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MATCH SUMMARIES

TIGERS SWEEP KNIGHTS FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE
WPIAL CROWN

by Lee Mohn

(5/26/12) North Allegheny won their sixth consecutive Class AAA Boys Volleyball championship by defeating Norwin 25-16, 25-21, 25-21, on Friday night.  The Tigers trailed only four times all night.  North Allegheny and Norwin were tied 10-10 when the Tigers would score six straight points on kills by Zach Hayes and Zack Shaw.  Shaw added a couple of blocks as well as Norwin would never recover in game one.  For his efforts, Hayes was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

Game two was more of Shaw and Tommy Keisling for the Tigers with numerous kills that Norwin could not catch up to.  North Allegheny could not pull away however because of the play of Nick Idele. Game three was close throughout as Jeff Springer for the Knights would keep things tight. The score was 22-21 after two Springer kills but after a service error, Tommy Keisling would put things away for the Tigers to end the match. 

Tommy Keisling and Zach Shaw led the Tigers with 14 kills and Zack Hayes had five kills and two blocks.  For the Knights, Nick Idele had 13 kills while Jeff Springer had nine kills.  Both teams qualify for the PIAA tournament which starts Tuesday.  North Allegheny will face Lower Dauphin in the First Round  at 7:30 pm at Juniata College.  Click here for the entire PIAA Bracket.

Additionally, six Tigers were named to the All-WPIAL Team:

1st Team and Co-MVPs: Tommy Keisling and Zach Shaw.
2nd Team: Joe Murphy
Honorable Mention: Jared Gross, Suyash Fulay, Daniel Rodgers

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORWIN  - 0
 

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TIGERS GROUND BLACK HAWKS, 3-2,
IN WPIAL SEMIFINALS

by Lee Mohn

(5/23/12) Number one seed and five time defending champion North Allegheny came back from a two set to one deficit and defeated Bethel Park, 3-2, to move on to the Class AAA WPIAL finals which will take place Friday night.  Scores were 25-20, 22-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-9. 

Bethel Park gave North Allegheny everything they could handle and then some.   Bethel Park's trio of Mitchell Pierson, Grant Underwood and Bobby Huntington played spectacular with many kills and aces.  Underwood was really strong in game two with three aces.  Bethel Park would not lead by more than four points in the first two games but managed to split. 

In game three the Black Hawks jumped out to a 12-5 lead but North Allegheny came charging back to cut their deficit to 20-19.  Zach Shaw really stood out for NA during the run but Grant Underwood would close things out in Game three.  Set four started tight with NA leading 11-8, but then the Tigers would score six out of the next eight points to take a commanding lead and win the set.    Game five was tied at 6-6 before Shaw and Tommy Keisling took charge with six kills between them and NA cruised to a set five victory. 

Tommy Kiesling posted a career high 26 kills and tied a career best with four aces.  For his efforts, Kiesling was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.   Zach Shaw was also clutch with 15 kills and J.J. Scherer posted a career high seven blocks.  Suyash Fulay and Dom LaBella continuously aided teammates with well-placed passes and posted 24 and 23 assist respectively. 

North Allegheny will now play Norwin on Friday at 8pm for the AAA championship.  Bethel Park will play Seneca Valley in the consolation match Friday for the 3rd place and a spot in the upcoming state playoffs.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BETHEL PARK  - 2
 

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TIGERS OUTLAST WARRIORS IN QUARTERFINALS, 3-1

(5/17/12) Behind a career high 10 kills and six blocks from junior Daniel Rodgers, the North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team defeated the Penn-Trafford Warriors 3-1 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the Class AAA  playoffs.   Rodgers was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game for the spark he provided off the bench, but was also aided by junior Tommy Keisling (in photo above) who matched a career best of 15 kills.  Keisling and Zach Shaw each collected a trio of aces, while Jared Gross shined defensively with 10 digs. 

The Tigers claimed the victory with set scores of 25-16, 25-20, 21-25, and 25-6.  Following the Warriors set three win, the five-time defending WPIAL champions laid the hammer down in the fourth set to put an exclamation point on the victory. 

