Tigers Tame Titans In Regular Season Opener
by Jared Barton
The heat was on as the North Allegheny Girls Volleyball team beat Shaler 3-0 on a sweltering UPMC Court Tuesday night.
A hot September day combined with broken air conditioners in the gym left the facility muggy, but that didn’t stop the Tigers from taking their fifth match in a row against the Titans dating back to 2021.
In set one, senior Kyra Schmidt showed her skill early in the match with two kills. Fellow senior Avery Butcher added two aces and Ariana Schiller notched a block as NA took a 7-0 lead to begin the first set. Schmidt went on to register an ace while seniors Jamie Frisco, Elysia Smith and Rylee Gadomski notched two kills apiece. The Tigers took set one 25-11.
Shaler jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the early stages of set two, but the Tigers found life behind excellent serving from junior Macey Casten who had two aces during a 13-point run for NA putting the team back in the lead 18-8. Junior Bridgit Murphy, who had a kill earlier in the set, blocked to set-winning point as the Tigers prevailed 25-15.
Set three was back and forth in the early stages before North Allegheny comfortably pulled ahead. Schmidt tallied additional kills including the match-clinching point as the Tigers took the final set 25-19.
Schmidt took home Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors with five kills and six digs. Butcher ended the night with two aces and 12 digs. Murphy collected three total blocks, while senior Marin Dunaway had four kills and two blocks. Junior Mackenzie Jones registered 15 assists.
With the win, North Allegheny improves to 1-0 on the young season and is back in action next Tuesday at home for the first section match of the year against Pine-Richland. That game will be broadcast live on the NA Sports Network.
