Tigers Serve Up Victory In Home Opener
By Randy Gore
The North Allegheny girls’ volleyball team opened the 2026 season on Tuesday night with a 3-1 non-section victory over the North Hills Indians. The Tigers collected the win with set scores of 25-15, 25-12, 23-25 and 25-12.
Ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 4A, North Allegheny stormed out of the gates with 6-0 leads in each of the first two sets, cruising to a pair of decisive wins. Senior veterans Molly Robertson and Alicia Mokube helped pace the NA attack with steady play. Robertson led the Tigers with six aces and 26 assists, while Mokube delivered 12 kills, three aces and a pair of blocks.
Playing without junior standout Emmy Schall, who was injured in pre-game warm-ups, the Indians fought back in set three and took an early 4-0 lead. North Hills led for the vast majority of the set, but NA rallied to take its first lead of the set, 23-22, thanks to a block by Mokube. Despite NA’s late surge, the Indians rattled off three consecutive points, including a block by sophomore Bella Hildebrand to cap the set, for a 25-23 win. Hildebrand also added four kills in game three and senior Addi Zdinak chipped in with three kills for NH.
It was back to business for the Tigers in set four in a one-sided effort. Juniors Ella Lange and Carena Schiller led the charge with six and four kills, respectively, en route to a 25-12 triumph to close out a 3-1 victory. Lange and Schiller paced the NA offense with 14 kills each. Lange also added three aces to claim Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors as selected by the North Allegheny Sports Network.
Along with Robertson’s 26 assists, junior setter Sydney Klaich helped facilitate the offense with 14 assists. On defense, senior libero Keira Duffy totaled a team-high 16 digs. Junior Vivienne Deily-Nelson contributed eight digs.
With the win, North Allegheny improves to 1-0 on the young season, while North Hills falls to 0-1. The Tigers return to action on Saturday at Youngstown Ursuline in Ohio at 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. NORTH HILLS, 9-1-26
| SCORE BY SETS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH HILLS | 15 | 12 | 25 | 12 | 1 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