North Allegheny improves to 14-1 overall and advances to the WPIAL semifinals on Tuesday night against the Bethel Park Black Hawks.  The site and time are yet to be determined as of the time of this writing.  Regardless of time and location, you can listen to the semifinal match vs. Bethel Park live over the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network. 

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN-TRAFFORD  - 1
 

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TIGERS GET FIRST ROUND BYE IN WPIAL PLAYOFFS

(5/14/12) The Class AAA Boys Volleyball brackets have been released and the five-time defending champion North Allegheny Tigers are the top-seed in this year’s tournament.  The Tigers sprinted through the regular season with only one loss and came away with four first-place trophies in area tournaments.  North Allegheny has a first-round bye in the WPIAL bracket and will host a second round match-up on Thursday night.  NA will take on the winner of the Penn Trafford-Baldwin match on Tuesday night.    

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TIGERS END REGULAR SEASON WITH 3-0 WIN
OVER NORTH HILLS

(5/12/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team wrapped up a dominant regular season with a 3-0 victory over the North Hills Indians on Saturday.  The victory also locked up a co-section championship for the Tigers as NA concludes with a section mark of 11-1.  North Allegheny earned the match win with set scores of 25-19, 25-13, and 25-7.

Many of the Tigers saw action in the regular season finale and among the top performers was sophomore Brendan Brown who posted six kills and a block.  Zach Shaw continued his recovery from a dislocated pinkie finger with six kills of his own.  Senior Dom LaBella notched four blocks and was followed by Daniel Rodgers’ three blocks.  Defensively, senior Daniel Whitehurst contributed a team high 10 digs. 

North Allegheny will now await the WPIAL brackets to see when and where the Tigers will play next.  Continue to monitor the North Allegheny athletics website for further information on playoffs matches and playoff broadcasts. 

JV Update: NA defeated North Hills 2-0 (25-17, 25-10).   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS  - 0
 

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TIGERS REBOUND WITH WIN OVER AMBRIDGE

(5/12/12) Following their first section loss in two years, the North Allegheny Volleyball Team bounced back with a 3-1 defeat of the Ambridge Bridgers in a non-section match on Friday night.  NA took down the Bridgers by set scores of 25-19, 25-23, 14-25, and 25-19. 

The Tigers received a career high seven kills and four blocks from Daniel Rodgers and a career best six kills and eight blocks from Alex Glisan as part of the victory.  Tommy Keisling earned personal best numbers with 17 digs and Joe Murphy matched a career high with four aces.  In his return from a dislocated pinkie finger, senior Zach Shaw collected a team high 14 kills.

North Allegheny concludes their regular season schedule this morning with an 11:00 am contest against the North Hills Indians. 

JV Update: NA defeated Ambridge 2-0 (25-20, 25-23)   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  AMBRIDGE - 1
 

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RAIDERS STUN TIGERS, 3-2

(5/8/12) At a raucous gymnasium at Seneca Valley High School, the second-ranked Raiders upset the top-ranked North Allegheny Tigers, 3-2, on Tuesday night.  The Tigers streaked to a 2-0 match lead by taking the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-22.  However, Seneca Valley won the next three sets by scores of 25-12, 25-18 and 15-10 to stun NA. 

Part of the Tigers early success, junior Daniel Rodgers came through with nine kills and a team high four blocks. Setter Joe Murphy scored 17 assists and seven kills.  Defensively, Suyash Fulay posted 10 digs and libero Jared Gross notched a career high 17 digs.  Both Fulay and Gross were terrific all night long with outstanding, sprawling digs.  With Gross garnering a career high on the night, the senior earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.     

Despite the Tigers strong start, the tide turned quickly in the third set as Seneca Valley blasted NA for a 25-12 set victory.  The Raiders continued to ride the emotional wave, led by Chad Albert, Brian Pudlo and Eric Speicher, to take the next two sets and claim the 3-2 victory.

The loss drops NA’s section record to 10-1 and improves the Raiders record to 10-1.  In all likelihood, the two teams will end the regular season as co-section champions barring an upset by either of the two teams in their next section game.  The Tigers will play their final section game of the season on Thursday night as NA hosts the North Hills Indians.  Action will get started at 7:00 pm at NASH.    

