Section titles on the line in final week of season
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Next week is the final week of the regular season for WPIAL boys volleyball teams. The top four teams in each section qualify for the WPIAL tournaments, which are scheduled to begin May 16.
Four matches headline the final week, including three in which the section title will be on the line. All four matches will play a big part in determining seeding for the two tournaments.
Two of the four matches feature a No. 1 team.
North Allegheny, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, plays host to No. 4 Seneca Valley Tuesday. The Tigers entered Thursday’s match against Fox Chapel with a 9-0 record in Section 2. The Raiders entered their match against Pine-Richland with a 7-2 record.
Seneca Valley lost, 3-0, to North Allegheny April 13. The Raiders’ other loss was to Shaler, 3-0 Tuesday.
“It’s going to take our very best effort to beat North Allegheny,” Seneca Valley coach Dan Follett said. “They are very strong and physical. They have two very good senior middles and serve very well. Their jump serving was so strong that it slowed down our offense. We couldn’t get the ball to our setter.”
Seneca Valley had been as high as No. 2 in the rankings, but a 3-2 non-league loss to Bethel Park dropped them to No. 4.
“The loss to Bethel Park will hurt us in the seeding process,” Follett said. “But getting out of our section is the most important thing.”
Penn-Trafford
Penn-Trafford, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, claimed its first WPIAL title last year and is hoping to repeat. The Warriors entered Thursday’s match against Latrobe with a 10-0 record in Class 3A Section 3.
The Warriors can clinch the section title with a win against No. 5 Norwin. The Knights entered Thursday’s match against Gateway with a 9-1 record. If Norwin can pull the upset, the two teams will most likely share the title.
The rematch is Thursday at Norwin and marks the final night of the regular season.
“Our passing was the difference in the first match,” Penn-Trafford coach Jim Schall said. “If we can pass well, our offense is good enough to beat almost anybody. Norwin will obviously try to make some adjustments. We have to be ready for any changes they make.”
Penn-Trafford has one blemish on its record. The Warriors lost, 3-0, to North Allegheny in a non-league match.
“North Allegheny is the WPIAL favorite,” Schall said. “We will do our best to be there at the end.”
Beaver County Christian
Beaver County Christian, the defending WPIAL champ and current topranked team in Class 2A, caps its Section 1 schedule with Tuesday’s match against visiting Ambridge, ranked No. 3.
The Bridgers have won seven WPIAL titles in nine years, but lost to Beaver C.C. in last year’s title match. The two teams faced off in the first half of section play and the Eagles won with relative ease.
“We got off to a great start against Ambridge the first time we met [on April 13],” Beaver C.C. coach Christen Adels said. “We beat them, 25-12, in the first set and were able to sweep them.”
Beaver C.C. can clinch the section title and the No. 1 seed with another win against Ambridge. If Ambridge can pull the upset, the two teams would share the section title.
Section 3 showdown
The Class 2A Section 3 champion will be determined when South Park travels to Thomas Jefferson Tuesday. South Park entered Thursday’s action with an 8-0 record, while Thomas Jefferson was 7-1.
South Park, a 3-1 winner against Thomas Jefferson in the first half, can win the section title outright with a victory. A Thomas Jefferson victory would leave the two teams tied for first place.
“We get to play them at our place this time and it’s senior night for us,” Thomas Jefferson coach Frank Staffen said. “We didn’t play well the last time we faced them [on April 13]. It was right before Easter and we didn’t have school that day. We need to play much better to beat them in the rematch.”