North Allegheny Advances To PIAA Semifinals With Win Over Penn-Trafford
By: Jared Barton
The North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team squared off against fellow WPIAL foe Penn-Trafford in the PIAA Quarterfinals from AHN Arena at Peters Township High School Saturday. The Tigers took the match 3-1 by set scores of 25-15, 12-25, 25-16 and 25-17.
NA rolled in set one, jumping out to an early and dominant lead. Senior Matthew LaMay registered four kills and an ace, while junior Brendan Moore had four kills and a block that ended the frame.
Penn-Trafford bounced back in set two, jumping out to an 8-3 advantage before North Allegheny called a timeout to break up the pace. The Warriors kept the pressure out of the timeout, forcing another stop with a 13-4 advantage. Senior Connor Evangeliste led the Warriors with four kills and two aces.
NA set the tone to start the third set, leading 8-4 before PT called the first timeout of the stanza. Junior Will Robertson had five kills while fellow junior Elliott Swierczynski had great serving down the stretch and tallied three aces. LaMay ended the set with a kill.
In set four, the Tigers had a 5-0 lead behind a LaMay block, kill by senior Elijah Braun and an ace from junior Jackson Failla. The set evened out, but NA maintained the lead. LaMay and Moore added critical kills to keep the Tigers ahead. LaMay also teamed up with fellow senior Garen White for a block. White had two kills late in the set that ended on another kill from senior Brandon Goetz.
Robertson led the team in kills with 13 while Moore registered 12. Swierczynski had a team-leading three aces. Moore and While each had three blocks. Robertson also had a team-leading 14 digs. Failla led NA with 22 assists, followed by Swierczynski with 16.
Swierczynski earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game laurels for his efforts on the floor.
North Allegheny is slated to face Central York in the PIAA Semifinals on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. from Bald Eagle Area High School.
Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Penn Trafford, 6-7-25
| SCORE BY SETS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn-Trafford | 15 | 25 | 16 | 17 | 1 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 12 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