JV Update: NA defeated Seneca Valley 2-0 (25-15, 25-21)   

MATCH SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2
 

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NA JUMPS TO NO. 15 IN NATIONAL RANKINGS

(5/3/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team has taken another leap in the national rankings and are now ranked number 15 in the country according to the latest ESPN Rise 50 list.  In addition, a pair of Tigers have made commitments to continue their volleyball career in college.  Senior outside hitter Zach Shaw, who is among the NA leaders with 129 kills and 25 aces this season, will attend Princeton University.  Senior defensive specialist Jared Gross, who leads the Tigers with 180 digs, will attend Emerson College, a Division III school in Boston, Massachusetts.  The highly touted Tigers will face off next against the second-ranked team in the state, the Seneca Valley Raiders.  The match will be carried live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.    

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NORTH ALLEGHENY POUNDS FOX CHAPEL, 3-0

(5/2/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team overpowered the Fox Chapel Foxes on Wednesday night with a 3-0 section victory.  The Tigers claimed set wins of 25-16, 26-24 and 25-19 for the match victory. 

Several Tigers came away with career high performances, and it was a role reversal for a pair of juniors.  Joe Murphy notched a personal best nine kills while Tommy Keisling posted a career high five assists.   Overall, Keisling still crushed seven kills and Murphy scored a team high 32 assist. Keisling also had a team high five aces.  Among the other personal bests, Alex Glisan delivered five kills and Jeremy LaBella got defensive with six digs. 

With the win, North Allegheny advances their section record to 10-0 on the season as Fox Chapel falls to 4-7.  After three consecutive nights of action, the Tigers will have the rest of the week off before facing Seneca Valley on the road next Tuesday night.  The match will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network starting at 7:00 pm.   

JV Update: NA defeated Fox Chapel 2-0    

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  FOX CHAPEL - 0
 

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TIGERS BLOCK BUTLER, 3-0

(5/1/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team continued their winning ways with a 3-0 victory at Butler on Tuesday night.  The Tigers swept through the Golden Tornado with set wins of 25-13, 25-11, and 25-22.

In the victory, the Tigers received another strong performance from junior Tommy Keisling who posted 11 kills, six digs and a pair of blocks.  Setter Joe Murphy led with 23 assists and three blocks while senior Jared Gross was the star defensively with 12 digs and two aces. 

The Tigers improve to 9-0 in Section 2-AAA while Butler falls to 7-3.  North Allegheny continues section play tonight with a home match against Fox Chapel.  Action gets underway at 7:00 pm. 

JV Update: NA defeated Butler 2-0 (25-22, 25-13)   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 0
 

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TIGERS WIN JOUST WITH KNIGHTS, 3-0

(4/30/12) In a battle of two top WPIAL heavyweights, the North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team earned a hard fought 3-0 victory over the Norwin Knights on Monday night.  The Tigers grinded out a 30-28 win in set one and followed that up by topping the Knights, 25-22, in set two.  North Allegheny coasted past Norwin in the third set, 25-13, to cap off the non-section win.

Several Tigers posted career high marks in the win, including Suyash Fulay who picked up career best 12 digs.  Zack Hayes notched a personal high with seven kills and Daniel Rodgers scored a personal best with four blocks. Game high numbers were tackled by Martin Mejewski who scored a trio of aces and J.J. Scherer who posted five blocks.  In addition, setter Joe Murphy collected 22 assists while Tommy Keisling hammered 11 kills.

The victory keeps North Allegheny undefeated with a 9-0 overall mark.  The Tigers return to section play with a visit to Butler tonight.  Action gets underway at 7:00 pm.

JV Update: NA fell to Norwin 2-0 (25-21, 26-24)   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORWIN - 0
 

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TIGERS WIN STATE COLLEGE TOURNAMENT

(4/28/12) The North Allegheny Volleyball Team came away with another first place trophy this weekend, this time by claiming gold at the State College Tournament.  North Allegheny defeated Northeastern 2-0 (25-19, 25-17) in the tournament championship.  To get to the finals, the Tigers defeated Emmaus 25-23 in quarterfinals and topped York Suburban 25-22 in the semifinals.  Emmaus is ranked fifth in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.  North Allegheny is tops on the PVCA list.

