Boys' Volleyball Game Summaries

By Randy Gore

The North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team capped an undefeated season on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Landisville Hempfield in the PIAA Class 3A championship at Penn State University. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 12-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20. The win marks North Allegheny’s 10th PIAA championship, matching the record held by Landisville Hempfield for most state titles.

The Tigers entered Saturday’s championship match having not lost a set all season. However, in the first set, the Black Knights quickly ended that streak with a dominant performance. Powered by seniors Mason Koehler and George Agadis, who tallied five and three kills in the set, respectively, Hempfield cruised to a 25-12 win.

North Allegheny regrouped in set two, thanks in part to the steady play of seniors Will Robertson and Nathan May. Trailing 5-4, the Tigers went on a 5-0 run and later built a 17-10 advantage. Robertson totaled five kills in the set on his way to a team-leading 16 on the day. The lone bright spot in a difficult opening set, May continued to galvanize the Tigers with two kills and two blocks in set two, as NA earned a 25-20 victory to even the match score.

In the third set, Hempfield jumped out to a 9-4 lead on a pair of kills and an ace from senior Chase Crawford. In a set that featured six ties, North Allegheny rallied to eventually take a 24-21 lead. Despite a kill from Cam Crawford that trimmed the NA lead to 24-22, the Tigers closed out the set on a Peter Bratich kill, and the Tigers earned a 25-22 victory. The duo of Robertson and May again spearheaded the NA effort. Robertson totaled four kills, while May contributed three kills and an ace.

In contrast to set three, it was North Allegheny who took a five-point lead in the early going of the fourth set, jumping out to a 14-9 advantage. Throughout the game, Hempfield consistently managed to cut the Tigers’ lead to two points, trailing 20-18 late in the set. Despite the Black Knights’ best efforts, the Tigers staved off the rally with two kills and a block by Robertson down the stretch, and May finished off Hempfield for the final point of the night to secure a 25-20 win. May, who finished with 12 kills, two blocks and an ace, was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

Exemplary of North Allegheny’s balanced effort throughout the season, there were a number of key contributors to the championship win. Bratich posted eight kills, while senior Brendan Moore and sophomore Ethan Palmer chipped in with five each. Palmer also added a pair of blocks. On defense, senior libero Emmett Morris paced the team with 23 digs, followed by Moore with seven and Robertson with six digs.

The 3-1 triumph over Hempfield marked NA’s fifth consecutive state playoff win over the Black Knights, including a 3-0 victory in the 2018 PIAA championship. Hempfield is 10-3 all-time in the PIAA title match, with all three losses coming to North Allegheny.

With the win, North Allegheny concludes the season with a perfect 17-0 record, while Hempfield’s season ends with a 21-2 mark. Congratulations to head coach Dan Long and the entire North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team for another memorable championship season.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. LANDISVILLE HEMPFIELD, 6-13-26

SCORE BY SETS	1	2	3	4	FINAL
Landisville Hempfield	25	20	22	20	1
North Allegheny	12	25	25	25	3

By Randy Gore

It’s rare for two opponents to face each other four times in a single season, and it’s even more rare for one team to win all four matchups. However, that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday night at Fox Chapel High School, as WPIAL champion North Allegheny defeated section rival Butler, 3-0, in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. The Tigers secured their 16th consecutive sweep of the season by set scores of 25-13, 25-17 and 25-16.

Butler was playing without first-team All-WPIAL outside hitter Andrew Slaughenhoup, a Penn State Behrend commit, and the Tigers immediately pounced on the shorthanded Golden Tornado. NA stormed out of the gates in set one for a 10-1 lead and never looked back in a one-sided contest from start to finish.

Senior Will Robertson led the way with a team-high 10 kills and four aces. In a well-rounded effort, Robertson added four digs and two blocks on his way to Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

NA battered Butler with a barrage of big swings, including seven kills from senior Brendan Moore. Seniors Ethan May and Peter Bratich totaled five kills each, and sophomore Ethan Palmer chipped in with four kills and a team-best three blocks. Senior setters Elliot Swierczynski and Jackson Failla facilitated the attack with 20 and 13 assists, respectively. Senior libero Emmett Morris paced the defense with 11 digs, followed by Moore with nine.

North Allegheny improves to 16-0 on the season and will advance to face Landisville Hempfield in the PIAA Class 3A championship on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network. Butler, who was in appearing in the PIAA semifinals for the first time in program history, concludes the year with an 18-6 record.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. BUTLER, 6-9-26

SCORE BY SETS	1	2	3	FINAL
Butler	13	17	16	0
North Allegheny	25	25	25	3

By Randy Gore

The North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team extended its winning streak to 15 in a row with a 3-0 sweep over State College on Saturday afternoon at Indiana Area High School. The Tigers caged the Little Lions by set scores of 25-15, 25-14 and 25-19.

The District 6 champion Little Lions stormed out of the gates in the first set and took an early 4-0 lead, including a block by George Mason University commit Derrick Campbell to cap the run. North Allegheny answered back with a 4-0 run of its own and tied the score at 4-4 on an ace by senior Will Robertson. With State College holding a slim 6-5 lead, the tide turned when North Allegheny put together an 8-0 run that was sparked by senior Brendan Moore. He accounted for five consecutive points during the NA surge, including three kills and two blocks, and the Tigers held a 14-6 lead. From that point on, the Tigers controlled the action and cruised to a 25-15 win.

