2010 Varsity Girls' Volleyball Match Summaries

For the second consecutive season, the No. 6 seed Lady Tigers saw their season cut short in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals by Seneca Valley. The No. 2 seed Lady Raiders advanced to the championship match with a 3-0 win over North Allegheny Thursday evening at North Hills Junior High.

Seneca Valley edged North Allegheny, 29-27, in the first game. The game was tied on 16 occasions. After the Lady Raiders traded kills with errors, Katie Best put NA in front, 3-2, with the Lady Tigers’ first earned point. Seneca Valley followed back-to-back North Allegheny errors with one of their own to even the game at 4-4. A kill by Ava Mosbacher and an ace by Best got the Lady Tigers a 2-point edge. The teams traded errors over the next three points, cutting the NA lead to 7-6. Seneca Valley answered another Mosbacher kill with points from Meghan Drambel and Alex Karika. A kill by Emma Carter followed a Lady Tiger error to put Seneca Valley in front, 10-8. Mosbacher and Best then collected kills to even the score at 10-10. Seneca Valley’s Cate Seman and North Allegheny’s Kassie Freyermuth traded points to make it 11-all. Back-to-back errors put the Lady Tigers behind, 13-11. Julia Miller then collected four kills and an ace over the next eight points to put NA in front, 17-15. A block by Tori Pernell gave North Allegheny a 3-point lead, matching its largest of the game. Abbie Trezciak and Seman sandwiched kills around errors by both teams to even the game at 19. Kills by Pernell and Best, along with errors by the Lady Raiders, ran the NA lead to 23-20. Four straight Seneca Valley points – including two kills by Seman – put the Lady Raiders at game point. Amanda Knobeloch followed a Seneca error with a kill to get North Allegheny its first game point, 25-24. Miller followed kills by Seman and Trezciak with one of her own to tie the score at 26. After Drambel and Mosbacher traded kills, a Trezciak kill and a Lady Tigers’ error gave Seneca Valley a 29-27 win in the game.

North Allegheny got off to a good start in its bid to tie the match. Seman followed two game-opening errors with back-to-back kills to even the game at 2-2. After the teams traded errors, the Lady Tigers collected six straight points to take a 9-3 lead. An ace by Katie Mitchell, along with a Pernell kill and block, started the run. Best answered North Allegheny errors with kills on two occasions to give the Lady Tigers an 11-6 lead. After Drambel and Miller traded kills, Seneca Valley capitalized on North Allegheny errors to cut the deficit to 12-11. A kill by Best preceded a Lady Raider 3-point run to give them their second lead of the game at 14-13. After Mosbacher tied the game, Alyssa DiMaria followed a Seman kill with an ace to make it 16-14 Seneca Valley. Consecutive kills by Freyermuth tied the game at 16-16. Kills by Karika and Tricia Connolly neutralized a Mitchell ace and gave Seneca an 18-17 lead. Another Freyermuth kill followed a Lady Raiders service error to give NA a 1-point lead. Seman, Trezciak, and Drambel strung together kills to give Seneca a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. A kill by Best and three Seneca Valley errors allowed North Allegheny to make the score 24-23. However, Seman closed out game two with a kill to give the Lady Raiders a 2-0 match lead.

Seneca Valley scored the first three points of game three. A Mosbacher block and ace by Mitchell gave the lead to 3-2. With the Lady Tigers already trailing, 4-3, Seneca Valley scored the next five points to extend the lead to 9-3. Karika had two aces and Seman collected two blocks during the run. Miller and Trezciak traded kills before Drambel caught fire. The junior had three kills in four points to run the Lady Raiders’ lead to 13-5. After another Trezciak kill, the Lady Tigers put together a 4-point run. Miller followed a Mosbacher kill with an ace to get it started. After a Lady Tigers’ error extended the Seneca Valley lead to seven points, Claire Bradshaw picked up a kill and Emily Meyer a block to make it 16-11. Freyermuth answered consecutive Lady Raiders’ points with a kill to get NA back to within six points. The teams split the next four points. Miller cut the Lady Tiger deficit to 20-15 with a kill. After committing an error, the Lady Raiders went on a 4-point streak to reach match point. Best picked up a kill to extend the game to 24-17. Drambel, though, closed it out with a kill.

Best and Miller each finished with eight kills for North Allegheny. Pernell had two blocks to lead all Lady Tiger front-line players. Mitchell had three of the team’s six aces.

Katie Best was named the Wright Automotive North Allegheny Player of the Match.

Seneca Valley advanced to Saturday’s WPIAL Class AAA championship match, where they will face top-seeded Pine-Richland. North Allegheny finished its season with a 13-6 overall mark.

LADY TIGERS ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS

by Jordan Dee

North Allegheny upended No. 3 seed Baldwin, 3-1, in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round of the WPIAL Class AAA girls’ volleyball tournament at the North Hills Junior High Gymnasium.

The Lady Tigers took game one, 25-22. After dropping the opening point, NA scored the game’s next five. The run featured a kill by Tori Pernell and blocks by Katie Best and Kassie Freyermuth. Kills by Baldwin’s Nicole Frankenfield and Jenna Snyder ignited a 4-point run to even things at 5-5. Best recorded another kill to put the Lady Tigers back in front, but three consecutive NA errors made it 8-6 Highlanders. After a Baldwin error, Alyssa Finocchi and Julie Miller traded kills to give Baldwin a 9-8 edge. Ava Mosbacher followed a series of errors by both teams with a block to put NA in front, 11-10. She then followed a Snyder kill with two of her own to give the Lady Tigers a 2-point edge. A North Allegheny service error made it 13-12. Pernell had two kills and Katie Mitchell an ace during the ensuing Lady Tiger 5-point run. Finocchi picked up two blocks as Baldwin made a similar run to cut the NA lead to 18-17. The teams traded the next five points to make it 21-19 Lady Tigers. Errors by both teams and a Baldwin kill by Lauryn Suchy cut the NA lead to 22-21. Kills by Mosbacher and Pernell sandwiched around errors on both sides help close out game one.

