Breaking down changes to the 2022-23 WPIAL girls volleyball alignment

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 | 10:20 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

The WPIAL released new section alignments for the next two-year cycle in all sports, and changes will be implemented starting this fall.

This summer, the Tribune-Review will break down changes for each of the WPIAL sports.

Here’s a look at the upcoming WPIAL girls volleyball season:

2021 WPIAL championships

Class 4A: North Allegheny 3, Shaler 2

Class 3A: Freeport 3, Hampton 1

Class 2A: North Catholic 3, Avonworth 1

Class A: Bishop Canevin 3, Greensburg C.C. 1

Notable changes

• Freeport and North Catholic will be trying to defend WPIAL girls volleyball titles this fall, but they will be facing a new path to get there.

The Yellowjackets, who won the Class 3A title last year, dropped to Class 2A and will compete in Section 5 with A-K Valley rivals Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes and Valley, as well as Derry, Ligonier Valley and Neighborhood Academy.

North Catholic, which won the Class 2A title and has won two PIAA titles the past three years, moved up to Class 3A and will play in Section 4.

• Class 4A got a lot smaller as five teams dropped down to Class 3A — Connellsville, Gateway, Latrobe, Moon and Oakland Catholic — leaving 16 teams across three sections.

• Class 2A will look drastically different this season. Beaver, Burrell, Central Valley, Freeport, Hopewell and Yough all dropped down with Freeport. Apollo-Ridge, Fort Cherry, OLSH and Sto-Rox all moved up from Class A to give the classification 41 teams.

Section 4 will be all new, as Avonworth, Freedom, New Brighton and Quaker Valley moved from different sections and will be joined by Central Valley, Hopewell, OLSH and Sto-Rox.

• Burgettstown, Carlynton, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston, Frazier and Serra Catholic all dropped down to Class A, where Bishop Canevin has won five straight titles.

• The top four teams in each section will qualify for the WPIAL playoffs. The WPIAL championships will be played Nov. 6 at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center.

New to WPIAL

A pair of teams have joined the WPIAL this season — Riverside and Neighborhood Academy. Riverside will compete in Section 1-2A, and Neighborhood Academy will join Section 5-2A.

Key dates

Aug. 15: First practice date

Aug. 20: First scrimmage date

Aug. 26: First play date

Sept. 6: First section date

Oct. 21: Volleyball playoff pairings

Nov. 1: WPIAL semifinals

Nov. 5: WPIAL championships

Nov. 19: PIAA championships

2022-23 alignment

Class 4A (16 teams)

Section 1: Butler, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley

Section 2: Baldwin, Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair

Section 3: Fox Chapel, Hempfield, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Shaler

Class 3A (36 teams)

Section 1: Gateway, Hampton, McKeesport, Penn Hills, Plum, West Mifflin, Woodland Hills

Section 2: Chartiers Valley, Montour, Moon, Oakland Catholic, South Fayette, Trinity, West Allegheny

Section 3: Albert Gallatin, Belle Vernon, Connellsville, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson, Uniontown

Section 4: Ambridge, Blackhawk, Knoch, Lincoln Park, Mars, New Castle, North Catholic

Section 5: Armstrong, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Highlands, Indiana, Kiski Area, Latrobe

Class 2A (41 teams)

Section 1: Beaver, Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Laurel, Mohawk, Neshannock, Riverside, Shenango

Section 2: Brentwood, East Allegheny, Fort Cherry, Keystone Oaks, Seton LaSalle, South Allegheny, South Park, Steel Valley

Section 3: Bentworth, Beth-Center, Brownsville, Charleroi, McGuffey, Southmoreland, Washington, Waynesburg Central, Yough

Section 4: Avonworth, Central Valley, Freedom, Hopewell, New Brighton, OLSH, Quaker Valley, Sto-Rox

Section 5: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Derry, Freeport, Ligonier Valley, Neighborhood Academy, Valley

Class A (29 teams)

Section 1: Aliquippa, Beaver County Christian, Burgettstown, Rochester, South Side, Union, Western Beaver

Section 2: Avella, California, Carmichaels, Frazier, Geibel Catholic, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene

Section 3: Bishop Canevin, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Cornell, Eden Christian Academy, Hillcrest Christian Academy, Northgate

Section 4: Greensburg C.C., Leechburg, Riverview, Serra Catholic, Springdale, St. Joseph, Trinity Christian

*Cooperative sponsorship

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.