Senior standout sets stage for North Allegheny girls volleyball

By: John Grupp
Saturday, October 11, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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This past summer, North Allegheny’s Keely McMahon-Regan worked at the NA girls volleyball camp for grade-schoolers.

This fall, she is putting on a clinic.

Tasked with delivering pinpoint passes to a frontline led by a pair of all-state hitters, the senior setter is the lead playmaker for the eight-time defending PIAA Class 4A champion Tigers.

“First and foremost, she’s just a naturally gifted athlete,” North Allegheny coach Russ Hoburg said. “She’s been doing it for a long time, and it shows. She’s a natural-born leader, and in terms of the setting position, that’s the kind of demeanor you want.”

McMahon-Regan posted a season-high 51 assists as the surging Tigers (8-2, 7-0) edged Section 3-4A rival North Catholic, 3-2, in a first-place showdown Sept. 23.

The rematch is Oct. 16, before the Tigers, ranked No. 5 in the state, embark on a quest for their third straight WPIAL championship and an unprecedented ninth consecutive PIAA title.

North Allegheny got a combined 43 kills from juniors Molly Robertson (23) and Alicia Mokube (20) against North Catholic, as McMahon-Regan set the table for her star hitters.

“I think I’ve definitely honed in on my consistency setting,” McMahon-Regan said. “I’m trying to be the best for my hitters and give them the best ball possible and put them in the best scoring opportunity.”

McMahon-Regan posted her 1,000th career assist at the NA Invitational on Sept. 27, but she does more than set the ball. She had 15 digs against Shaler, 14 digs at Pine-Richland and made multiple diving saves during one memorable rally in a 3-0 victory over Seneca Valley. The 5-foot-8 Duquesne recruit also chips in with blocks and service aces, depending on where she is on the floor.

“She takes the other parts of her game seriously,” Hoburg said. “She’s a blocker. She plays defense. She recognizes that to be a good volleyball player, you need to have all of those skills. … It’s important for her own growth, but also as a captain and a leader on the team, it shows others by example the kind of work ethic that it takes to be really good.”

McMahon-Regan split time at setter last season as the Tigers ran a 6-2 two-setter offense. This year, they have installed a 5-1 single-setter attack, and McMahon-Regan is running the show.

She is working with assistant coach Ally Hodnik, a former Pitt setter, to master the subtleties of the position. McMahon-Regan is proficient at setting up her hitters without giving away her intentions.

“She runs a pretty unpredictable offense, which is important,” Hoburg said. “You don’t want the opposing blockers to know exactly who you are going to set on any given play. She does a really good job of that.”

McMahon-Regan, who committed to Duquesne in early September over the Naval Academy and Bowling Green, said the secret is consistency with her hands and lots of repetition.

“You’ve got to maintain that straight body positioning,” she said. “When the ball is coming over to your side, you’ve got to watch the pass coming, as well as the blockers on the other side, out of the corner of your eye. It’s really hard. But when you get a one-on-one and you give that hitter a single (blocker) or a no-block, it’s honestly the best feeling in the world because you just put your teammate in the best possible position.”

Tags: North Allegheny