Among the top performances on the day, junior Tommy Keisling posted a team best 75 kills and seven aces.  Daniel Rodgers was the leader in blocks with 18.  Defensively, Jared Gross was the frontrunner in digs with 39 and was closely followed by Suyash Fulay’s 38 digs and Keisling’s 38.  Setter Joe Murphy led with 167 assists and contributed 29 digs, 17 kills, and eight blocks. 

North Allegheny returns to action on Monday night with a visit to Norwin in a non-section match.   

STATE COLLEGE TOURNAMENT
SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

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TIGERS PUNISH PINE-RICHLAND, 3-0

(4/24/12) In an all-around performance, the North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team pummeled Pine-Richland on Tuesday night with a 3-0 sweep of the Rams.  The Tigers picked up set wins of 25-11, 25-10, and 25-18 for the overall match victory. 

In a terrific performance by all starters and players off the bench, the Tigers ran away with this one in a hurry.  Exemplary of the Tigers all-around evening was defensive specialist and setter Suyash Fulay.  The junior was among the team leaders in digs with five, and chipped in with two kills, two assists and an ace.  On a night where all the Tigers shined, it was Fulay who was selected as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Amongst the Tigers top showings, junior Tommy Keisling led with six kills and added two blocks.  Zach Shaw used his dynamic serves to surprise the Rams for three aces.  Senior Martin Majewski led defensively with six digs and setter Joe Murphy posted 32 assists and led NA with four blocks up front. 

The victory improves North Allegheny’s record to 8-0 in the section.  Pine-Richland falls to 4-4 overall and 3-4 in Section 2.  The Tigers will hit the court again on Saturday at the State College Tournament, starting at 8:30 am.   

JV Update: NA defeated Pine-Richland 2-0 (25-16, 25-12)   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PINE-RICHLAND- 0
 

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TIGERS CLAIM TITLE AT KOLLER CLASSIC

(4/22/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team won their third tournament of the spring by claiming first place at the Koller Classic at Central York on Saturday.  The Tigers defeated York Suburban in the finals by a 2-0 (25-19, 25-19) score for the tournament title.  The nationally ranked Tigers also set down Northeastern, Emmaus, and Parkland on their way to the tournament championship. 

Helping lead the way at the invitational was junior Tommy Keisling who belted 61 kills, five aces and five blocks.  Senior Zach Shaw contributed another all-around performance with 46 kills, 32 digs, and seven blocks.  Junior Daniel Rodgers tallied the most blocks in the tournament with nine, while Joe Murphy added another seven.  Murphy also set up teammates with 136 assists.  Defensively, Jared Gross and Suyash Fulay delivered another strong outing with 31 digs and 29 digs respectively. 

North Allegheny returns to section play with a home meeting against Pine-Richland on Tuesday night.  The match will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

KOLLER CLASSIC (at Central York)
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Pool Play
Split with York Suburban 1-1 (26-27; 27-25)
Defeated Penn Manor 2-0 (25-16; 25-20)
Defeated Parkland 2-0 (25-19; 25-19)
Defeated Red Land 2-0 (25-17; 25-23)
 
Playoffs
2nd Round, defeated Northeastern 25-22
Quarter-finals, defeated Emmaus 28-26
Semi-finals, defeated Parkland 25-19
Finals, defeated York Suburban 2-0 (25-19, 25-19)

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NA VOLLEYBALL SLAMS SHALER, 3-0

(4/19/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team picked up another convincing victory over a section opponent on Thursday night with a 3-0 win at Shaler Area.  The Tigers toppled the Titans with set wins of 25-14, 25-7, and 25-17.  With victories piling up, the Tigers have continued to garner some recognition from the national rankings.  In the most recent ESPN Rise Fab 50 poll, the Tigers have jumped to number 19 in the country.  

To fend off Shaler on Thursday night, North Allegheny used the serves of Suyash Fulay and Tommy Keisling who notched three aces apiece.  Keisling also led the Tigers in kills with 10 and contributed a pair of blocks.  J.J. Scherer also posted two blocks while Joe Murphy’s all-around play added 20 assists, 10 digs and six kills. 

The Tigers improve to 7-0 in Section 2-AAA as the Titans fall to 2-5 in section action. North Allegheny will step out of section  on Saturday to face some tough opponents at the York Tournament.  Action gets started at 8:30 am.      

JV Update: NA defeated Shaler 2-0 (25-19, 25-22)   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SHALER- 0
 

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TIGERS CRUISE PAST INDIANS, 3-0

(4/17/12) North Allegheny stayed undefeated on the season with a 3-0 victory over the North Hills Indians on Tuesday night.  The Tigers’ visit to North Hills was a pleasant one as NA cruised with set wins of 25-5, 25-8, and 25-8. 

Many of the Tigers saw action in this one with Adam Haus, Brendan Brown and Zack Hayes leading the way with six kills apiece.  Eric Doll, Shawn Rogers and Zach Morton played well defensively with three digs each.  Joe Murphy led the team with four aces and 10 assists.  Dom LaBella and Suyash Fulay also saw considerable time at setter, contributing nine and eight assists respectively. 

With the victory, North Allegheny is now 6-0 in section play.  North Hills remains winless with an 0-6 mark.  The Tigers continue section action with a visit to Shaler on Thursday night. 

JV Update: NA defeated North Hills 2-0 (25-2, 25-16)   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  NORTH HILLS- 0
 

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NA THWARTS RAIDERS FOR 3-1 VICTORY

For an archived broadcast of the Tigers win, click here!

(4/12/12) It was a rematch of last year’s Class AAA WPIAL title game and Thursday night’s meeting at NASH Gymnasium yielded the same result, a 3-1 North Allegheny victory over the Seneca Valley Raiders.  It was a contest that not only pitted the two best teams in the WPIAL but also two of the very best in the state.  North Allegheny entered the match as the top-ranked team in Pennsylvania with Seneca Valley not far behind, ranked third by the PA Volleyball Coaches Association. 

Facing their stiffest challenge of the seasons thus far, the Tigers opened the match with a kill by senior outside hitter Zach Shaw.  The opening point was only a precursor of things to come as Shaw led the Tigers with 14 kills and five blocks to help lift NA to the victory.  In a sterling performance among many, Shaw was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match. 

While Shaw got the Tigers off to a quick start, NA received a trio of kills from junior Tommy Keisling in the opening set, along with three blocks and two kills from senior J.J. Scherer.  North Allegheny built a 19-13 lead and closed out the first set on a hitting error by Seneca Valley’s Brian Pudlo for a 25-18 win.  The Raiders did themselves no favors by committing numerous service errors to begin the night.

Determined to not beat themselves, the Raiders’ play improved greatly in the second set in large part because of the play of middle hitter Chad Albert.  The senior multi-sport athlete spurred on the Raiders with seven kills and a block for a 25-21 victory in set two.

The third set began with a kill and block by Scherer, and the duo of Shaw and Keisling combined for five kills and an ace.  The Tigers also received three kills from Dom LaBella and inspired play off the bench from junior Alex Glisan.  Shaw capped the 25-20 win with a kill and North Allegheny took a 2-1 lead into the fourth set.

North Allegheny once again started off the set with a kill, this time by LaBella for a quick 1-0 lead.  Behind a flurry of kills from Shaw and Keisling the Tigers built a 22-11 lead.  Visibly discouraged by their circumstance, the Raiders did not give in to frustration and rallied with 9 of the next 11 points to cut the score to 24-20, Tigers.  Keisling dashed the Raiders hopes with a match ending kill to give the Tigers a 25-20 set win and 3-1 match victory.

The play of defensive stalwarts Suyash Fulay and Jared Gross did not go unnoticed and were also key to the NA win.  Fulay posted eight digs and Gross added seven, most of which came in spectacular fashion.  Setter Joe Murphy led the Tigers with a dozen digs and 33 assists. 

North Allegheny improved to 5-0 in Section 2 with the win while Seneca Valley falls to 4-1 on the season.  The Tigers continue section play with a match-up against the North Hills Indians on Tuesday night.  North Allegheny’s contest at North Hills gets underway at 7:00 pm.    

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SENECA VALLEY - 1
 

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TIGERS PUNISH FOXES AHEAD OF SHOWDOWN
 WITH SENECA VALLEY

(4/10/12) The North Allegheny Tigers head into their showdown with the Seneca Valley Raiders this week following another strong performance, a 3-0 victory over the Fox Chapel Foxes on Tuesday night.  The Tigers claimed set wins of 25-17, 25-15, and 25-21 in their victory over the Foxes. 

As usual, the Tigers received a sterling performance from setter Joe Murphy who posted four blocks, nine digs, and 31 assists.  Senior Zach Shaw also had a strong night by hammering nine kills and notching nine digs.  Daniel Rogers added six kills and three blocks, while Shawn Rogers added eight digs and Kevin Rogers posted three blocks and three assists. 

North Allegheny, the top ranked team in the WPIAL and in the state, improves to 4-0 in section play.  The Tigers will host the second-ranked Seneca Valley Raiders on Thursday night in a WPIAL title game rematch from a year ago.  The contest will be carried live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.  

JV Update:  The NA JV team won 2-0 (25-15, 25-16).

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  FOX CHAPEL - 0
 

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NA BREEZES BY GOLDEN TORNADO, 3-0

(4/2/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team continued their winning ways on Monday night with a dominant 3-0 win over the Butler Golden Tornado.  The Tigers took command early a set win of 25-9, then held off the Golden Tornado in the final two sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-23.  

It was an all-around performance from the Tigers as five different players led the team in separate statistical categories.  Back from a chorus trip the previous week, Zach Shaw returned to create four aces while adding eight kills.  When it came to kills, no Tiger produced more on the night than junior Tommy Keisling who hammered the Golden Tornado with a dozen.  Senior J.J. Scherer helped hold the middle with three blocks, followed by Daniel Rodgers’ two blocks.  Defensive specialist Jared Gross posted six digs and setter Joe Murphy tallied 29 assists. 

North Allegheny improves to 3-0 in section play while Butler suffers their first loss of the year, falling to 2-1.  The Tigers have the remainder of the week off before visiting the Fox Chapel Foxes next Tuesday, April 10.   

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  BUTLER - 0
 

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TIGERS TAKE FIRST PLACE AT DERRY INVITATIONAL

(3/31/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team won their second tournament of the young season with a first place showing on Saturday at the Derry Invitational.   The Tigers defeated Shaler, Plum and Derry to reach the tournament finals where North Allegheny took down the Norwin Knights, 25-17.  Including pool play, the Tigers were a perfect 13-0 at the invitational.

On the day, junior Tommy Keisling led the Tigers with 54 kills and added five aces.   Fellow junior Joe Murphy was the team leader in blocks and digs respectively with 11 and 36 in those two categories. Murphy also set up teammates with 131 assists for the tournament.  The Tigers also received key contributions J.J. Scherer and Daniel Rodgers who notched 10 blocks apiece.  Dom LaBella was once again dominant with his big swings, providing 35 kills.  Defensively, Suyash Fulay posted 25 digs while Jared Gross followed with 24 digs. 

North Allegheny continues section play on Monday night with a meeting against the Butler Golden Tornado.  Action gets underway at 7:00 pm from NASH.   

DERRY INVITATIONAL
SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012

Pool B
NA defeated Forest Hills 2-0 (25-21; 25-23)
NA defeated Penn Hills 2-0 (25-18; 25-17)
NA defeated Norwin 2-0 (25-18; 25-22)
 
North Power Pool
NA defeated Derry 1-0 (25-17)
NA defeated Latrobe 1-0 (25-18)
NA defeated Deer Lakes 1-0 (25-23)
 
Playoffs
Prelims, NA defeated Shaler 1-0 (25-15)
Quarters, NA defeated Plum 1-0 (25-13)
Semis, NA defeated Derry 1-0 (25-19)
Final, NA defeated Norwin 1-0 (25-17)

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TIGERS BLAST RAMS, 3-0

(3/29/12) The North Allegheny Boys Volleyball Team visited neighborhood rival Pine-Richland and returned home with a 3-0 victory on Thursday night.  The Tigers forced their way past the Rams with set wins of 25-10, 25-14, and 25-13. 

As he did on Tuesday night, Dom LaBella helped lead the way for the Tigers by hammering nine kills and stuffing the Rams with three blocks.  Junior Tommy Keisling was also in the mix with a team high six digs, while adding eight kills.  Zach Morton also posted six digs and Zack Hayes contributed six kills.  Junior Joe Murphy helped his teammates with 35 assists. 

North Allegheny improves to 2-0 in the section and will head to the Derry Invitational this Saturday.  Pine-Richland falls to 0-1 on the year. 

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PINE-RICHLAND - 0
 

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NORTH ALLEGHENY ROLLS PAST SHALER, 3-0

(3/27/12) North Allegheny wasted little time in earning their first section win of the season by dismantling the Shaler Titans on Tuesday night for a 3-0 win. Even without the services of senior Zach Shaw and several other Tigers who missed the game due to a chorus trip, NA easily earned the victory with set counts of 25-10, 25-9, and 25-16.  

In the opening set, Dominic LaBella and Tommy Keisling led the way as the Tigers jumped out to a 14-3 advantage.  Despite a 6-4 run by Shaler, NA got back to business behind three kills and a block by LaBella.  Keisling added another three kills and two aces while J.J. Scherer notched two more kills to lift North Allegheny to a 25-10 set one victory. 

The North Allegheny machine kept rolling in set two, jump started again by LaBella and Keisling.  The Tigers once more raced to a 14-3 lead with two kills by LaBella and four more by Keisling.  LaBella added an ace in the set and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.  In addition, Shawn Rogers scored three aces as the Tigers breezed to a 25-9 set two win. 

The Haus brothers dominated the action for the Tigers in the third and final set.   David Haus kept the Titans off-balance with a pair of aces and a pair of kills, while Adam Haus contributed two kills as well.  Sophomore Brendan Brown played well off the bench with three vicious kills and numerous blocks.  Shaler had a little more fight in the third set, but ultimately fell 25-16 to the Tigers in the match clinching victory for NA. 

After winning the NA Invitational over the weekend, the Tigers improve to 1-0 on the season with the win over Shaler.  North Allegheny will visit the Pine-Richland Rams on Thursday night.  That match gets underway at 7:00 pm. 

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  SHALER - 0
 

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TIGERS TOP SENECA VALLEY FOR GOLD
AT NA INVITATIONAL

(3/25/12) The reigning WPIAL Champions opened the Boys’ Volleyball season by taking gold at the NA Invitational on Saturday.  To take top honors at the tournament, the Tigers faced and defeated a familiar foe, the Seneca Valley Raiders, 25-17, in the tournament finals.  To reach the championship game, the Tigers breezed through pool play and then defeated Central Catholic, Plum, and Manheim Central, before toppling Seneca Valley in the finals. 

Helping lead the way for North Allegheny was senior outside hitter Zach Shaw who pummeled opponents with 46 kills, adding nine blocks and nine aces. The steady hands of junior Joe Murphy set up teammates with 124 assists.  Murphy also posted 23 digs and eight aces.  Junior Tommy Keisling helped control the floor defensively with 25 digs and hammered 37 kills on the offensive front. Senior middle blocker J.J. Scherer was the leader in blocks with 10.

With one tournament championship already under their belts, North Allegheny will begin section play Tuesday night with a contest against the Shaler Titans.  The match will be carried live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.   
 

NA INVITATIONAL VARSITY RESULTS
Saturday, March 24, 2012

POOL B:
NA defeated Montour 25-18
NA defeated Upper St. Clair 25-15
NA defeated OLSH 25-10
 
POOL F:
NA defeated Plum 25-19; 25-14
NA defeated Seneca Valley 25-23; 25-19
NA defeated Derry 25-13; 25-20
 
Playoffs:
Preliminary Round NA defeated Central Catholic 25-13
Quarter-finals NA defeated Plum 25-9
Semi-finals NA defeated Manheim Central 25-9
Championship NA defeated Seneca Valley 25-17

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TIGERS RANKED 34th IN NATION IN LATEST ESPN RISE POLL

(3/19/12) Tigers Volleyball opens the season this weekend with the annual NA Invitational to kick off the 2012 campaign.  Before the Tigers have even played in a regular season game, the reigning WPIAL champions have already been recognized as one of the best in the country.  According to the latest ESPN Rise Fab 50 rankings, North Allegheny is ranked 34th in the nation.  Check out the entire list of rankings here!

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