North Allegheny appeared to take momentum in the match with a 25-20 win in game two. Kills by Pernell and Amanda Knobeloch helped North Allegheny to a 2-1 lead. Snyder capped a Baldwin mini-run with a block to make it 4-2. A Freyermuth kill and back-to-back aces by Maggie Edwards made it 5-4 Lady Tigers. Snyder picked up a kill and the Lady Tigers committed two errors to give Baldwin a 2-point edge. Freyermuth and Miller picked up kills to cut the Baldwin lead to one point. However, four errors and a kill by Nikki Oakes ran the Highlanders’ lead to 13-7. Three Mosbacher kills and two Baldwin errors made it 15-12. Pernell had two kills, Freyermuth added one, and Mitchell served an ace to lead the Lady Tigers back in front, 17-16. North Allegheny answered kills by Frankenfield and Nicole Wallace with a Pernell kill and Edwards ace to make it 19-18 NA. After the teams traded service errors, Miller picked up a kill and Mimi Overbaugh contributed an ace to extend the Lady Tigers lead to 22-19. Following kills by Freyermuth and Mosbacher, Best closed out the game with an ace.

Baldwin stayed alive with a 31-29 win in game three. The Lady Tigers rode kills by Freyermuth and Best, along with another Mitchell ace, to a 5-1 lead. Two NA errors and a Finocchi kill cut it to 5-4. North Allegheny followed a Pernell kill with three straight errors to give the Highlanders a 7-6 lead. After a Best kill tied the game at 7-7, Courtney Pyeritz capped a 3-point Baldwin run with an ace. Claire Bradshaw then finished off an NA 4-point run with a block to put the Lady Tigers in front, 11-10. She then followed a North Allegheny error with another block to make it 12-11. Mosbacher had the only NA point of the next five in the game, as the Highlanders ran out to a 2-point lead. Freyermuth had kills to end two of the game’s next four points to make it 17-15. Snyder and Miller traded kills after a Baldwin error to make it 18-17 in Baldwin’s favor. Kills by Finnochi and Suchy made it 21-19. Mosbacher then wrapped three kills around two NA errors to make it 23-22 Baldwin. After a Baldwin error, Frankenfield and Freyermuth traded kills to tie the score at 24-24. The teams committed four errors in the next five points, as Baldwin assumed a 27-26 lead. Kills by Best and Suchy kept it a 1-point game. A kill by Miller and ace by Best gave the Lady Tigers a match point. However, an NA error capped three consecutive Baldwin points to give the Highlanders the game win, 31-29, and extend the match.

It didn’t get any easier in game four, but the Lady Tigers toughed out a 32-30 win to take the match. Just as in game three, NA sprinted to a 5-1 lead. A kill and a block by Finocchi over the game’s next four points cut the lead to 6-4. Kills by Bradshaw and Mosbacher, along with a Miller ace, gave North Allegheny a 9-6 lead. Snyder’s two kills coupled with errors on both sides made it 10-9 Lady Tigers. Pernell had a block and a kill to extend the NA lead to three points. Another kill by Snyder and two NA errors evened the game at 12-12. Baldwin made up for two errors by stringing together four points to take the lead, 16-14. After the teams traded the next three points, Miller picked up a block to tie the game at 17-17. Back-to-back errors by the Highlanders together with a Mosbacher block gave the Lady Tigers a 20-18 lead. However, kills by Oakes and Frankenfield tied the game. The Highlanders followed a kill by Snyder and block by Frankenfield with a service error to tie the game at 22-22. Freyermuth’s kill was followed by a Baldwin error to bring the Lady Tigers to match point, 24-22. Baldwin scored the game’s next three points – two on kills by Snyder – to take a 25-24 lead. Best, Snyder, and Freyermuth then traded kills to make the score even at 26-26. Best countered an NA error with a kill to make it 27-27. Suchy earned Baldwin a game point with a kill, but a Highlanders error evened the game again. Mosbacher and Freyermuth answered a Lady Tigers service with kills to put NA back in front, 30-29. After another error tied the game, a kill by Mosbacher and Baldwin error gave North Allegheny a hard-fought 32-30 win in the game and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Ava Mosbacher finished the match with 15 kills and two blocks. For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named her the Wright Automotive North Allegheny Player of the Match.

Freyermuth added 13 kills and two blocks. Pernell had nine kills and three blocks. Mitchell and Edwards each recorded three aces. The Lady Tigers had 10 aces as a team.

The No. 6 seed Lady Tigers advance to play section rival Seneca Valley in the semifinals on Thursday. The No. 2 seed Lady Raiders beat North Allegheny twice in the regular season.

Match Summary

North Allegheny – 3 Baldwin – 1

SCORE BY GAMES	1	2	3	4	FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY	25	25	29	32	3
Baldwin	22	20	31	30	1

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

The Lady Tigers defeated Moon 3-0 on Wednesday night. The Tigers move on to face Baldwin in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Baldwin defeated Penn-Trafford 3-0 on Wednesday night as well. The Lady Tigers will face Baldwin on Tuesday, November 2 at 7:30. To see the entire bracket, follow the link.

North Allegheny rode the efforts of its 11 seniors to a 3-1 victory over section rival North Hills Thursday at the Senior High gymnasium.

The crowd honored the following players for their contributions to the Lady Tigers volleyball program: Emily Meyer, Julia Miller, Anna Nolan, Maggie Edwards, Amanda Knobeloch, Grazia Candiotti, Mimi Overbaugh, Kassie Freyermuth, Katie Mitchell, Tori Pernell, and Rachel Wall.

Wall opened the match the same way she’s done many times over the last few years – by singing the National Anthem. The Lady Tigers then recorded wins in games 1, 2, and 4 to cap their regular season dual match schedule.

