Four-Peat: NA Reigns Supreme To Capture 4th Straight PIAA Crown
History was made on Saturday night at Cumberland Valley High School as the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team won its fourth straight PIAA Class 4A championship with a 3-0 sweep of Unionville. The Tigers became just the third team in PIAA history to win four or more consecutive state crowns. Norwin had won eight consecutive Class 3A titles from 1976-1983 and Marion Mercy won four straight Class 2A crowns from 2007-2010.
A newcomer to the state’s biggest stage, Unionville was making its first appearance in the PIAA championship game. Boasting a 14-0 record, including a District 1 title win against Bishop Shanahan, Unionville was no match for a veteran North Allegheny squad, who rolled to an opening set win, 25-14. Sophomore Mia Tuman and senior Paige Miller, a Mercyhurst commit, powered the Tigers with five and four kills, respectively.
The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set but Unionville answered with five straight points. Inspired by senior Sophie Brenner, the program’s all-time leader in kills and a Loyola (MD) commit, Unionville kept things competitive in set two and trailed 24-22 late. However, a kill by Miller propelled NA to a 25-22 victory.
Brenner helped spark Unionville to a 9-6 lead in set three before a 7-1 run by North Allegheny reaffirmed the Tigers control of the contest. Senior Paige Morningstar, a Louisville commit, and Tuman tallied five kills each in the set to lift NA to a 25-20 win and a sweep. In a great all-around night, Tuman posted a team-high 15 kills, seven digs and two aces, on her way to Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.
Morningstar facilitated NA’s dynamic offense with a team-best 30 assists. Miller posted 12 kills and junior Rachel Burton added five more. Junior Jadyn Perkins clogged the net with two blocks and sophomore libero Caroline Curran paced the defense with 16 digs. Miller and sophomore Rachel Pilotta collected nine digs apiece.
With the win, North Allegheny concludes the year with an 18-0 record and has won 88 of its last 89 matches dating back to 2017. Congratulations to head coach Heidi Miller, the coaching staff and the entire North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team for another terrific season and a staggering run of victories and championships.
Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Unionville, 11-21-20
| GAME SUMMARY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | FINAL |
| Unionville | 14 | 22 | 20 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |