Impressive win streak continues for NA
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It was quite appropriate that Heidi Miller was a guest color commentator on the North Allegheny Sports Network’s internet broadcast of the PIAA Class 3A boys volleyball championship match Saturday at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena.
Miller, who led North Allegheny’s girls team to two consecutive PIAA titles and 47 victories in a row, was present to watch the Tigers’ boys squad win its second consecutive title and increase its victory total to 46 games in a row.
“We are the first high school in PIAA volleyball history to have both programs go undefeated two years in a row,” Miller said. “That’s 93 consecutive wins between the two programs. And all four championship matches were 3-0 sweeps. It’s pretty cool to be part of that.”
Miller had never served as a color commentator before this season.
“I received a phone call from Randy Gore a month ago,” said Miller, referring to the regular color commentator on the North Allegheny Sports Network. “He had a wedding to attend and asked if I would fill in. I just warned him that I had never done anything like this before.”
Miller did have one match under her belt before the title game.
“He also asked me to fill in when North Allegheny faced [Landisville] Hempfield in the opening round of the state playoffs,” Miller said. “[North Allegheny Sports Network play-byplay announcer] Lee Mohn made it so easy for me. One thing that really helped is that I can always talk about volleyball.”
Watching the boys receive their medals brought back memories of the girls medal ceremony.
“The two teams have a special connection. Four members of the boys squad served as managers on the girls team, so they received two gold medals this year,” said Miller, referring to Trevor Treser, Alex Zubrow, Jeremiah Zemet and Kyle Davies. “There can’t be too many kids who receive two gold medals in the same sport in the same school year.”
The most impressive thing about North Allegheny’s second consecutive boys title is that the Tigers were hit hard by graduation losses, including Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Player of the Year Canyon Tuman, who went on to start this year at Penn State. Only three players on this year’s squad were starters on last year’s squad.
“At North Allegheny, sometimes you have to wait a long time to maybe get a shot,” Tigers boys coach Dan Schall said. “For 15-, 16-, 17-year-old kids, that can be frustrating. The really great teams have to exhibit some selflessness and patience.
“A good example is Drew Hunker. Drew is a heck of a player and he didn’t even get to step on the court last year. They are so mature, so selfless that it
allows things like this happen.”
Playing in the PIAA title match for the third consecutive season paid dividends.
“No doubt about it,” said Tigers senior Nick Bridges, another first-year starter. “The leadership we experienced last year from the seniors was great. They talked about us before the season started, and I think there was an interfaith that we knew we could do it. Being here last year gave us a taste for it, and we wanted it back when people were telling us we couldn’t do it.”
North Allegheny claimed its second consecutive title with a 25-21, 25-20, 25-20 sweep of District 3 champion Central York. It was the sixth time in PIAA history that the two squads met in the finals.
“We read in a newspaper article that in five previous championship appearances, Central York had beaten North Allegheny all five times,” said North Allegheny setter Sava Topich, another first-year starter. “We were not going to let them make it six.”
North Allegheny was making its record 17th to appearance in the PIAA finals and claimed its seventh title. Central York, a loser to North Allegheny in last year’s semifinals, was making its 13th title match appearance and had to settle for its sixth silver medal.
Schall was surprised the Tigers were able to sweep Central York.
“Any state final, you are getting two heavyweights,” Schall said. “To win 3-0 is pretty incredible.”
Schall used 11 players in the title match and eight were seniors.
The eight graduating seniors are: Zubrow, Zemet, Treser, Bridges, Hunker, Topich, Matt Donaldson and Grant Jones. Davies and Ben Mendes are juniors, while Garrett Hrvoich was the lone sophomore to play.
That means Schall has an even bigger job of rebuilding next year.
“What makes winning so special is the journey,” Schall said. “Most of the kids on this team did not start on last year’s squad, but they worked just as hard as our starters in practice. They waited their turn and made the most of their opportunity. This ends one chapter and begins another for the kids who are coming back. I’m looking forward to that journey.”