For his momentum-turning contributions, Moore was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match. He powered the NA offense with a team-best 12 kills and added four blocks and eight digs.

In the second set, the Tigers led 11-8 before taking control of the game thanks to a 6-0 run. Robertson led a well-balanced attack with three kills and spearheaded a 25-14 victory. Robertson totaled nine kills on the afternoon.

State College played its best game of the day in set three and went toe-to-toe with North Allegheny. Trailing 8-7, the Little Lions clawed their way to a 12-8 lead on the strength of a 5-0 run. The effort was sparked in large part by sophomore Max Henning’s five kills. The State College outside hitter finished with a team-best 10 kills. Despite the Little Lions’ uprising, North Allegheny erased a 14-10 deficit with a 7-0 run and rode that wave of momentum en route to a 25-19 win and closed out a 3-0 sweep.

Along with Moore and Robertson, other NA contributors included senior Peter Bratich, who delivered a team-high five blocks and four kills. Senior libero Ethan Morris provided stellar defense and led the team with 14 digs. The setter duo of Jackson Failla and Elliot Swierczynski dished out 12 and 11 assists, respectively.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 15-0 overall and advances to the PIAA semifinals to face section rival Butler from Fox Chapel High School at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. State College’s season comes to an end with a record of 11-5. Tuesday’s state semifinal contest will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. STATE COLLEGE, 6-6-26

SCORE BY SETS	1	2	3	FINAL
State College	15	14	19	0
North Allegheny	25	25	25	3

By Randy Gore

The WPIAL champion North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team rolled to a PIAA first-round win over Central York, 3-0, on Tuesday night at UPMC Court. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-18.

Despite being from opposite ends of the state, North Allegheny and Central York have been frequent opponents and were facing off in the state playoffs for the sixth time in the last nine years. Last year, the Tigers clawed past the Panthers in a five-set thriller in the PIAA semifinals. In Tuesday night’s contest, no such drama was necessary.

In a well-balanced and consistent effort, North Allegheny controlled each set and trailed only once briefly in the early stages of set three. Senior Peter Bratich owned the middle of the net and punished the Panthers with a team-high 10 kills and three blocks. For his efforts, Bratich was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

Senior Will Robertson helped NA storm out of the gates in set one with five kills, on his way to nine on the night. The big swings of senior Brendan Moore powered the Tigers in set two with four kills, and he also finished with nine for the evening. Southpaw Nathan May totaled six kills and three blocks, while sophomore Ethan Palmer delivered quality minutes off the bench with four kills.

Senior setter Elliot Swierczynski provided a great all-around effort with a team-high 23 assists, along with two aces and six digs. Senior libero Emmett Morris also had two aces and a team-high seven digs.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 14-0 overall and advances to the PIAA quarterfinals on Saturday to face State College at a site and time to be determined. Central York’s season comes to a close with a 13-5 record.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. CENTRAL YORK, 5-20-26

SCORE BY SETS	1	2	3	FINAL
Central York	17	18	18	0
North Allegheny	25	25	25	3

By: Jared Barton

The North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team continued its historic season, repeating as WPIAL Champions and earning the 24th overall title in program history with a 3-0 victory over Butler at Peters Township’s AHN Arena on Wednesday. NA won by set scores of 25-21, 25-13 and 25-22.

NA stormed out to a 5-0 lead in the first frame, with senior Brendan Moore leading the way, notching back-to-back kills in the run. Fellow seniors Will Robertson, Peter Bratich and Nathan May helped take over. May finished the stanza with four kills and a block, with one of his kills ending the first set.

Butler opened the scoring in set two, but the lead did not last long. Bratich and Moore added a kill and a block, respectively, to put the Tigers back in front. Sophomore middle blocker Ethan Palmer saw his first action of the game and made an immediate impact, registering a block and a kill. With the Tigers leading 13-10, May went to work from the serving line, securing eight straight points, putting the frame out of reach. He had two aces in the run. Senior Luke Conlon secured a late kill in the set before the Tigers took a 2-0 lead.

Set three was in the Tigers’ favor, but Butler did give NA some problems before the sweep was completed. Palmer added three more kills, while Moore had three kills and an ace. Robertson collected three kills in the final set, including the match-clinching point.

May was named Wright Automotive Player of the Game for his efforts, finishing with six kills, two aces, two digs and two blocks. Moore led the team with 13 kills, followed by Bratich with 12 and Robertson with 11. Senior Jackson Failla led the team with 22 assists, followed by Elliot Swierczynski with 20.

With the win, NA improves to 13-0 in match play, having not dropped a set in that entire slate of games. North Allegheny has now won the WPIAL title seven of the last nine seasons and 15 of the last 19 seasons.

The Tigers will be in PIAA action next week, with the sites, times and opponents to be determined.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. BUTLER, 5-20-26

SCORE BY SETS	1	2	3	FINAL
Butler	21	13	22	0
North Allegheny	25	25	25	3