Boys' Volleyball Game Summaries

By Randy Gore

The North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team punched its ticket to the PIAA championship for the first time since 2022 with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Central York on Tuesday night at Bald Eagle Area High School. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 26-24, 16-25, 25-21, 21-25 and 15-12.

Familiar foes in the postseason, North Allegheny and Central York faced off in the PIAA playoffs for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. The last meeting was a five-set affair that saw the Panthers earn a first-round win in the 2023 playoffs. This time, with a spot in the state championship match at stake, the Tigers earned a measure of revenge.

In the opening set, the Tigers trailed 14-10 before staging a rally that was spearheaded by junior Brendan Moore. Moore totaled four kills and a pair of blocks in game one to lift the Tigers to a 26-24 victory.

Tied 6-6 in set two, the serving of Central York’s Aiden Swartz gave NA fits and led to a tide-turning 6-0 run and a 12-6 advantage for the Panthers. Later in the set, with Central York leading 20-16, Swartz’s serves again led to a 5-0 run and a 25-16 win. Swartz notched a pair of aces in set two and junior Ian DeVos tallied three kills.

North Allegheny bounced back in set three to regain command of the contest. Junior Will Robertson led the way in the third game with four kills and junior southpaw Nathan May chipped in with three kills off the bench to give the Tigers a 25-21 win.

Central York struggled in set three with four service errors in the late stages, but that wouldn’t be the case in set four as senior Luke Laning sparked a critical 7-0 run to erase an early five-point deficit. Trailing 10-5, a service error by NA followed by back-to-back aces courtesy of Laning started the 7-0 spurt, giving Central York a 12-10 lead. After the Tigers answered with a 4-0 run to regain the lead at 14-12, the Panthers responded with a 5-0 run, including a pair of blocks by senior Ethan Quartey, and Central York pulled away for a 25-21 triumph to force a fifth and decisive set.

In the final set, NA trailed 6-4, but a kill and a block by junior middle hitter Peter Bratich tied the score at 6-6 and gave the Tigers the spark they needed. From there, North Allegheny rode the big swings of Robertson and Moore and the Tigers clawed past the Panthers for a 15-12 victory in an exciting five-set classic.

Moore, who delivered the match-ending point in set five, totaled a team-best 17 kills and six blocks to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Match honors. Central York was paced by senior John He, who belted out a game-high 22 kills.

Robertson also punished the Panthers with 15 kills, followed by senior Matthew LaMay‘s 14 kills. LaMay led the team with two aces, while junior libero Emmett Morris notched a team-leading 23 digs. Setters Jackson Failla and Elliot Swierczynski dished out 28 and 26 assists, respectively.

The win improves North Allegheny’s record to 18-1 overall, while Central York’s campaign closes with a 17-4 mark. After beating the District 3 runners-up in the PIAA semifinals, the Tigers will battle District 3 champion Cumberland Valley in the PIAA Class 3A championship on Saturday at Penn State University at 1:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Central York, 6-10-25

Fisch has a message for you: pic.twitter.com/dWVZkqf6UX

— NA Volleyball (@navolleyball) June 10, 2025

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

By Randy Gore

Appearing in the PIAA playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, the North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 sweep against the Palmyra Cougars at UPMC Court. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-21.

Despite an early 5-1 deficit in set one, Palmyra, which was making its first PIAA playoff appearance since losing to NA in the 2022 opening round, rallied behind a trio of kills by senior Andrew Martin to tie the score at 9-9. Following a timeout by head coach Dan Long, the Tigers responded by scoring nine of the next 10 points to take control of the set. Junior Will Robertson and senior Garen White spearheaded the effort with five and three kills, respectively, for a 25-17 victory in game one.

The powerful swings of Robertson, White and junior Brendan Moore helped NA construct a 21-11 advantage in set two before the Cougars went on a 6-0 run to trim the score to 21-16, Tigers. Kills by Moore, senior Ryan Young and an ace by junior Emmett Morris allowed NA to pull away for a 25-18 win.

Set three was tightly contested most of the way, with North Allegheny holding a narrow 21-20 advantage in the late stages. A pair of kills each from Robertson and White allowed NA to secure five of the next six points en route to a 25-21 win and sweep of visiting Palmyra.

Robertson, who tallied a team-high 18 kills and three blocks, was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

In addition to Robertson, Moore totaled eight kills and White delivered seven. Junior Elliott Swierczynski flummoxed Palmyra with his serves, producing a team-high four aces and added 16 assists. Junior setter Jackson Failla notched a team-best 23 assists. Defensively, Morris led the team in digs with 10, followed by senior Matthew LaMay’s eight digs.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 16-1 overall, while Palmyra’s season ends with a 15-4 record. The Tigers advance to the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals on Saturday against Penn-Trafford at a site and time to be determined.

Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Palmyra, 6-3-25

By Randy Gore

Appearing in the WPIAL championship for an eighth consecutive season, and 32nd time overall, the North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team was looking for its first district title since 2022, when the Tigers earned a thrilling 3-2 win over Seneca Valley. After finishing as runners-up in Class 3A the last two seasons to Shaler, North Allegheny once again faced off against section rival Seneca Valley on Saturday at AHN Arena and emerged victorious, this time by a 3-1 decision. It was North Allegheny’s 23rd District 7 crown, far and away the most of any WPIAL school in the sport.

The Raiders, who were making their fifth WPIAL championship title match appearance, and first since losing to the Tigers in 2022, were eying their first-ever WPIAL championship. Hungry for a title, Seneca Valley stormed out of the gates in the first set and rode the hot hand of senior middle hitter Jordan Hoover to a convincing 25-17 win. Hoover totaled four of his team-high 17 kills in the opening set.

North Allegheny flipped the script in the second set and completely dominated Seneca Valley to the tune of a 25-15 win. Senior Garen White continued his torrid post-season play with three kills in a well-balanced set for the Tigers.

With the match tied at 1-1, the critical third set weighed in the balance with the score deadlocked, 19-19. Thanks in part to three blocks from White, the Tigers claimed six of the final seven points to earn a 25-20 victory. Geneva College commit Matthew LaMay, who finished with a game-high five aces, posted three in set three and capped the game from the service line.

Just one set away from a championship, North Allegheny overcame an early 6-3 deficit in set four and rolled to a 25-18 victory to secure WPIAL gold. In the decisive set, junior outside hitter Will Robertson punished the Raiders with a bombardment of big swings, belting out seven of his team-leading 17 kills. Adding seven digs and four blocks, Robertson was a consistent figure for the Tigers throughout the afternoon and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

In a complete team performance, a host of Tigers contributed to the victory. Junior Brendan Moore tallied 10 kills and senior Eli Braun totaled nine kills to help pace the offense. Setters Jackson Failla and Elliott Swierczynski dished out 25 and 16 assists, respectively. On defense, junior libero Emmett Morris delivered a team-best 17 digs. Senior Dominic Laswell provided a spark with his opportunity in the middle and delivered a team-leading five blocks. Moore, Robertson and White all totaled four blocks each.

The win, North Allegheny’s 10th in a row, improves the Tigers’ record to 15-1 overall, while Seneca Valley falls to 14-4. The Tigers will open the state playoffs at home on Tuesday, June 3, against the fifth-place finisher in District 3. The contest will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Seneca Valley, 5-24-25

by: Bob Orkwis

For the third time this season, North Allegheny hooked up with its Section 3-3A foe, Pine-Richland. This time, the stakes were higher, with a berth in the WPIAL Championship on the line. Just like in the regular season, the Tigers vanquished the Rams, this time in straight sets, 25-18, 25-23, 25-17 to reach the title game for the eighth straight year.

The Rams jumped out to 1-0 leads in each of the first two sets, but in set one, the Tigers used a five-point run early, and an eight point stretch later to lead by eight points on their way to the win.

Senior Matthew Lamay started the opening set at the service line and finished it from there as well, as he notched two aces, while recording eight kills and a pair of blocks in the match.

Set two was much tighter, with Pine-Richland leading by three, and 18-17, before North Allegheny came back. There were ties at 20-20, 21-21 and 22-22, before the Tigers scored three of the last four points to win 25-23.

With set three tied at 5-5, the Tigers went on a six-point run to take control and win the final set 25-17. A highlight reel play took place courtesy of the right foot of libero Emmett Morris. The junior raced toward the near side stands and made a saving dig with his foot that Lamay played across the net. The Tigers got a kill after the Rams returned the ball and all the momentum of the third set stayed with the black and gold.

That dig was one of nine for Morris, who also added two aces.

Will Robertson had seven digs, four kills and two blocks for the Tigers, while Brendan Moore also had eight blocks to tie for the team lead for North Allegheny.

Jackson Failla and Elliott Swierczynski each recorded 13 assists in the sweep, with Failla adding six digs.

Dom Laswell, three blocks and Elijah Braun, two blocks, were strong defensively at the net for the Tigers. 

North Allegheny’s most consistent performer, and one of their emotional leaders on the night, was senior Garen White, who earned the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

White had seven kills and three blocks in the front line for the Tigers in the victory.

Pine-Richland (12-6), the fifth seed in the 3A tournament, will now face sixth-seeded Penn-Trafford in the consolation match and have the right to qualify for the PIAA playoffs.

The Tigers, (14-1), have now won nine straight matches, and the top seed will face second-seeded Seneca Valley at Peters Township High School an attempt to win their 23rd WPIAL title and first since 2022.

North Allegheny and Seneca Valley split a pair of matches during the regular season, with the Raiders handing the Tigers their only loss in match play on April 7th, while North Allegheny returned the favor winning the regular season section-finale on May 8th.

Once the day and time are decided, you can hear coverage of the Championship Match on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 5-20-25