Girls' Volleyball Game Summaries

By Randy Gore

North Allegheny’s historic eight-year reign as PIAA champions came to an end on Wednesday night with a 3-0 defeat to Pine-Richland in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals at Mt. Lebanon High School.  The fifth-seeded Rams claimed the sweep by set scores of 27-25, 25-17 and 25-20. The Tigers’ eight consecutive titles tied the PIAA record for most consecutive state championships in girls’ volleyball. Norwin also won eight in a row from 1976-1983.

Pine-Richland, which had lost eight in a row and 29 of its last 30 against North Allegheny, was appearing in the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since losing to the Tigers in the 2023 semifinal round. However, a spirited and well-balanced effort by the Rams helped them build a 16-8 lead in the opening set. When that lead evaporated and North Allegheny surged ahead, 22-19, it appeared the black and gold would seize control. The resilient Rams swung the pendulum back in their direction with a rally of their own and prevailed in a marathon first set, 27-25.

An array of Rams hitters, including Piper Vogel, who finished with a game-high 13 kills, allowed Pine-Richland to construct a 17-9 lead in set two, which proved insurmountable en route to a 25-17 win.

On the brink of elimination, the Tigers went toe-to-toe with the Rams in the third set and were tied 20-20 thanks in part to four kills from junior middle hitter Alicia Mokube. Despite NA’s valiant effort, Pine-Richland rattled off five consecutive points, including three kills and a block by Vogel, to prevail 25-20.

Along with Vogel, Ella Hernandez totaled nine kills. University of Pittsburgh commit, Isabelle Hoppe, tallied eight kills and 17 assists.

For North Allegheny, Penn State commit Molly Robertson belted out a team-best 12 kills. Mokube posted seven kills and sophomore Carena Schiller tallied six kills. Senior libero Reagan Riordan, a Grove City commit, paced the team in digs with 13, followed by junior Keira Duffy‘s nine digs. Senior setter and Duquesne University commit, Keely McMahon-Regan, dished out a game-high 22 assists and led the team with four blocks.

For a remarkable four years at North Allegheny, the senior class of Riordan, McMahon-Regan, Geneva Adams, Catie Cooper, Mia Giannoutsos and Dede Alualu were named the Wright Automotive Players of the Match.

The loss for North Allegheny ends its season at 13-3, while Pine-Richland improves to 14-5 and will face second-seeded Peters Township in the WPIAL championship on Saturday. Congratulations to head coach Russ Hoburg, the coaching staff and the entire team for another memorable season.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 10-29-25

By Randy Gore

Before a lively Saturday afternoon crowd at UPMC Court, the eight-time reigning state champion North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team opened the WPIAL playoffs with a 3-1 quarterfinal victory over the visiting Shaler Titans. The top-seeded Tigers earned the victory over the eighth-seeded Titans by set scores of 25-27, 25-23, 26-24 and 25-17.

A pair of undefeated section champions riding the wave of lengthy winning streaks, North Allegheny carried a streak of 12 consecutive victories and Shaler had won 13 in a row. These former section rivals also have a rich history of thrilling playoff matchups, including NA’s WPIAL championship win over Shaler in 2021 and NA’s quarterfinal-round upset against Shaler in 2014, when the eighth-seeded Tigers knocked off the top-seeded Titans.

In this contest, it was Shaler hoping for an upset of the No. 1 seed, and the Titans came out firing in set one on the strength of five kills and a block by junior Sophie Spynda. Knotted at 25-25, an error and an ace by senior Bella Hoffman allowed the Titans a 27-25 victory in the opening set.

Leading 19-15 in set two, Shaler had North Allegheny on the ropes before the Tigers displayed their mettle with four consecutive points to even the score at 19-19. The serving of junior Luana Tripon and senior Dede Alualu helped shift the momentum, and three kills and a block by junior Alicia Mokube spearheaded NA’s 25-23 comeback victory. Alualu finished with a team-high four aces and 16 digs, while Mokube totaled 13 kills and a team-best three blocks on the afternoon.

In set three, the Tigers garnered a 19-14 advantage before Shaler sparked a comeback of its own on the serving of senior Octavia Dixon and big swings from junior Aubrey Blank. Blank, who had seven kills in set two, tallied five more kills in set three to even the score at 21-21. With the score deadlocked at 24-24, a Shaler error and an ace by senior Reagan Riordan helped the Tigers pull out a 26-24 win. Riordan, the NA libero, tallied a team-best 24 digs.

North Allegheny jumped out to a 5-1 lead in set four and never trailed en route to a 25-17 win to complete a 3-1 triumph and quarterfinal round victory. The steady hand of junior Molly Robertson paced the offense with 20 kills with 14 digs on defense, and sophomore Carena Schiller chipped in with 11 kills. Also on defense, junior Keira Duffy made some spectacular plays to finish with 10 digs.

Senior setter Keely McMahon-Regan was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match with a team-best 47 assists, adding nine digs and three aces in an outstanding all-around performance.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 13-2 overall, while Shaler’s season comes to a close at 13-4.  The Tigers will take on rival Pine-Richland in the WPIAL semifinals at a date, site and time to be determined.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Shaler, 10-25-25

By Randy Gore

Having already locked up the Section 2-4A title with a win at Butler on Tuesday, the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team made it a perfect 10 wins with a 3-0 sweep over North Catholic in the regular season finale at UPMC Court. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-16.

In the opening set, senior Dede Alualu delivered five aces, four in the early stages, to help North Allegheny build a 14-8 lead. North Catholic used a 4-0 run to trim the NA lead to 14-12, prompting head coach Russ Hoburg to call a timeout. The Tigers responded by going on a 6-0 run for a 20-12 lead and seized control of the set. The big swings of Penn State recruit Molly Robertson, who finished with a team-high 19 kills, allowed the Tigers to pull away for a 25-19 win.

In similar fashion, in set two, NA led 14-13 before a steady bombardment of offense, facilitated by senior setter Keely McMahon-Regan, led to a 25-18 victory. Sophomore Paige Shanahan capped the set with a well-located tip. KMR, a Duquesne University commit, finished with a team-high 35 assists and added three blocks.

The third set was controlled by the Tigers, who pounced on the Trojanettes for an immediate 8-1 lead. Junior Alicia Mokube led the charge with eight kills and NA cruised to a 25-16 win and a 3-0 sweep. A steady presence in the middle, Mokube totaled 13 kills and three blocks to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Match honors.

Along with Mokube’s offensive success, sophomore Carena Schiller contributed nine kills. On defense, Robertson posted a team-best 12 digs, followed by senior libero Reagan Riordan and Alualu with 11 and 10 digs, respectively.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 12-2 overall and finishes section play at 10-0. North Catholic slips to 7-6 overall and 6-4 in the section. Both teams are playoff-bound and will await the WPIAL playoff pairings on Friday afternoon.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. North Catholic, 10-16-25

North Allegheny traveled to Butler High School on Tuesday night to take on the Golden Tornado in a section matchup. The Tigers won the first two sets but Butler battled back to force a fifth set. NA would regroup and take the final set to win the match by set scores of 25-19, 25-19, 16-25, 23-25, 15-11. The win also clinched the Tigers’ 11th straight section title.

Molly Robertson led the North Allegheny offense with 23 kills. She also had 11 digs and an ace. Carena Schiller added 14 kills while Alicia Mokube had nine kills to go along with four blocks at the net. Paige Shanahan had five kills and a block. Keely McMahon-Regan had five kills, dished out 46 assists, 12 digs and added a block. Catie Cooper pitched in five kills. Reagan Riordan led the Tigers defensively with 23 digs and added an ace. Dede Alualu had 14 digs and served up three aces.

North Allegheny improves to 11-2 overall and 9-0 in Section 2-4A. Butler falls to 9-8 overall and 2-7 in the section. The Tigers are back in action on Thursday when they host North Catholic in the regular season finale at 7 p.m. This match will be broadcast live on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Volleyball Summary at Butler, 10-14-25

By Randy Gore

On Senior Night at UPMC Court, the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team earned its 10th consecutive victory on Monday with a 3-0 non-section sweep of the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 25-18, 28-26 and 25-13.

Prior to the contest, North Allegheny celebrated its six seniors, including Geneva Adams, Keely McMahon-Regan, Catie Cooper, Mia Giannoutsos, Reagan Riordan and Dede Alualu.

Fittingly, the match began with a kill by Adams for the first point of the night. However, Thomas Jefferson, the third-ranked team in Class AAA, held an 8-5 lead in the early going and trailed by only one point, 14-13, midway through the opening set. The Tigers seized control by taking nine of the next 10 points en route to a 25-18 win. Junior Alica Mokube tallied three of her eight kills on the night in set one and totaled a team-high three blocks on the night.

It appeared the Tigers might pull away again in set two, holding a 23-16 lead following back-to-back points by sophomore Paige Shanahan with a block and kill. The Jaguars refused to go away, however, and rallied for seven consecutive points to tie the score at 23-23, and grabbed a 26-25 lead on a kill by senior Marissa Miller. Miller was a driving force for TJ in the second set with three kills. Despite the sudden one-point deficit, NA responded with a kill by junior Molly Robertson and back-to-back aces by Riordan to sneak out a 28-26 victory in set two. Riordan contributed 12 digs and was named Wright Automotive Player of the Match for her outstanding overall effort.

After edging Thomas Jefferson in set two, North Allegheny left little doubt who would come out on top in set three with a dominant 25-13 win. Sophomore Carena Schiller totaled four of her six kills in set three, including back-to-back kills to secure the sweep.

Robertson was a consistent presence on the evening with a team-high 19 kills and 15 digs. McMahon-Regan facilitated the offense with 34 assists, to go along with nine digs and two blocks. Junior Keira Duffy chipped in with eight digs, and sophomore Vivienne Deily-Nelson added two aces.

With the non-section win, North Allegheny improves to 10-2 overall, while Thomas Jefferson dips to 12-3 on the season. The Tigers will look to lock up an outright Section 2-4A title when they visit Butler on Tuesday night. The Jaguars seek a fifth straight section crown in Section 3-3A when they take on Laurel Highlands on Tuesday.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Thomas Jefferson, 10-13-25