North Hills jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1^st game. A kill by Knobeloch and a Freyermuth ace evened things at 2-2. An ace by North Hills’ Alex Clark put the Indians in front 4-2. The Lady Tigers went on a 7-point run, which included seven service points and three aces by Candiotti. Kills by Nolan and Meyer, along with an Overbaugh ace, helped the Lady Tigers to a 13-6 lead. Back-to-back aces by the Indians’ Kelsey Koch cut the North Allegheny lead to five points. With Edwards serving, Meyer recorded two kills and Freyermuth added another to extend the North Allegheny lead to 17-8. A kill by Clark and an ace by Robyn McNamee cut the lead to seven points. With Mitchell serving, the Indians committed two errors to make it 20-10 North Allegheny. A kill and an ace on successive points by Ashley Osman got North Hills within eight points. Miller picked up two kills and a block to get the Lady Tigers to game point. With Freyermuth serving, Nolan closed out the game with a kill. North Allegheny won the game, 25-14, and led the match, 1-0.

Two Freyermuth kills and three North Hills errors allowed the Lady Tigers to get out to a 5-0 lead in the 2^nd game. North Hills’ Ashley Taylor ended the run with a kill. North Allegheny then strung together six points, including three kills by Miller and a Freyermuth ace, to take a 10-2 lead. Nolan and Koch traded kills to make the score 11-4 Lady Tigers. Meyer recorded consecutive kills to stretch the NA lead to nine points. An ace by Edwards and a Meyer kill got North Allegheny to a 16-5 lead. Koch had back-to-back aces for North Hills to cut the Lady Tigers’ lead to eight points. Kills by Meyer, Freyermuth and Pernell made it 19-8. Knobeloch had an ace among her last four service points to lift NA to a 25-8 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Two kills by Taylor and a Lady Tigers’ error allowed North Hills to open the 3^rd game with a 3-0 lead. A kill and block by Katie Sterr, along with a Charlotte Gillespie kill, evened the game at 3-3. Another Taylor kill and three North Allegheny errors put the Indians in front, 7-4. Gillespie picked up a kill followed by three service points to put the Lady Tigers back in front, 8-7. The teams traded errors after an Osman kill to tie the game at 9-9. After Rachel Pepmeyer put North Hills back in front, the Indians committed two errors to give NA the lead again, 11-10. Osman and Katie Best each picked up kills to make it 12-11 Lady Tigers. Four North Allegheny errors and a block by Taylor gave North Hills a 15-12 lead. An Indians error and a block by Erin Swartz cut the North Hills lead to one point. North Hills scored the final 10 points of the game to win it, 25-14. Taylor had four of her game-high seven kills during that run.

Knobeloch had two aces, as the Lady Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the 4^th game. A kill by Taylor ended the run. Freyermuth got a kill, then served nine straight North Allegheny points to make it 14-1. Pernell picked up two kills and a block during the run. Again, Taylor broke the run with a kill for North Hills. The Indians committed three consecutive errors to make it 17-2. Koch and Nolan traded kills to make it 18-3. Overbaugh followed another Nolan kill with back-to-back aces to extend the Lady Tigers’ lead to 21-3. Osman picked up a block after two NA errors to make it 21-6. After Miller and Pepmeyer traded kills, North Allegheny got to game point, 24-7, thanks to North Hills’ mistakes. Osman recorded a kill and an ace to cut the lead to 24-10. Knobeloch’s block clinched the game for North Allegheny, 25-10, and gave the Lady Tigers a 3-1 match victory.

Freyermuth had a team-high four aces. Candiotti, Knobeloch, and Overbaugh pitched in with three apiece. Freyermuth and Meyer each had 8 kills in the victory. Miller and Nolan each added 6. Pernell was one of six different players to record a block.

The North Allegheny Sports Network selected Amanda Knobeloch as the Wright Automotive North Allegheny Player of the Match.

With the win, the Lady Tigers finish the section season at 8-4 and improve to 11-5 overall. They close out the regular season by hosting the NA Invitational beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. North Allegheny will enter the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs as the 3^rd place team from Section 3.

Coming off an impressive performance against top ranked Pine-Richland, the Lady Tigers had little trouble with section opponent Hampton on Tuesday night. The 3-0 victory was spurred on by Katie Mitchell's eight digs and five aces. Katie Best once again led North Allegheny in kills with 10.

Senior Kassie Freyermuth made her usual impact with another six kills on the night. Setting things up nicely was senior Amanda Knobeloch who posted eight assists. Senior Tori Pernell led NA with three block.

The Lady Tigers improve to 9-5 on the season with the win and 8-4 in section play. NA will finish up their regular season schedule by hosting North Hills on Thursday night. You can listen to that match live on the North Allegheny Sports Network at 7:00 pm.

North Allegheny went head-to-head with the #1 ranked team in the state and almost pulled off the win, falling 3-2 to Pine-Richland. It was another great match in a competitive rivalry between the two schools. The Lady Tigers held a 2-1 lead after three sets, but the Rams rallied to pull out the win.

NA was led by Katie Best's 13 kills and 20 digs. Kassie Freyermuth also posted 12 kills and seven blocks. Amanda Knobeloch set up her teammates with 20 assists. Junior Claire Bradshaw added another 16 assists. Grazia Candiotti was the team leader in digs with 32.

The Lady Tigers' record goes to 8-5 overall and 7-4 in the section. NA plays Hampton next on Tuesday night.

North Allegheny continued their winning ways on Monday night by defeating Penn-Trafford 3-1in a non-section contest. North Allegheny got things started with a 25-13 win in the first set of the match. In that set alone, the Lady Tigers produced 12 blocks. On the night, senior Kassie Freyermuth led with eight blocks and senior Tori Pernell added another five. Penn-Trafford tied the game by taking the second set, 25-22.

North Allegheny would respond by winning the next set by the same score, 25-22, and then finishing off the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. The Lady Tigers dominated game with numerous blocks and ended the match on a double block by Freyermuth and senior Emily Meyer.

Not only leading the team in blocks for the night, Freyermuth was front and center in the kills category with 11. Senior Amanda Knobeloch was very much apart of the victory with 17 assists, followed by junior Claire Bradshaw’s 14. Grazia Candiotti was tops on the squad with 18 digs. Junior Katie Best wasn’t far behind with 13 digs.

The Lady Tigers improve to 8-4 on the season with the win. NA will get back to section play when they face Pine-Richland on Monday, October 18.

