North Allegheny boys right ship, get past Penn-Trafford in PIAA Class 3A volleyball quarterfinals

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 7:45 PM

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North Allegheny boys volleyball coach Dan Long said he didn’t want the Tigers to look at themselves as a finished product Saturday.

A surprising result during the second set of a 3-1 win over Penn-Trafford during a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal at AHN Arena provided some clarity on why they have to stay sharp.

The Tigers dropped the second set by 13 points, something Long said he didn’t think had ever happened to him during his volleyball career.

“It felt like a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation,” Long said. “When we are handling the ball well in serve-receive, we are tough to beat. That showed itself in sets one, three and four. I thought they did a great job in set two of creating their serve, and it put us on our heels.”

North Allegheny won the match 25-17, 12-25, 25-16, 25-17 to march into the state semifinals for the first time since 2022. The Tigers will take on District 3 runner-up Central York on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

Penn-Trafford (14-8) putting a scare into North Allegheny (17-1) wasn’t something Warriors coach Jim Schall may have envisioned a month ago. The Warriors finished third in their section and the WPIAL before upending District 6 champion State College to reach the state quarterfinals for the second time in school history.

The Warriors beat North Allegheny in 2016 in their only other appearance.

“We just kept playing,” Schall said. “It wasn’t something we thought about, if we could be top eight or top four. We kept playing. It’s unusual for a team that loses some, they are ready to quit, but these guys put a lot into the end of the season.”

Connor Evangeliste lit the fire for the Warriors in the second set. He got a kill early in the frame and had a strong run at the service line. He took over with a 9-4 lead and helped the Warriors run off seven consecutive points.

“Connor has an amazing run of serves,” Schall said. “Overall, the team competed better after game one. I was happy with how competitive we were.”

North Allegheny senior outside hitter Elijah Braun, who finished with six kills, said the Tigers knew they had to play better.

“It was a smack in the mouth,” Braun said. “It was what we needed to humble ourselves. Nothing can be taken for granted in the state playoffs.”

North Allegheny controlled most of the fourth set. Penn-Trafford was able to battle back and cut the score to 16-14 and 18-16 on kills by Evangeliste. However, both times Braun was able to deliver a kill to push the Tigers’ lead back to three.

“I just wanted to swing hard and make a momentum play so everyone could ride that energy,” Braun said. “Penn-Trafford is a big energy team. I like having the energy on our side.”

Penn-Trafford again challenged the Tigers in the fourth set after falling behind early. North Allegheny surged out to a 4-0 lead, but Penn-Trafford narrowed the deficit to 10-9.

After a timeout by the Tigers, Brendan Moore responded with a kill that sparked a 6-2 run. Moore had 12 kills for North Allegheny. Will Robertson led the Tigers with 13 kills.

Moore said he thought the Tigers adjusted well after the second set.

“I think we got a little too comfortable in the first set,” Moore said. “We needed to try and find our groove again.”

Tags: North Allegheny, Penn-Trafford