NA Sweeps Baldwin, Russ Hoburg Earns 100th Career Win
By Randy Gore
The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team won its fourth consecutive match to begin the 2026 season with a 3-0 sweep of the visiting Baldwin Highlanders at UPMC Court. The win also marked the 100th career victory for head coach Russ Hoburg, bringing his overall record to an astonishing 100-7.
The Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the Class 6A by the PVCA, opened up an early 4-1 lead and held the advantage throughout the opening set en route to a 25-19 win. Junior Carena Schiller and Penn State commit Molly Robertson helped power the Tigers with four kills each in set one, while senior Keira Duffy added two aces.
In similar fashion, North Allegheny grabbed a six-point lead on three separate occasions in the second set and prevailed 25-20. Junior Paige Shanahan led the attack with four kills and a block in the second game and Schiller tacked on three more kills. Junior Vivienne Deily-Nelson delivered three aces, including the final point of set two. Deily-Nelson finished with a team-high four aces and 16 digs to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Match honors.
The Fighting Highlanders did not hold a lead until the third set, holding a brief 4-3 advantage before the Tigers seemingly regained command at 13-9. However, Baldwin would not go away quietly and rattled off a 5-0 run to take a 14-13 lead. From that point on, the two teams traded barbs until the Highlanders seized a 23-20 lead late in the set. Senior Cameron Bowlus spearheaded the Baldwin effort with four kills, a block, and an ace. Following a timeout by coach Hoburg, North Allegheny responded with a 3-0 run to tie the game. Junior Ella Lange sparked the Tigers’ late-game surge with six kills, on her way to a team-high 11 on the night. With NA holding a 25-24 lead and Lange at the service line, Schiller put the Highlanders away with one final kill to close out a 26-24 victory and non-section sweep.
Along with Lange’s 11 kills, Schiller finished with 10 kills and senior Alicia Mokube tallied seven kills. Shanahan and Robertson totaled six kills each. Splitting time at setter, junior Lily Dent dished out 12 assists, followed by junior Sydney Klaich with 11 assists and Robertson with 10.
With the non-section win, North Allegheny improves to 4-0 on the young season, while Baldwin falls to 4-2. The Tigers will host their first section match of the campaign on Tuesday night against the Butler Golden Tornado. The match will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.
Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Baldwin, 9-10-26
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Lebanon | 19 | 20 | 24 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
