What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Oct. 4, 2022: First place on the line in volleyball sections

By: Don Rebel
Monday, October 3, 2022 | 7:12 PM

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With three weeks left in WPIAL girls volleyball section play, five matches are set for Tuesday with at least a share of first place up for grabs.

• Section 1-4A: Pine-Richland (3-1) visits North Allegheny (4-0) in a match you can hear on HSSN. The Tigers beat the Rams in the first meeting, 3-0.

• Section 1-3A: Plum (6-1) at Hampton (7-0) in the second meeting of the season between the two. The Talbots won last month, 3-0.

• Section 2-3A: South Fayette (5-2) at Montour (5-2), while Moon (5-2) hosts Oakland Catholic (3-3). The Spartans beat the Lions, 3-1, in the first meeting while the Tigers swept the Eagles, 3-0, last month.

• Section 1-2A: Shenango (8-0) at Beaver (6-1). The Wildcats go for the sweep after beating the Bobcats last month, 3-0.

• Section 5-2A: Freeport (8-0) at Deer Lakes (7-1). The Yellowjackets defeated the Lancers last month, 3-0.

Tight on the pitch

While several WPIAL boys soccer teams have taken control of their sections with two weeks left in the regular season, Section 2-4A has become a logjam behind first place Peters Township.

The top four teams qualify for the district soccer postseason. Coming into Tuesday’s action, one game separates four teams behind the front-running Indians.

On Tuesday, Canon-McMillan visits Upper St. Clair in a key section match. The Big Macs are 7-3 in the section and tied for second place, one game behind the Panthers at 6-4.

Canon-Mac edged USC in the first meeting between the two, 2-1, on Sept. 8.

Also on Tuesday, Norwin (7-3) visits Peters Township (9-1) as the Knights try to inch closer to the top instead of falling back toward the middle of the pack. The Indians won the first contest, 3-2.

Finally, Mt. Lebanon (6-4) is at Hempfield. The Spartans are winless for the season, giving the Blue Devils a good chance to move up in the very tight standings with a win.

Another key match Tuesday has Penn Hills visiting Penn-Trafford in Section 4-3A. The Warriors are 5-4-1, a half-game ahead of the Indians at 5-5 in a battle for fourth place in the section.

Running toward section finish line

While the 2022 WPIAL cross country championships are over three weeks away on Oct. 27, many district teams will conclude their section schedules Tuesday.

The league will extend the section schedule for those schools that haven’t finished. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 14.

The WPIAL will award plaques to the champions of each section. There are six sections in Division I and five sections in Division II.

At the championships at Cal (Pa.), there will be a total of six championship races — three boys (3A, 2A and A) and three girls (3A, 2A and A).