North Allegheny girls volleyball enters postseason more battle-tested than usual

By: John Grupp
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The seven-time PIAA Class 4A champion North Allegheny girls volleyball team actually had to break a sweat this regular season.

The Tigers may be less powerful than usual or, if history is an indication, more prepared for adversity than ever.

“We haven’t been a dominant team in every match,” coach Russ Hoburg said. “We’re not winning every match 3-0. It’s been great to see the girls respond to that. They are finding ways to win. I hope that makes us battle-tested as we dive into the playoffs.”

Accustomed to breezing to lopsided shutouts, North Allegheny was challenged with five five-set matches this season, more than the past six regular seasons combined (4). They also suffered a regular-season loss for only the fourth time in the past decade, wasting a 2-0 lead and losing at Section 2-4A rival North Catholic, 3-2, on Oct. 17. North Allegheny is now 146-4 in the past 10 regular seasons.

“I have no question they will respond in the right way,” Hoburg said.

For sure, expectations remain the same. The Tigers (14-1) entered the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs with the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye and were scheduled to host No. 9 seed Armstrong on Oct. 24 in the quarterfinals. Despite graduating 10 of their top 13 players from last season’s WPIAL/state champs, the Tigers are eyeing their second consecutive WPIAL title and sixth in eight years. The finals are Nov. 2 at Peters Township.

“When our backs are against the wall, as a team we are good at lifting each other up,” said senior outside hitter Macey Casten, who suffered a foot injury at North Catholic but expects to return in the postseason. “I think those five-setters are going to prepare us really well for the playoffs.”

North Allegheny, ranked No. 4 in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association, showed resolve when tested. The Tigers mostly dominated in the fifth sets, winning by scores of 15-3, 15-6, 15-3 and 15-12 prior to being topped 15-8 by North Catholic in the finale. North Allegheny came back from 2-1 deficits to beat Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland and rallied from a 2-0 hole to beat Upper St. Clair, avenging a semifinal loss in the early season USC Tournament.

“It was neat to see the team work through the process of a match and stay sharp mentally,” Hoburg said. “They learned how we can be successful and stay fresh physically to be able to come out on top in a five-set match.”

North Allegheny failed to reach the finals in any of its three in-season invitationals, losing in the Landisville Hempfield and USC semifinals and the Cumberland Valley quarterfinals.

But the Tigers blanked Shaler, the No. 5 seed in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, in a nonsection match and went 9-1 in a rugged Section 2-4A to win the title.

“The team has put themselves in a really good spot to compete based on what they’ve done in the regular season,” Hoburg said.

The section is dotted with top teams. North Catholic earned the No. 3 seed, and both NC and Pine-Richland own regular-season wins over No. 4-seeded Upper St Clair. Seneca Valley, which tied for fourth in the section and missed the playoffs, dealt No. 2 seed Canon-McMillan (15-1) its only regular-season loss. Butler also missed the playoffs, but went 7-0 out-of-section, including a win over WPIAL Class 3A No. 2-seeded Mars. Even last-place North Hills, which went 0-10 in section, defeated WPIAL Class 4A playoff qualifier Fox Chapel.

“We have a very strong section,” Casten said. “I think that is helping us prepare to move forward in playoffs.”

While sophomore outside hitter Molly Robertson, senior setter Mackenzie Jones and sophomore middle hitter Alicia Mokube were starters on last year’s 20-1 team, there are many new faces getting their first legitimate taste of the postseason.

Among them are Casten, senior hitter Bridgit Murphy, junior setter Keely McMahon-Regan and junior libero Reagan Riordan.

“We always say, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’ ” Casten said. “A lot of us didn’t get a chance to play last year. Now our backs are against the wall, and we can’t lose this streak. We are learning that pressure is truly a privilege.”

Tags: North Allegheny