North Allegheny falls to Cumberland Valley in PIAA boys volleyball final
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Saturday, June 14, 2025 | 4:51 PM
North Allegheny’s Elijah Braun scores against Cumberland Valley’s Bryson Walsh during the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
Cumberland Valley’s Avery Reynolds scores past North Allegheny’s Peter Bratich and Will Robertson during the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny head coach Dan Long talks with his team during the PIAA Class 3A championship match against Cumberland Valley on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
Cumberland Valley’s Avery Reynolds scores past North Allegheny’s Jackson Failla during the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny’s Will Robertson scores against Cumberland Valley’s Avery Reynolds and Isaiah Sibbitt during the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny’s Will Robertson hugs head coach Dan Long while receiving his silver medal after the PIAA Class 3A championship match against Cumberland Valley on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny’s Matthew LaMay scores against Cumberland Valley’s Avery Reynolds and Aidan Dunwoody during the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny’s Matthew LaMay hugs head coach Dan Long while receiving his silver medal after the PIAA Class 3A championship match against Cumberland Valley on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
Cumberland Valley’s Avery Reynolds battles North Allegheny’s Peter Bratich at the net during the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny’s Garen White helps Elliott Swierczynski from the floor, as Cumberland Valley celebrates after winning the PIAA Class 3A championship match on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
North Allegheny’s Elijah Braun accepts the runner-up trophy with teammates after the PIAA Class 3A state championship match against Cumberland Valley on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Penn State.
STATE COLLEGE — North Allegheny faced a determined Cumberland Valley team Saturday that was not going to go away without a state title.
The Eagles swept the Tigers with game scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-12 to win the PIAA Class 3A championship at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State.
“I thought we played well, but fundamentally Cumberland Valley played better,” Tigers coach Daniel Long said. “They just did a solid job of keeping balls in play. Their libero (Hayden Ackley) just did an incredible job of keeping the ball in play — we had good hits, but others also stepped up. I am heartbroken for our seniors, who I will never get to coach again.”
WPIAL champion North Allegheny had defeated defeated Palmyra, Penn-Trafford and Central York in earlier state tournament rounds, the latter two 3-1 victories. The Tigers finish the season at 18-2.
The first game went back and forth for the first 19 points, with neither team scoring more than one point in a row. Derek Paul stepped to the service line and the Eagles (23-0) scored five points in a row to open a 15-10 lead, prompting a Tigers time out.
North Allegheny responded to cut the deficit to two points, but the Eagles ran off four in a row to take a 24-19 lead. The Eagles then won the first set 25-21.
“That five-point run was a turning point,” Long said. “We just didn’t answer well a few times.”
North Allegheny, making its state-record 20th appearance in the PIAA final, took an early 8-3 lead in the second game, prompting an Eagles time out. The Eagles regrouped and cleaned up their fundamentals, rallying to tie the game at nine. The Eagles limited mistakes and did not allow the Tigers to make a big run, winning the second game 25-21.
The District 3 champion Eagles rolled out to an 8-2 lead in the third game, prompting another Tigers time out to figure out some strategy. The Tigers made a late run, but the momentum was on the Eagles’ side as they rolled to a 25-12 victory and the sweep of North Allegheny.
“We played a very good game today; we made a few mistakes, but they were extremely limited,” Eagles coach Terry Ranck said. “Defensively, service and service-receive were solid. That is a credit to every one of these guys on the team. From practice, this team works hard and the guys behind the scenes are also keys. So proud of this group of seniors to go out on top and win a state championship.”
Senior Avery Reynolds led the way for the Eagles with 12 kills. Will Robertson had eight kills and an ace for North Allegheny.
It marked the final match for the Tigers’ 10 seniors — Brandon Goetz, Ryan Young, Caleb Chen, Dominic Laswell, James Zimmer, Elijah Braun, Aidan Mowry, Ryan Dyga, Matthew LaMay and Garen White.
Tags: North Allegheny
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