Shaler handles Ambridge for 3rd straight WPIAL volleyball title, 1st in 2A

By: Ted Sarneso
Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 7:08 PM

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When asked if there was any pressure on his team to capture a third straight WPIAL title, Shaler coach Paul Stadelman admitted the Titans put it on themselves.

“Some of our inexperience and youth adds to the pressure,” Stadelman said. “I think a lot of times the team we played against the most in the gym was ourselves. There are things we didn’t know until we experienced them, and I think these guys through this season have grown a lot.”

The top-seeded Titans (16-1) didn’t show signs of any pressure as they swept second-seeded Ambridge (15-2) in straight sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-16) in the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball championship Saturday at Peters Township.

The win also puts Shaler in rare company as one of only four teams in WPIAL history to win a championship in both Class 3A and 2A.

The Titans join Montour, Ambridge and Deer Lakes as the only schools to accomplish the feat.

“It’s a different group of kids, and I know they were following in the footsteps of the group that came before and had to operate in their shadow and what they had achieved,” said Stadelman. “It hasn’t wavered. They stepped up, even with the drop to 2A. There’s still a lot of good competition in this class, and they had a lot of tough games, but they executed and played hard.”

Even though they came away with the sweep, it wasn’t easy.

The Titans built a seven-point lead in the first set before Ambridge fought its way back. In the second set, the Bridgers hung around, getting as close as 21-17, but faded late in the set.

“I don’t think we played particularly well, but Shaler did,” said Bridgers coach Glenn Freed. “They were solid, as they have been all season long. We didn’t do too many special things, but I’m still proud of our guys for how hard they worked. They pushed all season long to get to this point. It wasn’t the ending that we wanted, but we’re looking forward to the first round of states.”

When it came time for Shaler to shut the door and close with a sweep, Ambridge wasn’t going to go out without a fight.

“I told our guys, ‘Our backs are against the wall and you just have to come out fighting,’ and they did that,” said Freed. “We made a few mistakes, but that’s going to happen when you go hard. If you don’t go hard, you’re never going to win. You have to go after it, and they did.”

The teams traded points and it was apparent that there were a few miscommunications by the Titans that threatened to extend the match.

“Sometimes I think when we get up 2-0, we like to cruise and it makes it difficult to get that third win,” said Shaler senior setter Aiden Smith. “We let off the gas a little bit and should have put our foot on the pedal. If you keep the momentum up from the first two sets, it makes it pretty easy to come away with the win.”

After a timeout, Shaler got a handle on the set and began to pull away late, building an eight-point lead as Smith set up fellow senior Nate Myers and junior Adam Hoffman for solid kills.

“Ambridge is a very good team, and we played well against them today,” said Stadelman. “They were one of many teams that gave us a run for our money this year. South Fayette was another. I’m happy our guys stepped up to the challenge.”

Smith finished the day with 28 assists, Myers had 13 kills and Hoffman added 10. Senior libero Justin Truong had 11 digs and Jacob Crissman followed with 10.

“They played as a complete unit, they executed to precision, and they kept their composure and calm, acted like they’d been there before,” added Stadelman. “I don’t think these guys have played their best match yet this year. I think there’s still room for them to catch another gear and there’s a ceiling we haven’t reached yet.”

For Ambridge, senior Karson Merlina led the team with 18 kills, Adrien Rotondo had 22 assists and Nickolas Henry dug out eight balls.

The Bridgers are looking forward to the challenge that the PIAA playoffs bring.

“I’m proud and happy about the guys’ effort,” said Freed. “We always challenge ourselves to see how far we can go and hopefully we do well in the PIAA tournament, get as far as we can.”

Tags: Ambridge, Shaler