After a dominating win over New Castle on Tuesday night, the Lady Tigers followed that up with another impressive 3-0 win over Butler on Thursday evening. In perhaps their most complete team effort of the season, the Lady Tigers excelled in all areas of the game, including passing, setting, hitting and defense.

NA established the momentum of the match from the outset, thanks in large part to Maggie Edwards who posted four aces and six digs. Other statistical leaders include Tori Pernell who notched a career high 11 kills. Amanda Knobeloch was the team leader in assists for the night with 23. Grazia Candiotti posted 14 digs, followed by Katie Mitchell's 12 digs. Julia Miller and Kassie Freyermuth each made three blocks. Freyermuth also came up with eight kills.

North Allegheny's team effort also translated into hitting. NA made only four hitting errors for the match, hitting .463.

For the season, the Lady Tigers are 8-4 overall and 7-3 in the section. Up next for NA is a non-section visit to Penn-Trafford on Monday.

In a non-section meeting with Upper St. Clair, the North Allegheny Lady Tigers dropped their second straight match 3-2. Things were going well for the Lady Tigers in the early going as NA took the first set 25-21. The momentum in the match turned though in set two. The Lady Tigers led the second set 19-15 before squandering the lead, losing the set and later falling behind 2-1. North Allegheny did rally to take set four 25-22, but ultimately Upper St. Clair would claim the victory by taking the fifth and final set.

Senior Kassie Freyermuth led NA with 11 kills and seven blocks. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch finished with 15 assists and junior OH/S Claire Bradshaw added 14 assists. Defensively, senior DS Grazia Candiotti posted 15 digs junior OH Katie Best had another 13.

The Lady Tigers drop to 6-4 overall with the loss. NA faces New Castle at home tonight in a section battle that starts at 7 pm.

For the second time this season, the Seneca Valley Raiders defeated the Lady Tigers. In the match at Seneca on Thursday night, the Raiders won in three straight games. SV took the first game, 25-16, held off NA, 25-22, in game two, and finished off the Tigers, 25-11 in the third and final game. Junior OH Katie Best led NA with six kills with senior MB Julia Miller adding three blocks.

At the net, senior opposite Kassie Freyermuth added three kills with Miller and junior OH/S Claire Bradshaw posting two each. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch recorded eight assits and Bradshaw six. Freyermuth and senior MB Emily Meyer recorded two blocks each. Defensively, senior DS Grazia Candiotti led with 16 digs, Best had 13, senior DS Katie Mitchell 12, and Freyermuth 11. Knobeloch and Miller had two service aces each.

On Tuesday night, the Lady Tigers defeated North Hills, 3-0. With the win and loss, the NA section record now stands at 4-3, the overall mark at 6-3. The Lady Tigers will travel to Upper St. Clair on Monday for a 7:00 pm non-section match.

Coach Dan Schall's Lady Tigers stepped out of section play on Monday night at the Senior High gym and defeated the Norwin Lady Knights in three straight games. NA won the first game, 25-15, took the second, 25-16, and finished off the Lady Knights by the same 25-16 score in game three. Sophomore OH Ava Mosbacher and junior OH Katie Best led the way with eight kills each while senior opposite Kassie Freyermuth added six. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch recorded fifteen assists while junior setter Claire Bradshaw added eleven for the winning Lady Tigers.

The teams played on even terms in the early going in game one. A kill and an ace by Norwin's Ellie Kerr gave the Lady Knights an early 4-2 lead. A violation by Norwin, a kill by Best, a hitting error by the Knights, and a big blast down the middle by Freyermuth put NA on top, 6-4. An ace by Sara Benedict and a kill by Brittney Coles gave the Lady Knights a 7-6 advantage. With the score tied at 8-8, a kill by Best off the Norwin front row blockers put the Lady Tigers on top for good at 9-8. The Lady Tigers went on a 13-3- run to take control of the game. An ace by Best, a pair of kills by Mosbacher, two more kills by senior MB Tori Pernell, and a pair of aces by Mosbacher were keys during the run. With NA up, 22-11, a kill by Kerr and several NA hitting errors brought the score to 24-15. Senior MB Julia Miller put away the Lady Knights with a strong hit off the blockers to give NA a 25-15 victory in game one and a one game to none lead in the match.

The Lady Tigers jumped off to a 6-2 lead in game two behind the hitting of senior MB Emily Meyer and Freyermuth and several Norwin hitting errors. The Lady Knights rallied, however, on kills by Kerr and Gabby Hutchinson to tie the game at 6-6. After Freyermuth blocked for a point, a hitting error tied the score at 7-7. Another Norwin hitting error put NA ahead for good at 8-7. Norwin stayed close on kills by Jennifer Straw and Kerr as the NA lead was cut to 10-9. At this point, the Lady Tigers again took control. A kill by Best down the middle, a well placed over the head attempt by senior DS Grazia Candiotti, and a kill by Best off the blockers extended the margin to 15-11. Senior DS Mimi Overbaugh came off the bench to serve a pair of aces to make it a 17-11 NA lead. After a service error and kill by Kerr, Best answered to push the margin to 18-14. Junior Charlotte Gillespie came in to serve an ace and a hitting error by the Knights pushed the advantage to 20-14. After another NA service error, Miller went cross court off a quick set and senior DS Katie Mitchell served an ace to give NA a 23-15 lead. With NA up 24-16, a Norwin hitting error ended game two with the Lady Tigers taking a 25-16 victory and a two games to none lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall and needing to win game three to keep their hopes alive, Norwin took an early 8-5 lead mainly behind the play of Alexandra Hall, Kerr and some NA errors. After Freyermuth and Coles exchanged points, Mosbacher went down the middle to cut the lead to 9-7. After an NA hitting error, senior OH Anna Nolan scored off the Norwin blockers to cut the margin to 10-8. The Lady Tigers were able to take the lead at 12-11 on a cross court hit by Best. After a violation by NA, Candiotti dinked in another kill to make it a 13-12 NA lead. After a Tiger hitting error tied the score again, Freyermuth drove another cross court kill to put the Lady Tigers ahead for good at 14-13. A violation by Norwin, a kill by Freyermuth near the back line, and an ace by Bradshaw pushed the margin to 17-13. An NA net violation and a kill by Hall on a two-handed dink closed the gap to two . After Freyermuth went off the Knight blockers, a Hall block kept Norwin close at 18-16. Mosbacher then hit the line, Freyermuth served an ace, and junior MB Sarah Swartz blocked for a point as NA took a 21-16 lead. A line violation by the Knights and another Mosbacher kill pushed the margin to 23-16. A pair of Norwin hitting errors ended the night for the Knights as NA took a 25-16 win in game three and a three games to none victory in the match.

