Girls' Volleyball News

by: Brandon Rossi

In a battle of two of the premier volleyball programs in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, North Allegheny found itself in a precarious position after dropping the third and fourth sets to North Catholic. However, the Tigers persevered and were able to secure a thrilling five-set victory over the Trojanettes at UPMC Court, 28-26, 25-18, 22-25, 27-29, 15-6.

The first set was a sign of things to come, with the two squads trading blows throughout. The Tigers got out to a six-point lead at 15-9 before the Trojanettes came charging back to dissolve the lead and eventually take it for themselves. Eventually the lead seesawed back and forth until the Tigers sealed the deal with back-to-back kills by junior Keely McMahon-Regan.

The second set wasn’t nearly as tenuous for the hosts, as NA did not trail for the entirety of the frame. However, things started to get rocky for the Tigers in the third. The Trojanettes got out of the gates strongly and were able to hold on to a flimsy lead throughout the majority of the set.

The fourth set was arguably the most thrilling, but North Catholic was able to weather the storm and hold off the Tigers late in the set and send the match to a fifth and deciding frame. 

After North Catholic scored the first two points of the fifth set, North Allegheny went on a 10-0 run which featured four service aces by junior Reagan Riordan, earning her Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors. Following the 10-0 run, the Tigers cruised to a 15-6 fifth set win to remain unbeaten in 17 straight contests.

Sophomore Molly Robertson led the offensive attack with 28 kills. Riordan finished the match with six aces and 17 digs, second in the latter category only to senior libero Macey Casten’s 26 digs. Casten also finished with a trio of service aces. McMahon-Regan dished out 29 assists to go along with 16 digs while senior Mackenzie Jones handed out another 20 helpers with five blocks, co-leading the team alongside senior Bridgit Murphy. Sophomore Alicia Mokube also had eight kills, while Murphy and senior Hannah DeLucia delivered five kills.

The Tigers, who are now 7-0 on the season and 5-0 in 4A-2 action, remain alone atop the section standings following the first half of conference play. They will step out of the conference on Thursday, September 26 with a road tilt at Mt. Lebanon at 7:00 p.m.

Girls Volleyball Summary vs. North Catholic, 9-24-24

SCORE BY SETS	1	2	3	4	5	FINAL
North Catholic	26	18	25	29	6	2
North Allegheny	28	25	22	27	15	3