to Mt. Lebanon, 25-17.  NA downed West Allegheny, 25-16, in the quarterfinals and Richland, 25-22, in the semis before losing the championship game.  In the first tournament of the year, NA defeated Mt. Lebanon in the finals of the Mt. Lebanon Invitational.

Senior OH Gretta Freyermuth led NA with 43 kills while senior OH Jackie Lang posted 30, senior MB Kayleigh Tony 17, and junior OH Leeanne Haus 14.  Junior setter Logan Meinert was on target for 124 assists.  Meinert also served 12 aces with senior libero Liz Overbaugh adding six from behind the line.  Defensively, Lang led with 24 perfect passes while Tony recorded 15 blocks and sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth posted 13.  Gretta Freyermuth led with 49 digs with Overbaugh and Lang both recording 32 digs.

The WPIAL Class AAA tournament will begin this week.  The Lady Tigers have qualified as the Co-Champions of Section 3.  The volleyball committee will meet on Monday night to announce the pairings including the sites and times of the matches.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the pairings meeting live on the internet. 

Click here to listen to the WPIAL Volleyball pairings meeting!

NA INVITATIONAL
Saturday, October 18, 2008

PRELIMINARY POOL STANDINGS

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LADY TIGERS BLANK NORTH HILLS, 3-0, TO
FINISH AS SECTION CO-CHAMPIONS

The Lady Tigers traveled to North Hills on Thursday night and came home with a 3-0 victory over the Indians.  NA won the first game, 25-17, the second, 25-18, and finished off NH with a 25-8 rout in game three.

With the win, NA completed the regular section season with a record of 10-2, the overall record standing at 13-3.  The Lady Tigers finished in a tie with Seneca Valley for the section championship.  The Volleyball Committee will meet on Monday night to announce the seedings and pairings.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the pairings meeting LIVE on the internet at 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS - 0

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SENECA VALLEY STOPS LADY TIGERS, 3-1

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

The Seneca Valley Raiders defeated the Lady Tigers, 3-1, at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night.  In the first game, the Raiders were able to edge NA, 25-23, before taking the second game, 25-17.  The Lady Tigers rallied to win game three, 25-19, but fell in game four, 25-17.

In game one, neither team could gain an advantage for ost of the game with the score being tied as late as 19-19.  Early on for Seneca Valley, it was the hitting of Jillian Galloway and Meghan Franz that did most of the damage.  After senior OH Gretta Freyermuth started the game with a blast down the middle, sophomore MB Kassie Freymermuth gave NA a 2-1 lead with a cross court kill.  After several NA hitting errors put SV back ahead, 6-5, senior MB Kayleigh Tony answered to tie the game at 6-6.  After kills by Galloway and Franz again regained the lead for the Raiders, a left handed tip by junior setter Logan Meinert and a kill by Gretta Freyermuth down the middle put NA on top at 10-9.  An ace by senior libero Liz Overbaugh gave the Lady Tigers a two-point lead, their biggest of the game.  SV came back to retake the lead at 15-14 on kills on an NA error and a kill by Dana Hughes.  With NA trailing, 18-17, junior OH Leeanne Haus tied the game with a cross court hit, and Gretta Freyermuth made it a 19-18 Tiger lead with a kill off the Seneca front row blockers.  The Raiders scored the next four points on on a tip by Alex Karika, a kill down the line by Franz, and two kills by Galloway.  Kassie Freyermuth answered off a slide to cut the margin to two at 22-20.  After Galloway answered, senior OH Jackie Lang scored on a two-handed push.  It was Galloway again that brought the Raiders to game point before a Seneca violation and an ace by junior DS Kelsey Davies cut the margin to 24-23.  Meghan Drambel ended game one with a dink as Seneca Valley took a 25-23 victory and a one game to none lead in the match.

