NA Cruises Past Palmyra In PIAA First Round, 3-0
By Randy Gore
Appearing in the PIAA playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, the North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 sweep against the Palmyra Cougars at UPMC Court. The Tigers prevailed by set scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-21.
Despite an early 5-1 deficit in set one, Palmyra, which was making its first PIAA playoff appearance since losing to NA in the 2022 opening round, rallied behind a trio of kills by senior Andrew Martin to tie the score at 9-9. Following a timeout by head coach Dan Long, the Tigers responded by scoring nine of the next 10 points to take control of the set. Junior Will Robertson and senior Garen White spearheaded the effort with five and three kills, respectively, for a 25-17 victory in game one.
The powerful swings of Robertson, White and junior Brendan Moore helped NA construct a 21-11 advantage in set two before the Cougars went on a 6-0 run to trim the score to 21-16, Tigers. Kills by Moore, senior Ryan Young and an ace by junior Emmett Morris allowed NA to pull away for a 25-18 win.
Set three was tightly contested most of the way, with North Allegheny holding a narrow 21-20 advantage in the late stages. A pair of kills each from Robertson and White allowed NA to secure five of the next six points en route to a 25-21 win and sweep of visiting Palmyra.
Robertson, who tallied a team-high 18 kills and three blocks, was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Match.
In addition to Robertson, Moore totaled eight kills and White delivered seven. Junior Elliott Swierczynski flummoxed Palmyra with his serves, producing a team-high four aces and added 16 assists. Junior setter Jackson Failla notched a team-best 23 assists. Defensively, Morris led the team in digs with 10, followed by senior Matthew LaMay’s eight digs.
With the win, North Allegheny improves to 16-1 overall, while Palmyra’s season ends with a 15-4 record. The Tigers advance to the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals on Saturday against Penn-Trafford at a site and time to be determined.
Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Palmyra, 6-3-25
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra | 17 | 18 | 21 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
