Girls Volleyball Holds Off Pine-Richland, Pulls Away in Four
by: Brandon Rossi
The visiting Pine-Richland Rams gave the North Allegheny girls volleyball team a run for its money, but ultimately the Tigers ended up being too much down the stretch in a 3-1 win over Pine-Richland (24-26, 26-24, 26-24, 25-16).
The first set put the Tigers’ backs against the proverbial wall after a feisty Pine-Richland squad came out guns blazing. The Rams, led by a Pitt commit, held the lead for the majority of the first set and were able to hold off a late comeback by the Tigers to take the first stanza by two points.
In the second set, North Allegheny started to find its footing early on despite squandering an early lead. The Tigers had a key period where they scored back-to-back points late in the second set to take a 22-20 lead heading down the stretch. While Pine-Richland was able to tie it at 24, the Tigers’ momentum proved too much as they put it away by a reversed two-point win.
NA showed more improvement in the early portions of the third set but trailed by as many as four late in the set at 22-18. From then on, the Tigers went on an 8-2 run to close out the frame, a sign of things to come in the fourth. North Allegheny came out and wore down Pine-Richland late, running away with a nine-point fourth set victory and the match.
Many Tigers contributed to this four set win, including Wright Automotive Player of the Match senior Dede Alualu, who scored on three aces and had 11 digs. Junior Penn State recruit Molly Robertson continued to light up the scoresheet with a team-high 23 kills and 15 digs, while classmate Alicia Mokube proved to be a force to be reckoned with on the front line after slamming down seven blocks, the lions’ share coming in the final set, and was second on the team with 18 kills to go along with three aces, tying her and Alualu for most aces on the team. Senior Duquesne commit Keely McMahon-Regan handed out 41 assists, averaging just over 10 per set.
The Tigers continue their seven-match winning streak and remains unbeaten at the top of the section standings. Next week, they will go to Seneca Valley for a road match on Tuesday October 7 before returning home on Thursday, October 9 to host North Hills.
Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 10-1-25
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine-Richland | 26 | 24 | 24 | 16 | 1 |
| North Allegheny | 24 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
