Trib HSSN rewind: A look back at the 2019 boys volleyball season
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Thursday, July 18, 2019 | 6:15 PM
North Allegheny’s Alex Zubrow spikes on Bethel Park’s Austin Cortopassi during the WPIAL Class AAA boys volleyball championship match May 23, 2019, at Fox Chapel.
North Allegheny capped an undefeated 23-0 season with its second straight PIAA Class AAA championship and seventh overall, sweeping three games from Central York at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena.
The Tigers also extended their overall winning streak to 46 games.
NA succeeded against Central York after five previous state-final matchups against the District 3 school ended in defeat.
BACK-TO-BACK UNDEFEATED STATE CHAMPS!!!
@navolleyball @BoysWPIALVB @NorthAllegheny @TribLiveHSSN @PGVarsityXtra @astockeyWTAE @PIAASports pic.twitter.com/ZjELjjnKGN
— NATigers (@NATigerAthletic) June 8, 2019
It was an all-WPIAL affair in one PIAA semifinal as North Allegheny topped Bethel Park, 3-1, in a rematch of the WPIAL championship two weeks earlier.
WPIAL No. 3 Shaler, in the state playoffs for the first time, produced a first-round victory over McDowell from District 10 before being swept out of the tournament by the Tigers.
North Allegheny won nine of 10 games in the WPIAL playoffs en route to its 20th title.
In Class AA, WPIAL champion Ambridge fell one win short of the PIAA title game as it lost to state champion Meadville, 3-1, in the semifinals.
The Bridgers went five sets with District 10 runner-up Saegertown in the first round before sweeping District 11 runner-up Bethlehem Catholic in the quarterfinals.
WPIAL runner-up Seton LaSalle suffered a PIAA first-round loss, but WPIAL No. 3 Derry swept District 6 champion West Shamokin to advance to the quarterfinals.
Ambridge captured the WPIAL title as the No. 4 seed, topping second-seeded Seton LaSalle, 3-1, in the finals. It was the Bridgers’ second straight WPIAL crown and ninth in the past 12 years.
Ambridge tops Seton LaSalle to win 10th #WPIAL Class AA volleyball title @ambridgearea https://t.co/BYfettUpCm
— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) May 24, 2019
Also earning WPIAL playoff trips in 2019 were Latrobe, Seneca Valley, Hempfield, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Canon-McMillan, Pine-Richland, Upper St. Clair and Baldwin in Class AAA, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Bishop Canevin, North Catholic, Beaver County Christian, Obama Academy, Trinity, Thomas Jefferson, Keystone Oaks, Deer Lakes and Steel Valley in Class AA.
Bethel Park (Section 1-AAA, 12-0), North Allegheny (Section 2-AAA, 12-0), Latrobe (Section 3-AAA, 11-1), Ambridge (Section 1-AA, 9-1), OLSH (Section 1-AA, 9-1), Derry (Section 2-AA, 12-0) and Seton LaSalle (Section 3-AA, 8-0) claimed section championships.
Check out archived broadcasts of the WPIAL championship games for Class AAA here and AA here.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
Tags: Ambridge, Baldwin, Beaver County Christian, Bethel Park, Bishop Canevin, Canon-McMillan, Deer Lakes, Derry Area, Hempfield, Keystone Oaks, Latrobe, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Norwin, Obama Academy, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn-Trafford, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Seton La Salle, Shaler, Steel Valley, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Upper St. Clair
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