The Lady Tigers took an early lead in game two.  Meinert started with an ace, but the Raiders came back to lead 4-3 before Gretta Freyermuth went cross court to tie the game.  NA scored three straight points behind an ace by Overbaugh, a hitting error by the Raiders and a kill down the line by Haus.  With NA ahead, 7-4, Seneca Valley went on a 7-0 run to take control of the game.  The Tigers battled back, however, with a kill by Gretta Freyermuth cutting the lead to one at 12-11.  Hughes then served an ace and Galloway went down the line before Gretta Freyermuth answered to make it a 15-13 game.  Hits by Franz, Galloway and Drambel pushed the lead to 18-13 before Gretta Freyermuth stopped the run.  Franz and Hughes scored on kills to make it 20-14.  NA rallied behind a kill by senior OH Natalie Masters down the middle, but the game belonged to the Raiders.  Seneca scored the last six points, including an ace by Galloway, to finish game two with a 25-17 victory and a two games to none lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall, the Lady Tigers rallied to win game three.  Kills by Tony, Gretta Freyermuth and a pair of SV hitting errors gave NA an early 4-1 advantage.  The Raiders came back, however, with a 6-1 run to go ahead, 7-5.  With SV up, 8-6, Haus led an NA rally with a cross court hit, a kill that rolled over the net and down, and a put back of an overpass as the Lady Tigers took a 10-8 lead.  A pair of aces by Overbaugh, a kill by Haus off the blockers, a pair of SV errors, and a kill by Tony down the middle extended the margin to 16-8.  The Raiders came back behind a pair of kills by Galloway, but a kill by Gretta Freyermuth off the SV blockers and a pair of Seneca errors pushed the NA lead to 20-15.  After Galloway went down the middle, the Tigers answered on kills by Masters and Haus to make it a 22-16 game.  A dink by Haus and a kill by Gretta Freyermuth off the SV blockers ended game three with NA taking a 25-19 victory and cutting the Seneca lead to two games to one in the match.

Game four was another epic battle between two of the top teams in the WPIAL and  the state.  Karika served a pair of aces early to back up kills by Franz and Catie Seman as the Raiders raced off to a 6-3 lead.  NA scored the next four points on a pair of kills by Haus and an ace by Lang as the Tigers took a 7-6 lead.  After the Raiders tied the game at 8-8, a kill by Tony off a quick set and a hitting error by the Raiders made it an 11-9 NA lead.  Seneca Valley came back with four straight points on kills by Galloway and Hughes as they regained the lead at 13-11.  A service error by SV and a kill by Gretta Freyermuth off the front row blockers tied the game at 13-13.  Once again, the Raiders went on a four-point run behind a pair of aces by Franze and NA hitting errors.  NA coach Dan Schall was forced to take a time out with the Raiders ahead, 17-13.  Seneca Valley was not to be denied, however, as they increased the margin to 22-16 with key kills coming from Drambel.  Haus led an NA rally with two kills and a block to cut the lead to 22-19 before an NA service error ended the run.  A Franz block brought the Raiders to game and match point, but Haus went cross court and then served an ace to make it 24-21.  Hughes cross court kill ended the night for the Lady Tigers as Seneca Valley took game four, 25-21, and the match, three games to one.

It was a hard fought match between two very good teams.  In the end, the Raiders were able to get key blocks and kills at crucial times in the match to secure the victory.  Unofficially, Haus led NA with 14 kills, two blocks and an ace while Gretta Freyermuth added 13 kills and two blocks.  Overbaugh served four aces for NA.  For her efforts, particularly in games three and four, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Leeanne Haus as the Player of the Match.

With the loss, NA fell to 9-2 and into a first place tie with Seneca Valley with one section match remaining.  The Lady Tigers will visit North Hills tomorrow night as section play concludes.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.  NA has already clinched a playoff spot in the upcoming WPIAL playoffs.  The pairings meeting will be held on Monday night.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

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GREENSBURG SALEM FALLS TO LADY TIGERS, 3-0, IN FINAL NON-SECTION MATCH

The Lady Tigers traveled to Greensburg on Thursday night and defeated the Greensburg Salem Lions, 3-0, in their final non-section match of the season.  The win improved the NA overall record to 12-2 on the season.

On Tuesday night, the Lady Tigers will host Seneca Valley in a key section contest.  NA enters the match with a section mark of 9-1 while the Raiders are 8-2.  Seneca Valley defeated NA, 3-1, at Seneca earlier in the season for the only section loss by the Lady Tigers.  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.

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LADY TIGERS SWEEP NEW CASTLE, 3-0, TO TAKE
OVER FIRST PLACE IN SECTION

The Tigers traveled to New Castle on Wednesday night and shut out the 'Lady Canes, 3-0.  NA had little trouble in downing the last place 'Canes winning by scores of 25-8, 25-8, and 25-11.  Senior OH Stef Avalli led the Lady Tigers with 6 kills.

