Hard work pays off for Tuman
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Penn State’s Recreation Hall will be Canyon Tuman’s home for the next four years of his volleyball career. But he has already had the good fortune of playing there twice.
Tuman and his North Allegheny teammates made their first appearance in the 2017 PIAA Class 3A title match. Unfortunately, the Tigers had to settle for second place after losing to Central York.
The Tigers, with Tuman as their leader, made a triumphant return to Rec Hall June 9 and returned to Wexford with the PIAA Class 3A title after sweeping Landisville Hempfield.
“It was great to get that second opportunity,” said Tuman, a four-year starter. “Last year really hurt. It was a tough pill to swallow. We carried that feeling all through the summer and through the school year. We knew we had one job, to get back here and win the title. I couldn’t be happier with this group of guys, who worked so hard day in and day out. They wanted it as much as I did.”
Tuman, who recorded 16 kills in the title match, has been named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Boys Volleyball Player of the Year.
“Great choice,” said North Allegheny coach Dan Schall when informed that Tuman would be honored for his leadership and exceptional play during the 2018 season.
“He is very gifted. However, one thing that goes unnoticed is how hard he works. It’s not just about pure God-given talent. His work ethic really maximizes the talent that he has. He’s an incredible team player. His work with the guys on our team is top rate. He’s a really special kid.”
Tuman has accumulated a long list of honors since he broke into North Allegheny’s starting lineup as a freshman. He was voted second-team all-Section 2 that year, then recognized as third-team all-WPIAL Class 3A.
As a sophomore, he was first-team all-section and second-team all-WPIAL. Last season, he was a firstteam selection on both allstar teams, and also recognized on the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star team for the first time.
This season, he’s a firstteam selection on both teams once again, and will no doubt be recognized on the PVCA All-Star team, which has yet to be announced.
Tuman believes his North Allegheny teammates should share his honor of Post-Gazette MVP.
“Everybody on our team deserves that honor,” said Tuman, a 6-7 senior outside hitter. “Everybody has worked so hard this year with one goal in mind. We were able to reach that goal with our win over Hempfield. It’s a great way to end my high school career.”
Penn State coach Mark Pavlik is excited to have Canyon as a member of his incoming freshman class.
“I’m excited to see what Canyon can do at the collegiate level,” said Pavlik, a graduate of Derry High School. “He comes from a very talented family. His background and training, having worked with Dan [Schall] and [assistant coach] Pete [Madia], is excellent.
“He has excellent athletic ability. But everybody playing [NCAA] Division I ball has excellent athletic ability. It’s very difficult for high school players to adapt to the speed and finesse of collegiate volleyball.
“Canyon will probably start as a middle blocker, but will also train as an outside hitter. One of the toughest transitions in becoming an outside hitter is the passing. Hitters must be able to play in the back row.”
Tuman has a very good jump serve, but Pavlik thinks he has plenty of room for improvement.
“Canyon’s jump serve has been clocked at approximately 55 mph,” Pavlik said. “We want our guys to serve at 65-70. That is one area we need to work on.”
Tuman is the second member of his family to collect a PIAA gold medal during the 2017-18 school year. His sister, Avery, was a member of North Allegheny’s girls volleyball team, which claimed the PIAA Class 4A title in November.
Their father is Jerame Tuman, who had a 10-year career in the NFL, including nine with the Steelers. Their mother, Molly, was a member of the United States Olympic volleyball team and serves as an assistant coach with North Allegheny’s girls team.
They have two sisters who also play volleyball. Makenna was a freshman on North Allegheny’s junior varsity team, and Mia, a seventh grader, was on the middle school team.
Tuman was also voted the MVP in Section 2. The other two section MVP’s in Class 3A are Baldwin’s Ben Remlinger (Section 1) and Nick Tarabrella (Section 3).
The three section MVP’s in Class 2A are Beaver County Christian’s Peter Barbato (Section 1), Derry’s John Kerr (Section 2) and Bishop Canevin’s Matt Menosky (Section 3). Kerr is also the WPIAL Class 2A MVP.
The City League MVP is Brashear’s Emmanuel Ndayisenga.