Once again, the Lady Tigers were tough at the net.. In addition to the kills by the players mentioned earlier, Swartz led in blocks with three. Mosbacher and Overbaugh scored on a pair of service aces each. Defensively, Mitchell led with 13 digs while Best recorded nine. For her efforts at the net and behind the serving line, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Ava Mosbacher as the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

With the win, NA improved the overall record to 5-2 on the season. The Lady Tigers will travel to North Hills tonight to meet the Indians in a 7:00 pm section match.

The Lady Tigers rebounded from Tuesday nights loss to Pine-Richland with a 3-0 sweep of Hampton in section action at the Senior High gym on Wednesday night. NA won the first game, 25-11, came back to beat the Talbots, 25-23, in game two, and wrapped up the victory with a decisive 25-13 victory in game three.

Senior opposite Kassie Freyermuth led NA with six kills with senior MB Julia Miller adding five. Senior MB Emily Meyer posted three blocks. Senior DS Maggie Edwards recorded five service aces with senior setter Amanda Knobeloch adding three more. Defensively, Overbaugh and junior DS Ali Karsh both had six digs to lead in that category.

Overbaugh got a start at libero and came through with a fine match. In game two, the Lady Tigers trailed 23-17 late in the set. Freyermuth came back into the game and led a comeback that resulted in eight consecutive points to close out the match. Ten different NA players had kills in the match.

With the win, the NA section record improved to 3-2, the overall record to 4-2 on the season. The Lady Tigers will host Norwin on Monday night in a non-section match. 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. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

The Lady Tigers gave the #1 ranked Pine-Richland Rams a real battle on Tuesday night, but in the end the Rams prevailed, 3-1. After being edged by P-R in the first game, 26-24, the Lady Tigers rallied to win game two, 25-15. In the third game, the Rams came back with a 25-19 victory. With their backs against the wall, NA extended the top-ranked team in the state to the end before losing a tough 28-26 decision.

Leading the way for NA at the net were junior OH Katie Best with 15 kills, sophomore Ava Mosbacher with 13 and senior MB Julia Miller with eight. Senior MB Tori Pernell recorded four blocks while junior S/OH Claire Bradshaw, senior OH Kassie Freyermuth and Miller had two each. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch posted 25 assists with Bradshaw adding 22. Senior DS Katie Mitchell and senior DS Mimi Overbaugh both had a pair of service aces to help the NA cause. Defensively, senior DS Grazia Candiotti led with 28 digs, Best added 23, Mitchell posted 20 and Freyermuth 16 as the Lady Tigers came up just short.

The loss dropped the NA section record to 2-2, the overall mark to 3-2 on the season. The Lady Tigers will host Hampton tonight in a 7:00 pm section match at the Senior High gym.

The Lady Tigers defeated Butler in three straight games in an important early season section match at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night. Senior MB Julia Miller led the way with seven kills and three blocks as NA won game one, 25-14, game two, 25-17, and the third and final game, 25-19. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch recorded 11 assists while junior setter Claire Bradshaw added ten.

Butler jumped off to an early 5-1 lead behind NA hitting errors and a kill by Katelyn Wetzel. After a several additional NA hitting errors, the lead went to 6-3. At this point, the Lady Tigers went on a 14-3 run to take control of the game. After Butler committed a hitting error, senior DS Mimi Overbaugh took over the serving duties and served seven straight points including a pair of aces. During the run, Miller had two kills and Bradshaw dropped in a left handed tip to give NA an 11-6 lead. A kill by Butler's Christina Farmer stopped the run and led a brief Tornado rally that cut the margin to 14-8. After yet another Butler hitting error, Meghan Studds went down the middle to make it a 15-9 game. Senior OH Kassie Freyermuth followed with a blast down the middle, but Amanda Skidmore answered as the score went to 17-10. Sophomore OH Ava Mosbacher drove a kill cross court, but Studds had the answer down the middle to keep the margin at seven, 18-11. A block by senior MB Tori Pernell and a kill by senior Anna Nolan on a two-handed push gave the Lady Tigers a 21-11 advantage. A kill and an ace by Skidmore cut the lead to 21-14. NA then closed out the first game behind the serving of senior OH Rachel Wall to finish off the Tornado and win game one, 25-14. The Lady Tigers took a one game to none lead in the match.

In game two, Butler took an early 3-1 lead on a kill by Skidmore and a pair of NA hitting errors. After Farmer put back an overpass, Pernell went cross court for a kill. With the score tied at 4-4, Overbaugh served another ace to give NA a 5-4 lead. A kill by Wetzel and a tip by Farmer put the Tornado back on top, 6-5. After junior OH Katie Best tied the game with a kill down the middle, a block by Miller gave the Lady Tigers the lead for good at 7-6. Kills by Mosbacher and Pernell pushed the NA advantage to 11-7. Butler then committed for consecutive hitting errors as NA increased the lead to 14-8. After an NA service error (the first of the match!), Pernell scored down the middle to keep the Lady Tigers on top by a 15-9 margin. The lead went to 17-11 on several Butler errors and a kill by Freyermuth that hit the back line. Krause went off the NA front row blockers, but Miller answered off a quick set as the score went to 18-13. A Farmer tip was answered by a Miller kill off another quick set to make it a 19-14 contest. Two NA errors and a tip down the middle by Carli Johns brought Butler to within three at 20-17. The Tornado would not score again as Bradshaw served an ace and Pernell went cross court before a pair of Butler hitting errors ended game two with NA winning, 25-17. The Lady Tigers now had a two games to none lead in the match.

