Seneca Valley vaults into top 10 as volleyball coaches association releases latest WPIAL boys rankings

By: Michael Love
Monday, April 24, 2023 | 10:10 AM

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Shaler remained at the top in Class 3A as the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 6 rankings Monday morning.

Penn-Trafford, North Allegheny, Canon-McMillan, Hempfield and Norwin also stayed strong at Nos. 2 through No. 6, respectively.

Seneca Valley was the big mover just one week after falling out of the Class 3A rankings. The Raiders moved back into the top 10 at No. 7 after sweeping Butler and Fox Chapel in Section 2 play last week and also sweeping past No. 5 Hempfield.

Butler, Upper St. Clair and Moon rounded out the top 10.

Latrobe again is No. 1 in Class 2A. The Wildcats suffered a 3-1 loss in an interclassification match with Penn-Trafford, but they stayed undefeated in Section 3 at 4-0 with a sweep of Armstrong.

Seton LaSalle remained at No. 2, while Ambridge is No. 3.

The Bridgers capped the week with a team championship at Upper St. Clair. They defeated Canon-McMillan, 15-25, 25-20 and 18-16 in a spirit title match.

North Catholic, Mars and Derry came in at Nos. 4 through 6, respectively, and Hopewell moved up two spots from No. 9 to 7 after a quarterfinal finish at the USC tournament.

Rounding out the Class 2A top 10 were Montour, South Fayette and Thomas Jefferson.

Each of the 39 head coaches have the opportunity to vote for the top-10 team rankings.

The players of the week in each classification are selected by the association based on coaches nominations.

Western Pa. Volleyball Coaches Association

WPIAL Top-10 polls – Week 6

Class 3A

1. Shaler (last week: 1)

2. Penn-Trafford (2)

3. North Allegheny (3)

4. Canon-McMillan (4)

5. Hempfield (5)

6. Norwin (6)

7. Seneca Valley (NR)

8. Butler (7)

9. Upper St. Clair (8)

10. Moon (9)

Out: North Hills

Class 3A Players of the Week

Andrew Kessler, senior, outside hitter, Penn-Trafford

Luke Bockius, junior, outside hitter, Canon-McMillan

Cam Miller, junior, libero, Shaler

Sam Berger, sophomore, outside hitter, Upper St. Clair

Class 2A

1. Latrobe (last week: 1)

2. Seton LaSalle (2)

3. Ambridge (3)

4. North Catholic (5)

5. Mars (4)

6. Derry (7)

7. Hopewell (9)

8. Montour (6)

9. South Fayette (10)

10. Thomas Jefferson (8)

Out: None

Class 2A Players of the Week

Rosario Alessandro, senior, setter, North Catholic

Ty Tamborino, senior, outside hitter, Seton LaSalle

Matthew Tarbuk, senior, outside hitter, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Daniel Lutz, junior, outside hitter, Beaver County Christian

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Ambridge, Beaver County Christian, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Derry Area, Hempfield, Hopewell, Latrobe, Mars, Montour, Moon, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Norwin, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn-Trafford, Seneca Valley, Seton La Salle, Shaler, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair