Girls' Volleyball Game Summaries

Appearing in the WPIAL championship for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons, the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team came up just short of claiming another district crown and dropped a 3-1 decision to Pine-Richland on Thursday night at AHN Arena. The Rams won the first-ever WPIAL Class 6A championship by set scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-18 and 25-22.

In the regular season, North Allegheny swept Pine-Richland to earn an undefeated Section 1-6A title. However, in the WPIAL final, the Rams got off to a quick start, taking an early 4-0 lead. Western Michigan commit Piper Vogel powered the Rams’ attack with eight kills in the opening set to spark a 25-19 win. Vogel totaled a game-high 25 kills and eclipsed the 1,000-kill plateau for her career in the first set.

In set two, senior Taylor Patterson tallied a kill and a block in an early surge that saw the Rams open up a 13-7 lead. Undaunted, North Allegheny chipped away at the deficit as junior Carena Schiller tallied three kills to help the Tigers inch back, cutting the deficit to 19-17 late in the set. From there, a pivotal 6-0 run, sparked by senior Alicia Mokube’s three kills, put the Tigers up 23-19 en route to a 25-20 win. Mokube finished with a team-high 12 kills, followed by Schiller with 10. Additionally, junior middle blocker Paige Shanahan provided a spark at the net and posted a team-best eight blocks.

Just as it seemed momentum was with North Allegheny, the pendulum swung back toward Pine-Richland in set three, who stormed out of the gates for an 8-1 lead. This time, the deficit proved too large to overcome as the Rams cruised to a 25-18 win.

For the first time on the night, the Tigers started with a lead in set three, thanks to a kill by Schiller and a block by Shanahan, as well as a Pine-Richland hitting error for a 3-0 lead. North Allegheny built a 17-13 advantage before Pine-Richland rattled off a 6-0 run to grab a 19-17 lead. Kills by Mokube and junior Ella Lange allowed the Tigers to tie the score at 20-20. From there, the Rams scored five of the next seven points, including a match-point kill by Patterson, for a 25-22 win and a WPIAL Class 6A championship.

Along with Vogel’s 25 kills, junior Ela Hernandez added nine kills for the Rams. Senior setter Avery Dougherty facilitated the offense with a match-high 40 assists, and junior setter Juliet Rand posted 18 digs.

For North Allegheny, senior Molly Robertson dished out 16 assists, followed by junior Lily Dent’s 10 assists. Junior libero Vivienne Deily-Nelson tallied a match-high 21 digs.

The North Allegheny senior class of Robertson, Mokube, and defensive specialists Keira Duffy and Luana Tripon were honored as Wright Automotive Players of the Match for their great careers.

North Allegheny’s season comes to an end with a 15-2 overall record, while Pine-Richland improves to 14-4 overall and advances to the PIAA tournament. In Class 6A, only the WPIAL champion qualifies for the state playoffs, unlike the PIAA bracket in the largest classification in years past. Congratulations to head coach Russ Hoburg and the entire North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team for another great season.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 11-5-26

By Brandon Rossi

North Allegheny is headed back to the WPIAL Championship after defeating Baldwin in four sets, 3-1, in the WPIAL semifinals on Monday night. The Tigers combined an explosive start with timely offensive contributions and a resilient finish to turn away the Fighting Highlanders, 25-12, 23-25, 25-21, and a fourth-set victory. It is the ninth semifinal victory in the last 10 seasons for NA.

The Tigers wasted little time establishing control in the opening set, cruising to a commanding 25-12 victory. Penn State commit Molly Robertson and junior Carena Schiller helped set the tone early, leading a balanced offensive attack that kept Baldwin on its heels. North Allegheny dictated the tempo from the opening serve, consistently finding openings in the Fighting Highlanders’ defense and preventing Baldwin from generating any sustained momentum.

The second set proved to be a much different story. North Allegheny appeared poised to continue its dominance after jumping out to an early 7-3 advantage, but Baldwin refused to go quietly. The Fighting Highlanders stormed back, disrupting the Tigers’ offensive rhythm and forcing North Allegheny into an uncharacteristically inconsistent stretch of play. Despite battling to stay within striking distance, the Tigers struggled to regain their early momentum as Baldwin pulled out a 25-23 victory to even the match at one set apiece.

With the match tied, North Allegheny responded in the third set behind a resurgence from Robertson. After a relatively quiet opening two sets by her offensive standards, the Penn State commit came out swinging, delivering four kills and a service ace to help the Tigers regain control. Albany commit Alicia Mokube also provided timely hitting at critical moments, giving North Allegheny another reliable offensive weapon when Baldwin threatened to close the gap. The Tigers controlled much of the set and held off a late push from the Fighting Highlanders to secure a 25-21 victory and move within one set of the championship match. Mokube’s performance throughout the evening earned her Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

The fourth set tested North Allegheny’s patience and composure as Baldwin continued to battle with its season on the line. Unlike the opening set, the Tigers were unable to build a comfortable advantage, with the Fighting Highlanders refusing to let North Allegheny pull away. Lily Dent emerged as an important offensive contributor after a quieter start to the evening, providing another dimension to the Tigers’ attack. Rather than forcing the issue, North Allegheny remained patient, worked through extended rallies, and capitalized on its opportunities down the stretch. That persistence ultimately paid off as the Tigers put away Baldwin for good and punched their ticket to the WPIAL Championship.

 

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Robertson led the way for North Allegheny with an impressive triple-double, recording 17 kills, 13 assists, and 10 digs while adding three service aces. Mokube delivered a strong all-around performance with 13 kills and five blocks, while Schiller matched her with 13 kills of her own. Dent finished with eight kills and 12 assists, providing a valuable spark in the latter stages of the match. Sydney Klaich orchestrated the offense with a team-high 24 assists, while Vivienne Deily-Nelson anchored the back row with 21 digs. Keira Duffy contributed another 12 digs, and Paige Shanahan made her presence felt at the net with five blocks.

With the semifinal victory, North Allegheny advances to the WPIAL Class 6A Championship on Thursday, November 5, at AHN Arena at Peters Township High School, where the Tigers will square off against Pine-Richland.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Baldwin, 11-2-26

By Randy Gore

The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team locked up an outright Section 1-6A championship on Thursday night with a 3-1 triumph over Pine-Richland at UPMC Court. It’s the 12th consecutive season that NA has earned at least a share of the section title.

Earlier in the season on Sept. 29, the Tigers defeated the Rams in a five-set thriller in Gibsonia. Since then, Pine-Richland won seven in a row and had a chance to claim a share of the section crown with a win in the regular-season finale. PR got off to a quick start with a pair of aces from junior libero Juliet Rand and rode the hot hand of Western Michigan commit Piper Vogel, who belted eight of her match-high 17 kills in the opening set. Vogel led the Rams to a 25-19 win in the first set.

North Allegheny bounced back in set two and immediately jumped out to a 9-3 lead. While Pine-Richland trimmed the NA lead to 14-13, the Tigers never trailed, thanks in part to three kills and three aces from University of Albany commit Alicia Mokube. The Tigers also received a boost at the net courtesy of junior Paige Shanahan, who tallied three blocks and led the Tigers to a 25-16 win in the second set.

Prior to the match, senior Molly Robertson was recognized for surpassing 1,000 career kills.

A kill and three aces by Vogel sparked the Rams to a 9-4 lead in set three, but the Tigers once again answered back immediately. Penn State commit Molly Robertson initiated a 5-0 run with a kill and two aces, which put NA up 14-11. From that point, North Allegheny grew the lead courtesy of five kills by junior Ella Lange, and the Tigers pulled away for a 25-19 win. Lange totaled 10 kills on the night.

In set four, PR fell behind 9-4 in the early going but rallied to knot the score at 23-23. In danger of going to a fifth set, North Allegheny tallied back-to-back points on a kill by junior Carena Schiller and a block from Shanahan to close out a 25-23 win and 3-1 triumph.

A consistent force throughout the night, Mokube led the Tigers in blocks (4) and aces (5), and added 10 kills and 10 digs to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Match honors.

Additional team leaders included Roberston with 11 kills, 14 digs and 14 assists, while Schiller posted a team-high 14 kills. Junior libero Vivienne Deily-Nelson posted a team-high 21 digs, and senior defensive specialist Keira Duffy chipped in with 12 digs.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 14-1 overall and 6-0 in Section 1-6A. Pine-Richland dips to 13-3 overall and 4-2 in the section. The Tigers will await the WPIAL playoff pairings, which will be released on Friday afternoon.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 10-22-26

North Allegheny traveled to Seneca Valley to take on the Raiders in a Section 1-6A battle. The Tigers took down Seneca Valley coming away with a four set victory by set scores of 25-21, 29-27, 21-25 and 25-19. With the win, North Allegheny clinched at least a share of the section title.

Carena Schiller led NA with 16 kills. She also had two blocks. Alicia Mokube had 13 kills along with five blocks and an ace. Molly Robertson added 11 kills, 18 assists, 18 digs and an ace. Ella Lange had 10 kills. Sydney Klaich dished out 14 assists and had an ace. Lily Dent also had 14 assists. Paige Shanahan had three blocks at the net. Vivienne Deily-Nelson had 16 digs and an ace while Keira Duffy had 11 digs. Luana Tripon added seven.

North Allegheny improves to 13-1 overall and 5-0 in section play. Seneca Valley falls to 10-5 overall and 1-4 in the section. The Tigers return to action on Thursday when they host the Pine-Richland Rams in the regular season finale. This match will be broadcast on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Volleyball Summary at Seneca Valley, 10-20-26

North Allegheny traveled to Butler High School to take on the Golden Tornado in a Section 1-6A matchup on Thursday night. Following a 3-1 defeat against Peters Township the night before, the Tigers bounced back to defeat Butler in straight sets by scores of 25-19, 25-13 and 25-11.

Molly Robertson led NA with 10 kills. She also had 12 assists, two aces and seven digs. Alicia Mokube had eight kills and a block. Ella Lange added eight kills while Carena Schiller helped with six. Sydney Klaich dished out 12 assists. Lily Dent had six assists and a block and Lexi Lydon had four helpers. Keira Duffy had two aces from the service line along with 10 digs. Vivienne Deily-Nelson had 12 digs to lead North Allegheny defensively.

North Allegheny improves to 12-1 overall and and 4-0 in the section. Butler falls to 1-14 overall and 0-4 in section play. The Tigers return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Seneca Valley to take on the Raiders at 7:15 p.m.

Girls Volleyball Summary at Butler, 10-15-26