Breaking down changes to the 2024-25 WPIAL girls volleyball alignment
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Monday, July 1, 2024 | 11:26 AM
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.
2023 WPIAL championships
Class 4A: North Allegheny 3, Canon-McMillan 1
Class 3A: Hampton 3, North Catholic 0
Class 2A: Beaver 3, Freeport 2
Class A: Serra Catholic 3, Bishop Canevin 1
Notable changes
Although there are the same number of teams (122) as the last two-year cycle, the new 2024-25 WPIAL girls volleyball alignment is vastly different.
• Some of the more notable changes took place in Class 4A, which increased from 16 to 24 teams and three sections to four.
Sections 1 and 2 flipped in the new alignment with one new team that moved up from Class 3A. North Catholic, a WPIAL runner-up to Hampton in Class 3A last season, joins a section that includes Butler, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley.
In Section 3-4A, Connellsville, Latrobe and Plum moved up from Class 3A.
Armstrong, Kiski Area, Penn Hills and Woodland Hills moved up and into the newly formed Section 4-4A to compete against Fox Chapel and Shaler.
• Class 3A starts the year with 33 teams after having 36 the past two seasons.
Just like in Class 4A, Sections 1 and 2 flipped. The new Section 1 has the same teams that were in Section 2 last season.
Freeport, the WPIAL runner-up in 2A last season, and Valley are two teams that moved up and into Section 2-3A. Freeport won the 2A title in 2022 and claimed a 3A crown in 2021.
Also in Section 2, Knoch and Mars move over from Section 4, Hampton from Section 1 and Highlands from Section 5 to form an A-K Valley heavy group.
Section 5 has three teams from Section 1 — Gateway, McKeesport and West Mifflin — along with Derry, which moved up from 2A to join holdovers Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem and Indiana.
• Class 2A dropped to 37 teams compared to 41 the last two years.
The vast majority of Section 1 shifted with Section 4. The six teams that moved over include Avonworth, Freedom, Hopewell, New Brighton, OLSH and Quaker Valley. They are joined by Aliquippa and Northgate from Class A.
Section 2 has two new teams. Carlynton bumped up from Class A, and Sto-Rox moved over from Section 4.
Burgettstown and Chartiers-Houston moved into Section 3 from Class A.
Section 5 welcomed Southmoreland and Yough from Section 3 and is the smallest group in Class 2A at six teams.
• Plenty of changes exist in a revamped Class A, which went from 29 to 28 teams but added a fifth section.
An A-K Valley-loaded Section 1 carried over four teams from Section 4 — Leechburg, Riverview, St. Joseph and Springdale — and added Apollo-Ridge from 2A.
Most of Section 1 the last two years moved over to Section 2 as Beaver County Christian, Rochester, South Side, Union and Western Beaver join Section 3 mover Cornell.
Most of Section 3 is former Section 2 teams Avella, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene, along with Beth-Center, which dropped down from 2A.
The other teams from Section 2 moved into Section 4, including California, Frazier and Geibel.
The new Section 5 features Bishop Canevin and Eden Christian from Section 3 and Serra Catholic from Section 4, as well as Fort Cherry and Brentwood from Class 2A.
In and out
Only one new team joined the girls volleyball fold, and only one team left.
Aquinas Academy will field a team this season in Section 1-A.
Hillcrest Christian Academy will not have a WPIAL schedule.
Key dates
Aug. 12: First practice date
Aug. 17: First scrimmage date
Aug. 23: First play date
Sept. 3: First section date
Oct. 21: WPIAL playoffs begin
Oct. 30: WPIAL semifinals
Nov. 2: WPIAL championships
Nov. 5: PIAA first round
Nov. 16: PIAA championships
2024-25 alignment
Class 4A (24 teams)
Section 1: Baldwin, Bethel Park, Canon McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair
Section 2: Butler, North Allegheny, North Catholic, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley
Section 3: Connellsville, Hempfield, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Plum
Section 4: Armstrong, Fox Chapel, Kiski Area, Penn Hills, Shaler, Woodland Hills
Class 3A (33 teams)
Section 1: Chartiers Valley, Montour, Moon, Oakland Catholic, South Fayette, Trinity, West Allegheny
Section 2: Freeport, Hampton, Highlands, Knoch, Mars, Valley
Section 3: Albert Gallatin, Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson, Uniontown
Section 4: Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Lincoln Park, New Castle
Section 5: Derry, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Greensburg Salem, Indiana, McKeesport, West Mifflin
Class 2A (37 teams)
Section 1: Aliquippa, Avonworth, Freedom, Hopewell, New Brighton, Northgate, OLSH, Quaker Valley
Section 2: Carlynton, East Allegheny, Keystone Oaks, Seton LaSalle, South Allegheny, South Park, Sto-Rox, Steel Valley
Section 3: Bentworth, Brownsville, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Washington, Waynesburg Central
Section 4: Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Laurel, Mohawk, Neshannock, Riverside, Shenango
Section 5: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, The Neighborhood Academy, Southmoreland, Yough
Class A (28 teams)
Section 1: Apollo-Ridge, Aquinas Academy, Leechburg, Riverview, Springdale, St. Joseph
Section 2: Beaver County Christian, Cornell, Rochester, South Side, Union, Western Beaver
Section 3: Avella, Beth-Center, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene
Section 4: California, Frazier, Geibel, Greensburg Central Catholic, Trinity Christian
Section 5: Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, Eden Christian Academy, Fort Cherry, Serra Catholic
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