Top-Ranked Tigers Cruise To NA Invitational Title

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Already ranked No. 1 in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association, the North Allegheny Tigers lived up to their early-season hype with a first place showing at the North Allegheny Invitational. The Tigers defeated Central York, the third-ranked team in the state, in the tournament title match, 25-18.

North Allegheny sailed through pool play and earned the No. 1 seed entering the tournament playoffs. In the first round, North Allegheny topped Central Catholic, 25-14, before facing another heavyweight in the state rankings, Central Dauphin, in the quarterfinals. The No. 2-ranked Rams were toppled by the Tigers, 25-22. In the tournament semifinals, North Allegheny battled section rival Seneca Valley andc defeated the Raiders 25-14. That set the stage for NA’s title tilt with Central York and subsequent championship win. For complete pool/playoff results, click here.

North Allegheny was paced offensively by junior Canyon Tuman who totaled 30 kills for the tournament. Junior Jason Stiefvater added 23 kills, followed by Luke Visgitis who notched 19 kills and a team-high 14 blocks. Senior Danny Lebovitz  posted 27 digs to lead NA’s defensive efforts and senior Seth Russell collected a team-best 15 aces. Setters M.J. Barton and A.J. Schmidt split time and dished out 64 and 50 assists, respectively.

The top-ranked Tigers will begin section play with a visit to Shaler on Tuesday night. Start time is set for 7:00 p.m.

Pool B:
NA 25, Plum 9
NA 25, Central Catholic 5
NA 23, Central York 25

Pool F:
NA 2, Ambridge 0 (25-21; 25-14)
NA 2, Penn-Trafford 0 (25-17; 25-20)
NA 2, Shaler 0 (25-14; 25-16)

Playoffs
1st Round – NA 25, #16 Central Catholic 14
Quarters – NA 25, #8 Central Dauphin 22
Semis – NA 25, #4 Seneca Valley 14
Final – NA 25, #2 Central York 18