In addition, senior MB Laura Conti and senior OH Natalie Masters recorded five kills each with senior MB Kendra Calhoun chipping in with four.  Masters served four aces for the winning Lady Tigers.

With the win, coupled with the Pine-Richland victory over Seneca Valley, the Lady Tigers moved into first place all alone in Section 3 with a section record of 9-1.  The overall season record improved to 11-2.  NA will travel to Greensburg Salem tonight for a battle of Lions and Tigers in a non-section match.  The starting time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NEW CASTLE - 0

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LADY TIGERS RALLY TO BEAT BUTLER

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After dropping the first game, 25-13, the Lady Tigers rallied to win three straight to down the Tornado, 3-1, at the Senior High gym on Monday night.  NA won the second game, 25-17, game three, 25-20, and the fourth and final game, 25-15. 

Leading the way for NA were junior OH Leeane Haus with 10 kills, senior OH Gretta Freyermuth with 9, sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth with 8, and senior MB Kayleigh Tony with seven.  Defensive, Tony and Kassie Freyermuth posted six blocks each with Gretta Freyermuth recording 13 digs, senior libero Liz Overbaugh 11 and Haus nine.

The Lady Tigers got good performances from senior OH Natalie Masters and junior DS Caroline Koenig who had expanded roles in the match.  Senior OH Stef Avalli had two kills and put up a huge block that served as the catalyst of two big runs of points according to Coach Dan Schall.

Schall added, "We came out flat and timid, and Butler played exceptionally well in the opening game."  The NA mentor said, "We began to serve and pass much better as the match progressed."  Schall credited the NA resilience and balance as the key to the victory.  "Our attack was very balanced with several players elevating their level of play."

With the win, NA improved their record to 8-1 in section play as they remained in a first place tie with Seneca Valley.  The Lady Tigers will travel to New Castle tomorrow night to meet the Lady 'Canes in a 7:00 pm section match.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 1

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LEBO RALLY BEATS LADY TIGERS, 3-2

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

After the Lady Tigers took the first two games, Mt. Lebanon rallied to win the next three and defeat NA, 3-2, at the Senior High gym on Wednesday night.  The loss came despite an outstanding performance by junior OH Leeanne Haus who recorded 20 kills on the evening.  NA won game one, 25-18, and outlasted Lebo, 30-28, in game two.  With the Lady Tigers on top, 23-21, in game three, the Blue Devils scored the last four points to pull out the win.  In game four, Lebo took an early lead on their way to a 25-19 victory.  In the fifth and final game, NA again had a 13-11 lead before Lebo came back to win, 19-17.

In game one, the Lady Tigers took an early 5-2 lead behind the hitting of Haus, sophomore MH Kassie Freyermuth and senior OH Jackie Lang.  After Colleen Dougherty brought Lebo back to within one at 6-5, it was Haus again with a blast down the middle.  Sara Scheirman answered for the Blue Devils to cut the margin to 7-6 before senior MB Kayleigh Tony went cross court to restore the two-point lead.  After Lebo hitting errors added a a pair of points, Lebo setter Kate Begor scored on a left-handed tip, and Scheirman on a big hit to cut it to 10-9.  Senior OH Gretta Freyermuth hit the back line, and NA setter Logan Meinert served a pair of aces as NA took a 13-9 advantage.  After Scheirman went cross court, Lang went down the line, Haus and Kassie Freyermuth teamed up on a block, Lang scored on a block, and Gretta Freyermuth added an ace as the NA lead went to 18-10.  After a block by Lang made it 21-12, Lebo rallied to cut the lead to 21-18, on kills by Alex Taylor, two aces by Caroline Dadowski,  a kill by Laura Dadowski and a block by Becca Riemer before Haus finally ended the 6-0 run with a kill down the middle.  NA then scored the final four points with Tony putting away an overpass to give the Lady Tigers a 25-18 victory and a one game to none lead in the match.  Haus finished with eight kills in game one.