For the most part, game three belonged to the Lady Tigers. Butler stayed close early, however as kills by Meghan Studds and Skidmore gave the Tornado a 3-3 tie. On again the Tornado committed hitting errors as junior DS Ali Karsh served three straight points to give NA a 7-3 advantage. NA then committed several errors to allow Butler to tie the game, 7-7, on a Skidmore ace. With Wall serving, a Miller kill toward the back line and and ace helped NA take a 11-7 lead. Butler answered with Wetzel serving to score the next four points including an ace as the score was tied at 11-11. Another kill by Miller on the back line put NA ahead for good at 12-11. NA went on a 7-0 run to take control of the game. With senior DS Katie Mitchell serving, Miller blocked for a kill, Freyermuth recorded a kill, and Mitchell served up a pair of aces during the run. After Farmer stopped the run with a cross-court kill, Freyermuth blocked for a point to make it a 19-12 NA advantage. Two Tiger mistakes cut the lead to five before Freyermuth put back an overpass to extend the Lady Tiger margin to 20-14. Studds kept Butler in the game, but Freyermuth answered with a cross court blast. After Wetzel scored on a dink, junior MB Sarah Swartz went down the middle to make it a 22-16 game. After the teams exchanged hitting errors, Farmer scored on a deep kill. A block by Nolan brought NA to game and match point, 24-18. After a service error, Nolan went off the Butler blockers with a hard hit and it proved to be the game and match winner. NA won game three, 25-19, and the match, three games to none.

The Tigers dominated play at the net against the smaller Tornado. Freyermuth posted six kills and two blocks while Pernell recorded five kills and a block. Mitchell and senior Overbaugh were able to score on two service aces each. Defensively, senior DS Grazia Candiotti led with 12 digs. For her overall efforts in the match, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Julia Miller as the Player of the Match.

With the win, NA improved to 2-1 in section play, 3-1 overall. The Lady Tigers will continue in section next Tuesday when they host the #1 ranked Pine-Richland Rams. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

JV UPDATE: The JV team defeated Butler, two games to one, winning the final contest by a 15-12 score.

Coach Dan Schall's Lady Tigers won three straight to sweep Mt. Lebanon, 3-0, in a non-section match at the Senior High gym on Monday night. NA won the first game, 25-20, came back to edge the Blue Devils, 25-23, in game two, and controlled play in winning the third and final game of the match, 25-19.

After senior OH Kassie Freyermuth gave NA a 1-0 lead with a blast down the middle, Mt. Lebanon scored the next four points on Lady Tiger errors and a ill by Megan Stoehr. Senior MB Tori Pernell ended the run with a kill down the middle. After an NA hitting error, the teams exchanged kills by Freyermuth and Holly Schutte as the score went to 6-3 in favor of Lebo. NA rallied, however, to take an 8-7 lead. A left handed tip by junior setter Claire Bradshaw, a kill by Freyermuth down the line, an ace by junior OH Katie Best and a kill by sophomore OH Ava Mosbacher sparked a 5-1 run. After Pernell blocked for a point, a kill by Schutte and an ace by Carolyn Dadowski tied the game at 9-9. Another left handed tip by Bradshaw was matched by a kill from Christy Tuchnowski as the game remained tied. After Jenny Kang scored on a kill to give Lebo the lead, NA scored the next four points. Mosbacher went off the blockers to the the game, Best went down the line, and Pernell put a two-handed push into the back corner to give NA a 14-11 advantage. After an NA service error, senior DS Grazia Candiotti dropped in a kill, Best added another, and senior OH Maggie Edwards served an ace to push the margin to 17-12. After an NA net violation, Freyermuth blocked for a point, and senior DS Mimi Overbaugh came in to serve an ace to make it a 19-14 NA lead. With NA up 20-15, Mosbacher went off the Lebo front row blockers for a point, but Schutte answered with a dink. A Lebo line violation was answered by a strong blast from Kang to cut the margin to 22-17. A kill by Laura Dadowski and a lift called on NA cut the lead to 22-19. After an NA time out, Freyermuth went off the Lebo blockers and Mt. Lebanon committed a hitting error putting NA at game point. Laura Dadowski cut the lead to 24-20, but a Blue Devil service error ended game one with the Lady Tigers taking a 25-20 victory and a one game to none lead in the match.

North Allegheny jumped off to a quick lead in game two. A kill by Mosbacher and another by Freyermuth down the line opened the scoring. After Laura Dadowski went cross court to put Lebo on the board, Freyermuth scored off the Lebo blockers to make it 3-1. A kill by Freyermuth was answered by a block by Kang and a blast by Caroline Grattan down the middle to cut the margin to 4-3. Senior MB Julia Miller stepped up with a block, a kill off a quick set, and another block to extend the margin to 7-3. Lebo rallied behind Tuchnowski and several NA errors to cut the lead to tie the score at 8-8. The Blue Devils went on to increase the lead to 13-9 behind the hitting of Laura Dadowski and more NA errors. A kill by junior MB Sarah Swartz stopped the run and sparked an NA rally that tied the game at 13-13. After an NA service error, Lebo scored four straight to retake the lead at 17-13. A kill by Laura Dadowski and an NA violation offset a kill by Swartz as the Lebo advantage went to 19-14. A kill by Best down the line stopped the run and again began another Lady Tiger rally. A put back on an overpass by Miller and a pair of kills by Best cut the margin to 20-19 before Gratton was able to keep Lebo ahead with a kill off the NA blockers. After Lauren Dadowski scored from the back, senior DS Katie Mitchell answered, also from the back row, to cut the lead to 22-20. After a Mt. Lebanon time, a hitting error and a tip by Bradshaw tied the game at 22-22. After Schutte went down the middle to put Lebo back ahead, Mosbacher took over the game. The NA sophomore sent a kill deep to tie the score at 23-23. Mosbacher followed with a cross court hit that put the Lady Tigers at game point. Mosbacher then finished off the Blue Devils with a block as NA won game two, 25-23, and took a two games to none lead in the match.

