Girls' Volleyball Game Summaries

The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team hosted the Butler Golden Tornado on Wednesday night at UPMC Court and earned a 3-1 victory in Section 1-4A action. The Tigers won by set scores of 25-14, 23-25, 25-15 and 25-16.

Tied 4-4 in the opening set, the Tigers gained control thanks in large part to flummox the Tornado with their serves. Senior Caileigh Duffy’s serves helped NA put together a 4-0 run for an 8-4 lead, and senior libero Avery Butcher tallied four of her team-high five aces in the set to open up a 20-8 advantage later in the set. With the addition of four kills by senior Marin Dunaway, the Tigers cruised to a 25-14 win in set one.

The second set was a much different story. The Golden Tornado jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the early going and held a 20-15 advantage late. The Tigers rallied with a 5-0 run to tie the score and were deadlocked 23-23 with a chance to steal away the set. However, junior Audrey Lehman powered the Tornado down the stretch for a 25-23 win. Lehman tallied five kills in set two for Butler.

North Allegheny returned to form in set three with a 25-15 victory, including four kills from senior Kyra Schmidt. The IUP commit totaled a team-best 11 kills on the night and added three aces.

The fourth set belonged to the Tigers as well, 25-16, thanks in large part to middle hitter Bridgit Murphy, who posted a career-high eight kills. Adding two blocks, Murphy was tabbed the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Senior Jamie Frisco peppered the Butler defense with 10 kills and added two blocks. Freshman setter Molly Robertson and junior setter Mackenzie Jones totaled 20 and 19 assists, respectively.

Defensively, Butcher posted a team-best 13 digs, followed by Jones with 10 digs and junior Macey Casten with eight digs. Duffy notched seven digs and three aces. Robertson and senior Ariana Schiller added two blocks each.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Section 1-4A. Butler slips to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in the section. The Tigers will visit Seneca Valley on Tuesday in a battle of unbeaten teams.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Butler, 9-20-23

In a premier non-section matchup between a pair of volleyball heavyweights, the North Allegheny Tigers outlasted North Catholic on Monday night, 3-2. The Tigers, the reigning PIAA Class 4A champs, defeated the Trojanettes, the reigning WPIAL champion in Class 3A, by set scores of 26-15, 23-25, 26-24, 16-25, 15-12.

The Trojanettes have also won state titles in two of the last four seasons, in addition to WPIAL crowns in four of the last five years. In this clash of champions, the Tigers were paced by senior Krya Schmidt with an outstanding all-around performance. Schmidt led NA with 15 kills and four aces, adding 13 digs on defense as well. Senior Jamie Frisco punished North Catholic with 13 kills, while senior Marin Dunaway and freshman Molly Robertson followed with 11 kills each.

Junior Mackenzie Jones and Robertson split time at setter, dishing out 27 and 26 assists, respectively. Senior libero Avery Butcher led the defense with 24 digs. Dunaway and senior Julie Butler clogged the middle of the net with three blocks each.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 4-0 overall and will return to section play on Wednesday against the Butler Golden Tornado. The match will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. North Catholic, 9-18-23

The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team won its third straight game to begin the 2023 season with a 3-0 sweep at North Hills on Thursday night. The Tigers won by set scores of 25-23, 25-15, 25-14.

In a well-rounded effort, senior Kyra Schmidt paced the offense with nine kills and added a pair of aces. Senior Marin Dunaway totaled six kills with two aces, while seniors Elysia Smith and Jamie Frisco each posted five kills.

A trio of setters facilitated the offense with junior Mackenzie Jones dishing out 15 assists, sophomore Keely McMahon-Regan distributed 11 assists and freshman Molly Robertson totaled eight assists.

Senior libero Avery Butcher paced the defense with 13 digs and added two aces. Senior Jordan Frisco chipped in with six digs.

With the win, North Allegheny jumps to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in Section 1-4A. North Hills slips to 0-1 in the section. The Tigers will take part in the Shoregals Tournament in Avon, Ohio this weekend.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. North Hills, 9-14-23

In a rematch of last year’s WPIAL Class 4A championship and PIAA semifinals, the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team earned a 3-1 win over rival Pine-Richland on Tuesday night at UPMC Court. The reigning state champions defeated the reigning WPIAL champions by set scores of 25-21, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-16. The Tigers have won 23 of their last 24 meetings in their head-to-head series with the Rams.

In what proved to be a tightly contest matchup throughout the night, the opening game set the tone with North Allegheny clinging to an 11-10 lead before scoring five straight points to take a 16-10 advantage. Senior Marin Dunaway hammered out six kills in the set, while senior Kyra Schmidt and freshman Molly Robertson each notched three kills to propel NA to a 25-21 win.

In set two, North Allegheny led 14-9 before a Pine-Richland time out sparked a rally. The Rams scored nine of the next 11 points to grab an 18-16 lead and held the advantage for the remainder of the set, claiming a 25-21 victory. Sophomore Isabelle Hoppe posted three kills and finished with 13 on the night.

Trailing 16-15 in set three, the Tigers scored four consecutive points to vault ahead, 19-16, and pulled out a 25-20 triumph. The dynamic duo of Dunaway and Schmidt powered the Tigers with six kills apiece. Dunaway totaled a team-best 17 kills on her way to Wright Automotive Player of the Match honors. Schmidt also tallied double digits in kills with 13, while adding seven digs and two aces.

Tied 15-15 in the fourth set, North Allegheny rattled off nine consecutive points to take a strangle hold of the contest and finished off the rams on a kill by senior Elysia Smith for a 25-16 win. Smith accounted for three of the final four points on the night and posted three kills, a block and an ace in set four. Senior Avery Butcher notched a pair of aces in the last set and posted a team-high 14 digs.

Also contributing to the victory, senior Caileigh Duffy delivered nine digs on defense. Senior Ariana Schiller chipped in with six kills and senior Jamie Frisco added five. Robertson dished out a team-leading 34 assists and added two aces.

North Allegheny sits at 2-0 overall and 1-0 in Section 1-4A. Pine-Richland slips to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the section. The Tigers will visit North Hills on Thursday for another section matchup.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 9-12-23

by Jared Barton

The heat was on as the North Allegheny Girls Volleyball team beat Shaler 3-0 on a sweltering UPMC Court Tuesday night.

A hot September day combined with broken air conditioners in the gym left the facility muggy, but that didn’t stop the Tigers from taking their fifth match in a row against the Titans dating back to 2021.

In set one, senior Kyra Schmidt showed her skill early in the match with two kills. Fellow senior Avery Butcher added two aces and Ariana Schiller notched a block as NA took a 7-0 lead to begin the first set. Schmidt went on to register an ace while seniors Jamie Frisco, Elysia Smith and Rylee Gadomski notched two kills apiece. The Tigers took set one 25-11.

Shaler jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the early stages of set two, but the Tigers found life behind excellent serving from junior Macey Casten who had two aces during a 13-point run for NA putting the team back in the lead 18-8.  Junior Bridgit Murphy, who had a kill earlier in the set, blocked to set-winning point as the Tigers prevailed 25-15.

Set three was back and forth in the early stages before North Allegheny comfortably pulled ahead. Schmidt tallied additional kills including the match-clinching point as the Tigers took the final set 25-19.

Schmidt took home Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors with five kills and six digs. Butcher ended the night with two aces and 12 digs. Murphy collected three total blocks, while senior Marin Dunaway had four kills and two blocks. Junior Mackenzie Jones registered 15 assists.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 1-0 on the young season and is back in action next Tuesday at home for the first section match of the year against Pine-Richland. That game will be broadcast live on the NA Sports Network.