In the second game, Mt. Lebanon started strong and built an early 4-2 lead.  A kill by Gretta Freyermuth along with a pair of kills by Lang put NA back on top, 5-4.  The teams continued to exchange points until Riemer went down the middle to give Lebo a 9-8 lead.  Mt. Lebanon continued to lead with NA battling back to get with one point at 12-11, 15-14, and 18-17 before Gretta Freyermuth finally scored on a kill to tie the game at 21 all.  Gretta then went of the Lebo blockers to put NA ahead, 22-21.  After the teams exchanged points, a block by Gretta and Kassie Freyermuth put NA at game point, 25-24.  Two straight points by Scheirman moved Lebo to game point at 26-25.  Gretta and Kassie answered with kills to make it a 27-26 game.  After an NA service error tied the game, Haus went cross court to give the Tigers a 28-27 advantage.  Scheirman answered with a hit that landed on the back line to tie the game again.  After Tony went down the middle on a quick set, Haus finished off Lebo with a kill off the front row blockers to give NA a hard-fought 30-28 victory and a two games to none lead in the match.

The loss seemed to inspire Mt. Lebanon as they quickly jumped off to a 9-3 lead in game three behind the serving of Begor who recorded four straight aces during the run.  NA rallied however, and gradually got back into the game.  an ace by Haus, another ace by senior libero Liz Overbaugh, and kills by Gretta Freyermuth and Lang finally brought NA even at 14-14.  Two kills by Haus, an ace by junior DS Kelsey Davies, and a kill down the middle by senior OH Natalie Masters gave the Lady Tigers an 18-14 lead.  The teams exchanged points with NA still holding a four-point lead at 21-17.  Once again, Lebo rallied, this time thanks to a kill by Riemer and three NA errors that brought the Blue Devils to within one at 21-20.  After a service error by Lebo, Gretta Freyermuth scored on a dink to make it 23-21.  Mt. Lebanon then scored four straight points to win game three, 25-23, with the winning point coming on an NA hitting error.  The Lady Tigers still lead the match, two games to one.

Game four started in similar fashion to game three with Mt. Lebanon jumping off to a 9-3 lead on the hitting of Scheirman Laura Dadowski and Dougherty.  Once again the Lady Tigers rallied to eventually tie the game at 13-13 on a left handed tip by Meinert.  An NA hitting error, an ace by Laura Dadowski and a block by Riemer put Lebo back ahead, 16-13, before a service error and an ace by Overbaugh cut the margin to 16-15.  Lebo than took over and closed out the contest with a 9-4 run with key plays by Begor and Laura Dadowski leading to the 25-19 victory.  The match was now tied at 2-2 going into a fifth and final game.

After Scheirman started game five with a blast down the middle, Haus answered off the Lebo blockers to tie the game at 1-1.  After Begor scored on another left handed tip, a service error tied the game at 2-2.  After Tony was called for being over the net, she answered with a big hit to tie the game at 3-3.  NA then went on a 6-1 run to take a 9-4 advantage on an ace by Lang, two kills by Haus, an ace by Haus, and a putback of an overpass by Gretta Freyermuth.  After a service error, Lebo led a ball drop as the score went to 10-5.  Laura Dadowski's cross court hit was answered by Gretta Freyermuth off a quick set to make it an 11-6 NA lead.  Scheirman came back with two kills to cut the margin to 11-8 forcing NA Coach Dan Schall to call a time out.  After the time out, NA was called for going into the net, but a Lebo service error pushed the score to 12-9.  After an NA service error, Scheirman scored again after an apparent Lebo lift was not called.  With the score now 12-11, Lang blocked Scheirman to push the margin to 13-11.  Dougherty came back with a block and Scheirman served an ace to tie the game at 13-13.  After NA was called for a net violation, Lebo was also called for going into the net as the score went to 14-14.  An NA hitting error put the Blue Devils ahead, but Tony answered with a cross court kill to tie the game at 15-15.  Taylor then went off the NA blockers to put Lebo at match point, but Gretta Freyermuth blasted one down the middle off a quick set to tie the game again at 16-16.  A Lebo misplay put NA at match point, but Begor tied the game at 17-17 with a left handed tip.  An NA hitting error and a dink by Scheirman ended the game five as Lebo took a 19-17 victory in the game and a three games to two win in the match.