In game three, the Lady Tigers took an early 6-2 lead behind an ace by Edwards, a kill by Freyermuth, and a kill by Miller down the middle. Lebo rallied as Gratton scored on a pair of kills with an NA hitting error bringing the Blue Devils to within one at 6-5. After the teams exchanged hitting errors, Best went of the Lebo blockers to make it an 8-6 NA lead. Mt. Lebanon then came back to jump on top as Laura Dadowski scored off the NA blockers, Chloe Duvall served an ace, and Tuchnowski added a kill as Lebo took an 11-9 advantage. Wit NA trailing 12-10, Freyermuth scored again of the Lebo blockers and a Mt. Lebanon hitting error tied the score at 12-12. With NA down, 14-13, Freyermuth went cross court to tie the game. Miller added a tip to put NA on top, but Gratton answered to tie the game again. Three straight Lebo errors gave NA an 18-15 lead before Bradshaw put down an overpass. A hitting error by Lebo made it a 20-15 game with the Lady Tigers in control. After the teams exchanged service errors, Miller served an ace. With NA up, 23-17, Pernell went deep to put the Lady Tigers at game and match points. After Laura Dadowski and some NA miscommunication cut the margin to five, Freyermuth ended the Blue Devils' night with a strong hit down the middle. NA won game three, 25-19, and the match, three games to none.

Freyermuth led NA with 9 kills while four players --- Mosbacher, Miller, Best, and Pernell --- all had five kills. Miller added four blocks with Mosbacher and Swartz posted three blocks each. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch led with 16 assists while Bradshaw recorded thirteen. Defensively, Best posted a team high 13 digs while Freyermuth and Mitchell recorded ten each. For her overall efforts in the match, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Katie Best as the Player of the Match.

It was another good team effort for NA as they improved their overall record to 2-1 on the season. The Lady Tigers will host Butler tonight in a key section match. 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. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

The Lady Tigers defeated Maplewood, 17-20, 20-12, 15-9, in the finals of the Gold Bracket of the Shaler Invitational to win the title on Saturday at Shaler Senior High. In pool play, NA advanced to Gold Bracket 1 by posting a record of 7-1. In Gold Bracket 1, NA downed Bethel Park, 20-18 and 20-15 and split with Norwin, 20-16, 19-20, to advance to the final.

Senior OH Kassie Freyermuth led NA with 22 kills with sophomore OH Ava Mosbacher adding 17 and junior OH Katie Best 12. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch recorded 37 assists while junior setter Claire Bradshaw posted 22 for the winning Lady Tigers. At the net, senior MB Tori Pernell and Freyermuth led with six blocks each. Defensively, senior DS Grazia Candiotti had 34 digs with senior DS Katie Mitchell adding 24 and Best 22.

The Lady Tigers will host Mt. Lebanon tonight in a non-section match between two of the top teams in the WPIAL. The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the match LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-match show at 6:45 pm. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

SHALER INVITATIONAL
Shaler Middle and Senior High Schools
Saturday, September 11, 2011

The Lady Tigers rebounded from the tough 3-2 loss to Seneca Valley on Tuesday night with a 3-0 shutout at New Castle on Thursday night. It was a relatively easy victory for NA as they downed the Lady 'Cane 25-11 in game one, 25-7, in game two, and 25-14 in the third and final game.

Coach Dan Schall was able to use his entire bench throughout the match. Leading NA in kills were senior OH Anna Nolan and junior MB Sarah Swartz with four each. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch and junior setter Claire Bradshaw both recorded six service aces. Senior DS Mimi Overbaugh led the defensive statistics with six digs.

The Lady Tigers will compete in t he Shaler Area Invitational Tournament on Saturday. Action will take place at both the Shaler Area Middle (on Mount Royal Blvd) and High Schools. Play is scheduled to get under way at 8:30 am.

POOLS A, B at the High School (Wible Run Rd.)
POOL C at Middle School (Mt. Royal Blvd)

The Seneca Valley Raiders held off a furious NA rally to defeat the Lady Tigers, 3-2, in the opening section match at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night. The Raiders held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but NA came back to win games two and four and force a fifth game. In game five, the Lady Tigers led, 14-12, but Seneca scored the last four points to win the game, 16-14, and the match. Senior OH Kassie Freyermuth led NA with 15 kills while senior MB Emily Meyer posting ten blocks. Senior setter Amanda Knobeloch recorded 19 assists for the Lady Tigers.

The Raiders started quickly looking very much like the #2 ranked team in Pennsylvania. The Raiders jumped off to a 7-1 lead in game one behind the hitting of junior Cate Seman and sophomore Madison Hoffman. A pair of hitting errors and a kill by Freyermuth cut the margin to 8-3, but the first game belonged to the Raiders. Another un pushed the margin to 16-5 on kills by junior Meghan Drambel and aces by senior Dori Rohan and libero Alyssa DiMaria. Senior MB Julia Miller had a pair of kills and senior MB Tori Pernell a block for NA during the run. After Knobeloch served an ace, Cate Seman blocked for a point, junior Laura Thomas served an ace, and junior setter Alex Karika scored on a deep kill as the score went to 19-8. Pernell answered off a quick set, but the Raiders closed out the first game as Thomas hit the line to give Seneca Valley a 25-15 victory and a one to nothing lead in the match.

