Girls' Volleyball Game Summaries

The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team laid claim to a sixth consecutive PIAA Class 4A championship with a 3-1 triumph against Garnet Valley on Saturday night at Cumberland Valley High School. The Tigers won by set scores of 26-28, 26-24, 25-8 and 25-12. The streak of six consecutive titles for North Allegheny is the second longest in state history behind only the Norwin Knights, who won nine straight PIAA titles from 1976-1984.

Garnet Valley was seeking its second PIAA crown and earned a hard-fought win in set one, 28-26, to gain the early advantage. The Jaguars led 24-22 in the second set and were just a point away from seemingly gaining control of the match. However, the North Allegheny juggernaut displayed its championship mettle by scoring four consecutive points to take a 26-24 victory.

Similar to their win over Pine-Richland in the state semifinals, the Tigers completely dominated the rest of the night enroute to the PIAA crown. North Allegheny closed out the match with wins of 25-8 and 25-12 in sets three and four, respectively. The score in set three tied the PIAA record for the most lopsided set in a PIAA final since the state went to first-to-25 scoring in 2003.

Individually, senior Mia Tuman led the way with 14 kills, 12 digs and 41 assists. Senior Ella Zimmer delivered 11 kills, while seniors Ella Deeter and Carissa Treser notched 10 kills each. Senior libero Caroline Curran paced the defense with 25 digs, while Deeter followed with 14. Deeter and Zimmer clogged the net with six blocks each and senior Maddie Fickess chipped in with four blocks.

For their outstanding efforts in the title match and throughout their careers, the senior class of Curran, Fickess, Deeter, Tuman, Treser, Zimmer and Rebecca Pilotta were named the Wright Automotive Players of the Match.

With the championship win, North Allegheny closed out the season with a 22-1 overall record and a ninth overall PIAA championship. Congratulations to head coach Russ Hoburg, the coaching staff and the entire North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team on another championship season.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Garnet Valley, 11-19-22

The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team advanced to the PIAA Class 4A championship for the sixth consecutive season with a 3-1 victory over Pine-Richland in the state semifinals on Tuesday night at Fox Chapel High School. The Tigers atoned for their only loss of the season by set scores of 24-26, 25-19, 25-14 and 25-12.

Seeking revenge for a WPIAL championship loss to Pine-Richland in five sets on Nov. 5, the Tigers were eager for their fourth meeting of the season with the rival Rams. North Allegheny stormed out of the gates in set one and grabbed an 8-2 lead. Seniors Carissa Treser and Ella Zimmer spearheaded the effort in set one with four and three kills, respectively. Late in the set, the Tigers led 24-22 but the Rams rallied with four consecutive points to steal away the game, 26-24. Pine-Richland was buoyed by senior Kaili Doctor, a North Carolina A&T recruit, with six kills in the set and finished with an unofficial 16 kills on the night.

In set two, the Tigers flipped the script on the Rams as it was NA who fell behind by six points but staged a triumphant comeback. North Allegheny trailed 10-4 before chipping away at the deficit. Treser hammered out eight kills in the second set to spark a 25-19 win.

While the first two sets were tightly contested, North Allegheny and senior Mia Tuman completely dominated the rest of the night. Tuman took over the match in all phases and led the Tigers to a 25-14 and 25-12 win in sets three and four, respectively. The Ohio State University commit tallied 12 kills and dished out a team-high 41 assists. Additionally, Tuman totaled a team-best five blocks, while posting 13 digs and an ace. For her exceptional play, Tuman was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match. She also tallied the final two points of the night with a kill and block to punch NA’s ticket to the PIAA finals.

Match-clinching point to head back to the State Title!! pic.twitter.com/AQz8ELgmQq

— NATigers (@NATigerAthletic) November 16, 2022

Other outstanding performances included Treser with 12 kills, nine digs, four aces and three blocks. Senior Ella Zimmer punished Pine-Richland with nine kills and senior Maddie Fickess added seven kills. Senior libero Caroline Curran posted a team-high 21 digs and four aces, while junior defensive specialist Avery Butcher posted nine digs and an ace. Junior outside hitter Marin Dunaway added several timely kills, including three kills in the deciding fourth set.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 21-1 overall and Pine-Richland’s season ends with an 18-3 mark. The Tigers will face Garnet Valley in the PIAA Class 4A championship on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Cumberland Valley High School. The match will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 11-15-22

The Big 56 Conference announced its Class 4A All-Section Teams on Monday and six members of the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team were named All Section, including four First Team honorees. Head coach Russ Hoburg was named Section 1-AAAA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Earning First Team laurels were senior hitters Ella Deeter and Ella Zimmer, senior setter Mia Tuman and senior libero Caroline Curran.