It was an outstanding night of high school volleyball by two top teams not only in western Pennsylvania but across the state.  Good performances at the net by Gretta and Kassie Freyermuth, Lang, Tony and Haus with outstanding setting by Meinert kept the Tigers even all night long with Lebo.  Defensively, Meinert, Lang, Davies and Overbaugh continued to keep balls in pplay with tough digs throughout the match.  For her individual performance, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Leeanne Haus as the Player of the Match.

With the loss, the overall NA record fell to 9-2 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Butler on Monday night in a key section contest.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Senior High gym.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
MT. LEBANON - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

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LADY TIGERS BLANK PINE-RICHLAND, 3-0

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The Lady Tigers swept the Pine-Richland Rams, 3-0, in a key section match at Pine-Richland on Tuesday night.  NA won the first two games by the score of 25-18 before being tested in game three before winning by a 26-24 score.  Senior OH Gretta Freyermuth posted 14 kills to pace NA while junior setter Logan Meinert recorded 34 assists in directing the Lady Tiger offense.

In game one, the Lady Tigers jumped out to an early lead on their way to the victory.  In game two, it was close until the 12-point mark when NA pulled away.  Game three was close all the way with neither team able to lead by more than two points throughout the contest.  Junior OH Leanne Haus put the final point away with a hard cross court attack.

In addition, senior OH Jackie Lang and Haus both had eight kills with senior MB Kayleigh Tony adding seven.  Defensively, Gretta Freyermuth led with five blocks while sophomore Kassie Freyermuth and Tony posted four each.  Senior libero Liz Overbaugh chipped in with ten digs for the winning Lady Tigers.  Coach Dan Schall commented, "A very steady performance all night".

With the win, NA improved to 7-1 in section play, 9-1 overall.  The Lady Tigers will host Mt. Lebanon tonight in a non-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
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PINE-RICHLAND - 0

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OAKLAND CATHOLIC NO MATCH FOR
LADY TIGERS IN 3-0 SHUTOUT

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The Lady Tigers defeated Oakland Catholic, 3-0, in a section match at the Senior High gym on Wednesday night.  With the win, the NA section record improved to 6-1, the overall mark to 8-1 on the season.

NA will travel to Pine-Richland on Tuesday night for a key section match.  The scheduled starting time is set for 7:00 pm.

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LADY TIGERS CRUSH NORTH HILLS, 3-0

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

The Lady Tigers overwhelmed rival North Hills, 3-0, at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night.  NA outscored NH, 75-30, in winning the three games by score of 25-12, 25-9, and 25-9.  Senior OH Gretta Freyermuth paced NA with ten kills and four service aces.  Senior OH Stef Avalli added four kills, one block and a service ace.

After an early 1-1 tie, the Lady Tigers took control of the game as they moved out to an 8-2 lead.  Gretta Freyermuth started the NA scoring with a dink and added a pair of aces.  Junior OH Leanne Haus scored on strong hits down the line and in the middle.  After NH scored a pair of points on Tiger errors, hitting and service errors by the Indians gave NA an 12-6 advantage.  With senior libero Liz Overbaugh serving, the Lady Tigers went on a 6-1 run with Overbaugh picking up an ace and Gretta Freyermuth scoring three consecutive points on kills.  After sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth drove a kill down the middle, junior setter Logan Meinert served an ace to extend the NA lead to 18-7.  Kassie went cross court and Gretta served another ace to push the margin to 20-9.  Down the stretch, Kassie Freyermuth and Haus picked up cross court kills as NA went to game point at 24-12.  Fittingly, Gretta Freyermuth finished off game one with a dink as the Lady Tigers won by a 25-12 score to take a one game to none lead in the match.

Game two followed the same pattern.  After an early 3-2 North Hills lead, the Lady Tigers scored five straight points to again take control of the game.  After senior MB Laura Conti tied the game off a quick set, Gretta Freyermuth served five straight points including an ace with senior OH Natalie Masters picking up two kills during the run to give NA an 8-3 advantage.  A pair of NA hitting errors cut the lead to two before senior OH Jackie Lang went cross court to make it a 9-6 NA lead.  A pair of kills by Gretta Freyermuth and a service ace by junior OH Kaitlin Bradshaw pushed the lead to 13-7.  With NA ahead 15-8, senior Maura Jeffries stepped back and served nine straight points, including an ace.  During the run, it was Gretta Freyermuth with a block and two kills, Meinert with a left handed tip, and Conti with a block to extend the NA margin to 24-8 before NH's Chelsea Costa finally scored down the line.  Once again, Gretta Freyermuth scored the final game point, this time off a back slide, as NA won game two, 25-9, to take a two games to none lead in the match.