After committing numerous hitting and service errors in game one, the Lady Tigers settled down in the second game. Once again, Seneca jumped off to an early lead as Thomas served a pair of aces as the Raiders took a 4-0 lead. NA rallied, however, behind the serving of senior DS Katie Mitchell to tie the game. Meyer had a kill and block, Freyermuth went down the line, and Mitchell served an ace during the run. The game remained close throughout as the teams exchanged points. After a pair of NA errors put SV up 9-7, sophomore OH Ava Mosbacher blocked for a point and a Seneca error allowed NA to tie the game again. Freyermuth and Seman exchanged kills as the game was tied at 10 and 11. A blast by Meyer off the Seneca blockers put the Tigers ahead, 13-12. Junior OH Katie Best made it 14-12 before Seneca went on a 4-1 run to retake the advantage at 16-15. Junior setter Claire Bradshaw won a joust at the net to tie the game at 16-16, but junior Emma Carter and Thomas came back to push SV back ahead, 18-16. After a hitting error and a block by Meyer tied the game again, Seneca posted the next three points on kills by Carter and Thomas and an NA hitting error to take a 21-18 lead. After an NA time out, the Lady Tigers rallied to outscore Seneca, 7-2, down the stretch to pull out the victory. After a pair of Seneca mistakes, Best went off the blockers and Freyermuth followed with another kill to give NA a 23-22 lead. After Cate Seman tied the game, Freyermuth finished off the Raiders with a pair of kills as the Lady Tigers won game two, 25-23, to even the match at one game each.

Seneca Valley took an early 10-4 lead in game three mainly behind the hitting of Drambel, Thomas, and Cate Seman and the serving of freshman Angela Seman. The Lady Tigers came back again, however, to make it a game. An ace by Miller and several SV hitting errors cut the margin to 10-7. After an NA service error, Knobeloch served a pair of points with Freyermuth scoring on two consecutive blocks as the Lady Tigers cut the margin to 11-10. After Cate Seman scored down the middle, two more Seneca errors and an ace by Mitchell tied the game at 13-13. After the teams exchanged points, an NA net violation and an ace by Cate Seman made it 17-14 in favor of the Raiders. A kill by Miller of the blockers cut the margin to two, but Seneca Valley took control of the game down the stretch to pull away to a 25-17 win. Kills by Drambel, Thomas and Carter, along with an ace by Karika, gave Seneca the win and a two games to one lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall, the Lady Tigers rallied again to tie the match. For the first time in the match, NA built an early 5-2 lead on kills by Freyermuth and Best along with a block by Meyer. After an NA service error, Best went off the SV blockers to make it a 6-3 NA lead. Cate Seman and Carter brought the Raiders back to within one, but Best and Miller scored off the front row blockers to push the margin to 9-6. Two NA errors brought SV to within one, but the Lady Tigers put together a 6-1 run to extend the lead to 15-9. A block by Bradshaw, a kill by Freyermuth out of the back row, and a pair of left handed tips by Bradshaw were key during the run. Seneca Valley came back again behind the hitting of Thomas and Cate Seman to cut the margin to tie the game as Thomas served a pair of aces. After the teams exchanged points, Freyermuth put NA up one with a cross court hit, but Karika won a joust to tie the game at 18-18. It was Freyermuth again out of the back row to put NA ahead, but Drambel had the answer as the game was tied at 19-19. A line violation and an ace by Best gave NA a two-point lead, but Thomas scored on two kills to tie the game once again at 21-21. After Bradshaw and Carter exchanged points, junior OH Charlotte Gillespie and Meyer combined on a kill to give NA a one-point advantage. After a kill by Knobeloch, Meyer blocked for the final point as NA took a 25-22 victory in game four to tie the match at two games each.

The fifth game was a classic as both teams put runs together. The Lady Tigers jumped off to a quick 4-0 lead behind the serving of Knobeloch and several SV hitting errors. The Raiders rallied, however, to score the next five points on an ace by Karika, a kill by Carter off a slide, and another kill by Drambel off the NA blockers. The Raiders then scored the next four points to take a 10-6 lead on an ace by Angela Seman, a kill by Hoffman and several NA hitting errors. With senior DS Mimi Overbaugh serving, the Lady Tigers came back to tie the game. After a pair of SV errors, Overbaugh served two consecutive aces to tie the game at 10-10. After a Seneca time out, Overbaugh put away her third consecutive service ace to put NA back ahead, 11-10. After Cate Seman put back an overpass, Freyermuth and Cate Seman exchanged kills as the score went to 12-12. A Seneca hitting error and line violation put NA at game and match point. NA was called for a net violation that cut the lead to 14-13. Still at match point, Drambel scored off the NA blockers to tie the match at 14-14. An NA violation put Seneca at game and match point. With Rohan serving, the Lady Tigers could not return the serve and Seneca Valley was able to pull out a 16-14 win in game five and a three games to two win in the match.

It was an outstanding match between two of the top ten ranked teams in Pennsylvania. Both teams made early season mistakes but the two rivals battled hard down to the wire before Seneca was able to secure the victory. Statistically for NA, Best finished with seven kills with Miller adding six while Freyermuth posted six blocks and Bradshaw five. Defensively, senior Grazia Candiotti was tough in the back and led NA with 23 digs. Mitchell added 13 digs and Freyermuth nine. Bradshaw also posted 12 assists in part time duty as setter. For her overall efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Kassie Freyermuth as the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

The loss dropped NA to 0-1 in section play. The Lady Tigers will travel to New Castle tomorrow night to meet the Lady 'Canes in a 7:00 pm section contest.

The Lady Tigers finished second in pool play in the Mt. Lebanon Invitational at Mt. Lebanon High School on Saturday losing only to eventual champion Pine-Richland. In the semifinals, NA lost to host Mt. Lebanon, 25-17, to finish in a tie for third place in the tournament. Senior OH Kassie Freyermuth led the Lady Tigers with 20 kills while sophomore OH Ava Mosbacher added 13 and senior MB Julia Miller 12.

In addition, senior setter Amanda Knobeloch and junior setter Claire Bradshaw posted 35 assists each. Mosbacher and Miller both had four service aces while senior DS Grazia Candiotti led the defense with 20 digs. Junior Katie Best pitched in with 18 digs while senior Katie Mitchell added 16. At the net, Bradshaw and Miller recorded nine blocks each with Freyermuth adding seven.

The Lady Tigers will open section play tonight against rival Seneca Valley. The two teams split the section matches last year with each winning at home. In the WPIAL semifinals, Seneca Valley came from behind to eliminate the Lady Tigers, 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. Be sure to join Don Vandergrift and Jordan Dee for all the action, LIVE or archived with match time set for 7:00 pm.

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