North Allegheny reaches 8th consecutive WPIAL final with 3-0 sweep of Pine-Richland
by: Bob Orkwis
For the third time this season, North Allegheny hooked up with its Section 3-3A foe, Pine-Richland. This time, the stakes were higher, with a berth in the WPIAL Championship on the line. Just like in the regular season, the Tigers vanquished the Rams, this time in straight sets, 25-18, 25-23, 25-17 to reach the title game for the eighth straight year.
The Rams jumped out to 1-0 leads in each of the first two sets, but in set one, the Tigers used a five-point run early, and an eight point stretch later to lead by eight points on their way to the win.
Senior Matthew Lamay started the opening set at the service line and finished it from there as well, as he notched two aces, while recording eight kills and a pair of blocks in the match.
Set two was much tighter, with Pine-Richland leading by three, and 18-17, before North Allegheny came back. There were ties at 20-20, 21-21 and 22-22, before the Tigers scored three of the last four points to win 25-23.
With set three tied at 5-5, the Tigers went on a six-point run to take control and win the final set 25-17. A highlight reel play took place courtesy of the right foot of libero Emmett Morris. The junior raced toward the near side stands and made a saving dig with his foot that Lamay played across the net. The Tigers got a kill after the Rams returned the ball and all the momentum of the third set stayed with the black and gold.
That dig was one of nine for Morris, who also added two aces.
Will Robertson had seven digs, four kills and two blocks for the Tigers, while Brendan Moore also had eight blocks to tie for the team lead for North Allegheny.
Jackson Failla and Elliott Swierczynski each recorded 13 assists in the sweep, with Failla adding six digs.
Dom Laswell, three blocks and Elijah Braun, two blocks, were strong defensively at the net for the Tigers.
North Allegheny’s most consistent performer, and one of their emotional leaders on the night, was senior Garen White, who earned the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.
White had seven kills and three blocks in the front line for the Tigers in the victory.
Pine-Richland (12-6), the fifth seed in the 3A tournament, will now face sixth-seeded Penn-Trafford in the consolation match and have the right to qualify for the PIAA playoffs.
The Tigers, (14-1), have now won nine straight matches, and the top seed will face second-seeded Seneca Valley at Peters Township High School an attempt to win their 23rd WPIAL title and first since 2022.
North Allegheny and Seneca Valley split a pair of matches during the regular season, with the Raiders handing the Tigers their only loss in match play on April 7th, while North Allegheny returned the favor winning the regular season section-finale on May 8th.
Once the day and time are decided, you can hear coverage of the Championship Match on the North Allegheny Sports Network.
Boys Volleyball Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 5-20-25
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine-Richland | 18 | 23 | 17 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