In game three, Coach Dan Schall continued to use his entire bench against the Indians.  Senior MB Kendra Calhoun gave NA a 1-0 lead with an early kill as the Tigers gradually built an 8-4 advantage.  After the Indians' Jessica Weiland cut the lead to 2-1, Masters served an ace, Avalli added a pair of kills, and Conti went off the NH blockers as NA took the four-point lead.  With Avalli serving, the Lady Tigers increased the lead to 13-4.  A kill by Haus on an overpass, an ace by Avalli, another Haus kill down the middle were key plays during the run.  After Jordan Pope scored off the NA blockers, Conti answered to make it 14-5.  With NA up, 16-6, Jeffries came in to serve another ace, and junior DS Kelsey Davies scored on a left handed tip to push the margin to 17-7.  A kill by Masters and a pair of NH hitting errors extended the lead to 20-8.  Calhoun and Avalli combined on a block, Masters served an ace, and Avalli scored on a dink to push the lead to 23-8.  After Pope hit the back line, Calhoun answered to put NA at game and match point.  Avalli went down the middle to give the Lady Tigers a 25-9 victory in game three and a three games to none win in the match.

It was a good overall performance by the entire Lady Tiger squad in a section match.  For her play throughout the match, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Gretta Freyermuth as the Player of the Match.  With the win, the Lady Tigers improved to 5-1 in section play and moved into a first place tie with Seneca Valley.  The Raiders dropped a 3-0 decision to Butler last night.  NA will host Oakland Catholic tonight at the Senior High gym in a 7:00 pm section contest.

Photo Gallery

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS - 0

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LADY TIGERS TOP PENN-TRAFFORD, 3-0

The Lady Tigers jumped off to commanding leads in each game on their way to a 3-0 victory at Penn-Trafford on Monday night.  NA won the first game, 25-14, the second, 25-21, and held on to finish off the Warriors, 29-27, in game three.  Senior OHs Gretta Freyermuth and Jackie Lang led the way with 12 kills each.

Senior MB Kayleigh Tony recorded six kills while sophomore MB Kassie Freyermuth had five blocks.  Defensively, Lang had nine digs while Gretta Freyermuth posted seven.  Coach Dan Schall commented, "There were contributions from a number of players.  Jackie Lang and Kayleigh Tony were very efficient, hitting for high percentages."  In addition, Schall said, "(Senior) Kendra Calhoun came through with a big kill when Penn-Trafford had game point in the third game."

With the non-section win, the NA overall record improved to 6-1.  The Lady Tigers resume section play tonight 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 6:50 pm.  Match time is set for 7:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN-TRAFFORD - 0

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2008 WPIAL GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL

The Lady Tigers will compete again in Class AAA of the WPIAL along with 33 other teams.  Three teams from each section will qualify for participation in WPIAL Championship play at the completion of the regular season.  All playoff entries will determined by the section record only and will be determined by the best section won-lost record.  Teams that tie for first place will not have the tie broken and all of the tied teams will be declared section champions, will receive a section winner's plaque, and will be entered into the WPIAL tournament.  If three or more teams tie for first place, only those teams will qualify for the playoffs.

In the event of a multiple tie (two or more teams) for ap layoff position, head-to-head will be the first determinant.  In head-to-head does not break the tie, the following tie-breaking system will be used.  If three or more teams are tied for second place and the tie-breaking system identifies one team as the second place team, the remaining teams will be then tied for third place and the process begins all over with head-to-hear competition being the first determinant for establishing the third place team.  If a tie cannon be broken all tied teams will enter the playoffs.

TIE-BREAKING SYSTEM

1.  Section records of the tied teams will be compiled.
2.  The team(s) with the best numerical head-to-head section record among the tied teams will enter post-season play.
3.  If the tie cannot clearly be broken, all tied teams will enter post-season play.

All matches will be played with the best of five game format.

Two WPIAL teams will qualify for the state championships to be held on November 7-8, 2008.

2008 GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL ALIGNMENT - CLASS AAA (34 TEAMS)

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