NA, Seton LaSalle open as teams to beat in ’23
The North Allegheny boys volleyball team has a new coach and only three starters returning, but the Tigers are still the team to beat in WPIAL Class 3A.
Dan Schall, the most successful boys volleyball coach in WPIAL history, stepped down after the 2022 season. Schall led the Tigers to 16 WPIAL titles, five PIAA crowns, and a 365-37 record in 20 years.
Dan Long, a 2003 North Allegheny graduate, has the unenviable task of replacing the GOAT.
“I had the good fortune of playing for [former North Allegheny coach] Bob Miller in my junior year, then played for Dan Schall in my senior year,” Long said. “It was a great experience to play for both coaches.”
Long has been a member of North Allegheny’s coaching staff for 15 years.
“I started out as ninth grade coach, then moved up to junior varsity coach, and eventually first assistant to Dan on the varsity,” Long said. “My goal is to continue building on the success that Bob Miller and Dan Schall had as coaches.”
Long realizes that taking over for two legends puts a lot of pressure on him.
“There is pressure in coaching any sport at North Allegheny,” Long said. “With such a history of success, my goal is to guide the program in the right direction. I wouldn’t be in this role of teacher and coach if it wasn’t for the influence of our prior coaches. It’s an honor to be in this position.”
North Allegheny lost nine seniors to graduation from last year’s squad, which won WPIAL and PIAA titles. Long has only three starters back: 6foot-7 senior middle blocker Varun Kaveti, 6-0 senior outside hitter Jax Wilhite, and 5-3 junior libero Will Hahn.
“It’s pretty common for us to lose 8-12 seniors every year,” Long said. “The big difference with this squad is that we have only two seniors. It’s the smallest senior class I can remember. We have a young group that I’m very excited to work with.”
Despitehaving a young and inexperienced squad, North Allegheny begins the season as the Post-Gazette’s No. 1 team in Class 3A.
“North Allegheny is the top team until somebody proves otherwise,” Shaler coach Paul Stadelman said. “After
winning four consecutive state titles, how can you not put them Number 1?”
Stadelman is hoping his Shaler squad can be the team that knocks North Allegheny out of the top spot. The Titans have seven starters returning.
“We hope to be a top contender in our section and in the WPIAL,” Stadelman said. “Our goal is to make another appearance in the PIAA playoffs.We are looking forward to having a fun season and to do our best each time we step on the court. This is a great group of kids who put in a lot of work through the offseason from last spring until this season. I am excited to get to work with them and coach them.”
Shaler’s top returnees are 63 junior middle blocker Dante Palombo and 6-3 junior outside hitter Logan Peterson. The Titans are experienced but also young, as the squad has only one senior.
Norwin and Canon-McMillan are two other teams to watch in Class 3A.
Norwin tied for the Section 3 title last year. The Knights’ top three returnees are 5-9 junior libero Lucas Churchfield, 6-6 senior middle hitter Michael Mihalov and 5-11 junior outside hitter Troy Horvath.
Canon-McMillan tied for the Section 1 title last year. The Big Macs have five starters back, including 6-1 junior outside hitter Luke Bockius and 6-4 senior middle hitter Owen Ostrowski.
Class 2A
Size is the reason Seton LaSalle is the team to beat in Class 2A.
“This is the biggest and oddest team I’ve ever had,” Seton LaSalle coach John Lawrence said. “The average height of our starting lineup is 6-4. I’m usually scraping to find big kids. This year, I have so many skilled, tall kids that I’m not using a libero. We have to be the tallest team in the WPIAL, in both 3A and 2A.”
Lawrence has five starters returning from last year’s squad, including four who received all-section honors: 6-4 senior setter/outside hitter
Aidan Price, 6-6 senior middle hitter Gavin Poe, 6-4 senior opposite Luke Masua and 5-11 senior outside hitter Ty Tamborino.
“Aidan has committed to Saint Francis University,” Lawrence said. “Gavin has committed to Marymount University, a top 15 (NCAA) Division III team. Luke is a lefty. He’s got seven schools interested in him.”
Seton LaSalle won the Section 3 title last year, but could not play three starters in the playoffs due to transfer rules. The Rebels lost in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.
“We will be using a 6-2 offense with Declan Sipe, a 6-0 freshman, setting when Aidan rotates to the front row,”
“We are very excited about our chances to challenge for the WPIAL championship again this season,” said Lawrence, who is in his ninth season at Seton LaSalle and 37th overall. We conducted 63 open gyms during the offseason. Overall, I believe this is the most balanced Seton LaSalle team I have had.”
For the first time since the PIAA added a second classification in 2007, Class 2A has more teams than Class 3A. Latrobe, South Fayette, and Armstrong moved down, thus increasing the number of teams to 20. Plum was the only team that moved up, which leaves Class 3A with 19 teams.
Latrobe has seven returning starters from a squad that placed fourth in Class 3A Section 3 last year. The Wildcats are now competing in Section 2, along with Armstrong. The Wildcats’ top returnees are 6-2 senior outside hitter Tyler Nelson and 5-9 senior setter Josh Havrilla.
“We have a solid and experienced team returning this season,” Latrobe coach Drew Vosefski said. “With this experience and senior leadership, we feel this will carry us quite far in our new section and new classification.”
Ambridge has four starters returning, including twins Trent and Tyler McKnight. Trent is a 6-3 senior middle hitter, while Tyler is a 6-2 senior opposite.
“With the group of returning players and new additions, this year’s squad should be very strong,” Ambridge coach Glenn Freed said. “We are looking forward to competing against all of the strong teams in the WPIAL. We have players who can play more than one position so our lineup could change from match to match.”