2024 PIAA Class 4A girls volleyball championship preview: North Allegheny vs. Spring-Ford

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, November 15, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Spring-Ford (21-7) vs. North Allegheny (20-1)

6 p.m. Saturday, Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg

On the air: Streaming on PCN Select; audio on Trib HSSN

Seeds: Spring-Ford 1-5; North Allegheny 7-1

How they got here: Spring-Ford defeated Unionville, 3-2, in the first round; Parkland, 3-0, in the quarterfinals; and Central Dauphin, 3-1, in the semifinals. North Allegheny beat Manheim Township, 3-0, in the first round; Bishop Shanahan, 3-1, in the quarterfinals; and Hempfield, 3-0, in the semifinals.

Coaches: George Fuller, Spring-Ford; Ross Hoburg, North Allegheny

Players to watch: Lauren Angelucci, Spring-Ford; Molly Robertson, North Allegheny

PIAA titles: Spring-Ford 0; North Allegheny 10 (1992, ‘93, ‘94, 2017, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23)

Notable: Spring-Ford advanced to the PIAA championship match for the first time. The District 1 fifth-place finisher is led by hitter Lauren Angelucci, who set the school record for career kills during the District 1 playoffs. She had 15 kills and 20 digs in the semifinal victory over Central Dauphin. Junior Lila Olsen had 14 kills and three blocks, freshman Elle Sossong had 15 kills, and junior Alanna Bricker had 24 digs and three aces. … WPIAL champion North Allegheny has won seven straight PIAA championships. In the semifinals, the Tigers shut out Landisville Hempfield, which entered the match 20-0. Molly Robertson had 14 kills and 17 digs. Keely McMahon-Regan had eight kills and 17 assists. Alicia Mokube had seven kills and three blocks. Bridgit Murphy had seven kills and four blocks. Coach Ross Hoburg was named the coach of the year in the team’s section for the fourth time. He has an 80-4 record with three WPIAL and three PIAA titles in his four seasons so far. Robertson, a sophomore outside hitter, and senior outside hitter Macey Casten were first-team all-WPIAL selections. Mokube, a sophomore middle hitter, was a second-team pick. Murphy, a senior middle hitter and IUP commit, was a third-team honoree.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny