NA Reverse Sweep Stuns Upstart Upper St. Clair For 19th Straight Win
by Randy Gore
On Pink Out Night and Middle School Recognition Night, the North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team dropped the first two sets before staging a furious rally to stun the upstart Upper St. Clair Panthers on Tuesday night, 3-2, in a non-section contest. The Tigers earned the reverse sweep by set scores of 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 15-3.
On Sept. 7, these teams met at the Upper St. Clair Invitational, and the host Panthers posted a semifinal-round win over NA. In the rematch at UPMC Court, the Panthers entered the contest with some confidence, and it was on full display in the opening set. Paced by junior outside hitter Hayden Culp’s seven kills, the Panthers broke a 19-19 tie and prevailed 25-21. Senior middle blocker Megan Hufnagel added two kills and two blocks in the late stages of set one.
With Culp and Hufnagel leading the charge, the Panthers well-orchestrated attack, conducted by Mercyhurst commit and senior setter Aliyah Angelici, built a 24-18 lead and fended off NA down the stretch for a 25-22 victory in set two. Culp finished with a team-high 17 kills and Hufnagel added 11 kills and seven blocks.
While the Panthers rode the wave of early momentum, the seven-time reigning state champions responded with a counterpunch in set three. Deadlocked 19-19, sophomore Alicia Mokube delivered a pair of crucial kills, including the set finisher, to lead North Allegheny to a 25-23 triumph. Junior Geneva Adams provided significant minutes in set three and tallied a trio of kills. Both Mokube and Adams finished with seven kills each.
In set four, the Tigers trailed 6-3 before riding the hot hand of sophomore Molly Robertson, who peppered the Panthers with a game-high 22 kills to lead NA to a 25-20 victory. Adding 11 digs on defense, Robertson earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.
With the momentum now squarely with the Tigers, the visiting Panthers were no match for NA’s veteran presence in the final set. Leading 5-2, North Allegheny pulled away with a 9-0 run that was keyed by the serves of senior Mack Jones, who produced three aces. Junior Keely McMahon-Regan, who added an emphatic block of Culp earlier in the set, released a rocket for match-point to secure a 15-3 win in the decisive set and cap a 3-2 reverse sweep. McMahon-Reagan totaled seven kills and a team-high 30 assists in a fine all-around effort.
Other key contributors included junior Reagan Riordan, with three aces, and senior libero Macey Casten, who frustrated USC hitters with a team-leading 27 digs. Jones added 13 digs on defense to go along with 13 assists.
The win, North Allegheny’s 19th in a row, improves the Tigers’ overall record to 9-0 on the campaign. Upper St. Clair falls to 7-4 on the season. The top-ranked Tigers will return to section play on Thursday night with a visit to Pine-Richland at 7:00 p.m.
Girls Volleyball Summary vs. Upper St. Clair, 10-1-24
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper St. Clair | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 2 |
| North Allegheny | 21 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