Second Team accolades went to senior hitter Carissa Treser and senior defensive specialist Rebecca Pilotta. No honorable mention awards were handed out in Section 1 according to the Big 56 website.

To view the entire All-Section list in Class 4A, click here.

All of the above players have been significant contributors to North Allegheny’s 20-1 overall record. The Tigers are vying for a sixth consecutive state championship and will face Pine-Richland on Tuesday night in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals.

by Lee Mohn

The North Allegheny Tigers defeated the Hempfield Black Knights, 3-1, in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon in a hard-fought battle between perennial powers. The Tigers won by set scores of 25-12, 22-25, 25-14 and 25-16.

The Hempfield team was hit hard by the flu bug which sidelined four of their starters, one being MVP setter Melody Butzer. The Tigers capitalized and jumped out early to an 11-3 lead behind kills from Carissa Treser, Mia Tuman and Jamie Frisco. NA continued to roll from there for a 25-12 win.

Hempfield set the tone for set two and grabbed an early 3-0 lead and continued to increase their lead behind strong play from Addison Leber and Reece Calabretta. The Black Knights’ lead grew to 21-13 but that is where the Tigers would rally and cut the deficit to 23-18. Strong serving from Avery Butcher and Rebecca Pilotta, and key blocks from Ella Zimmer sparked the rally. Despite the comeback bid, Hempfield fended off NA for a 25-22 win.

In set three, the Tigers led 14-13 before rattling of 10 straight points to take control of the set enroute to a 25-14 victory.  North Allegheny finally wore down the shorthanded Black Knights in set four and came out on top, 25-16.

Leading the way for North Allegheny was Treser with 12 kills and Ella Deeter with 11 kills. Tuman contributed nine kills and 40 assists. The Wright Automotive Player of the Game went to Zimmer, who belted out nine kills and eight blocks and controlled the middle of the net. Additionally, Caroline Curran led in digs with 18, Deeter chipped in with 13 and Pilotta added seven.

North Allegheny improves to 20-1 overall and will now have a rematch with Pine Richland on Tuesday night in the PIAA semifinals. The match will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Landisville Hempfield, 11-12-22

The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team bounced back from their defeat in the WPIAL championship with a 3-0 sweep of the State College Little Lions in the opening round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs on Tuesday night. The Tigers earned the victory by set scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-19.

The Tigers and Little Lions dueled in the state playoffs for the 8^th time in the last 11 seasons, with North Allegheny winning all of the seven previous matchups. History repeated itself on Tuesday night as the Tigers once again prevailed.

Coming off their 12^th straight District 6 title, State College grabbed an early 14-11 lead thanks in part to the southpaw swing of senior Kate Lally, who tallied three of her 10 kills in the first set. Despite the deficit, the Tigers roared back and were tied 21-21 before rattling off four consecutive points to garner a 25-21 victory. Seniors Ella Zimmer and Carisa Treser clogged the middle of the net with a combined five blocks and played a significant role in the late stages of set one.

The second set saw North Allegheny build leads of 6-1 and 18-9 before State College rallied back to trim the NA advantage to 20-18. Powered by six kills from Treser, who posted a team-high 11 kills on the night, the Tigers pulled away late for a 25-20 win.

State College started fast in the third set and raced to a 9-5 lead, helped in part by a kill and ace from sophomore Sarah Tate. However, North Allegheny regained control and was sparked by senior Ella Deeter, who notched five of her seven kills in the final set to close out a 25-19 win and sweep of State College.

Other statistical leaders for NA included Zimmer and senior Maddie Fickess with eight and five kills, respectively. Senior libero Caroline Curran paced the defense with 15 digs, followed by senior Mia Tuman with 13 digs and senior Rebecca Pilotta with seven digs. Tuman delivered another dynamic all-around effort with a team-best three aces and facilitated the offense with a team-best 34 assists. For her efforts, Tuman was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.

With the victory, North Allegheny improves to 19-1 overall, while the season ends for State College with a 9-5 record. The Tigers advance to the PIAA quarterfinals to face District 3 champion, Landisville Hempfield, on Saturday at a site and time to be determined. The Black Knights earned a five-set win over Downingtown West on Tuesday night. The matchup between NA and Hempfield will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. State College, 11-8-22