PLAYOFF STAKES HIGH IN REMATCHES

A pair of five-set matches have determined the top three spots in the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball rankings.

Seton LaSalle opened the season as the WPIAL favorite after placing second in 2019. North Catholic took over the top spot on March 29 with a 32 road win against the Rebels in a non-section match.

Ten days later, Ambridge claimed the top spot with its 3-2 win against North Catholic in a Section 1 showdown at Ambridge. The Trojans dropped to No. 2 in the rankings, while the Rebels moved to No. 3.

“Ambridge, Seton LaSalle and North Catholic have become the front-runners in Class 2A,” North Catholic coach Stacie Ball said. “All three teams have excellent setters. All three have big hitters who can put the ball away. And all three have talented supporting players.”

North Catholic will be facing both teams again in the next eight days, and both rematches will be at home. The Trojans play host to Seton LaSalle Thursday in a nonsection rematch. On April 29, North Catholic will host Ambridge in a rematch with the Section 1 title on the line.

“Both matches went to five sets, so I’m expecting both rematches to be just as competitive,” Ball said. “How we do in these matches will play a big part in how we are seeded in the WPIAL playoffs. If we can win both matches, we have a good shot at being seeded No. 1.”

North Catholic is in its third year of WPIAL competition. The Trojans posted a 6-4 record in their WPIAL debut in 2018, then followed with a 9-3 record in 2019, and qualified for the WPIAL playoffs both years.

“We have four kids back who were full-time starters in 2019, along with a fifth who started the second half of the season,” Ball said. “So we came into this season with a lot of experience.”

The returning starters are 6-1 senior setter/outside hitter Richard Kaminski, 5-11 junior setter/outside hitter Andrew Ubinger, 5-11 junior setter Zach Cozza, 5-9 senior defensive specialist Brendan Shantz and 6-0 senior outside hitter Dominic DeLeo.

“Richard was a secondteam WPIAL all-star as a sophomore,” Ball said. “He leads our team in kills, assists and aces. You don’t see that very often. Richard committed to Saint Francis University last year.”

North Catholic improved its section record to 3-1 with Tuesday’s 3-0 win against Montour. The Trojans have an 8-1 overall record, with other non- section wins against Pine-Richland, Central Catholic, Mars and Bishop Canevin.

Shaler

The first half of section play has not been kind to Shaler, but the Titans’ performance in Saturday’s Hempfield tournament could be a sign of better things to come.

Shaler lost its first four matches in Class 3A Section 2, including a 3-2 heart-breaker to Fox Chapel. The Titans have since posted wins against Pine-Richland and North Hills to finish the first half with a 2-4 record.

“We came into the season with a very young and inexperienced lineup,” Shaler coach Paul Stadelman said. “That played a big part in our slow start. We’ve been playing much better over the past week.”

Shaler’s improved play was evident at the eight-team Hempfield tournament, as the Titans claimed the team title.

The tournament consisted of two round-robin rounds and a playoff round. Shaler posted a 3-3 record in the first round robin, but rebounded with a 3-0 mark in the second round robin.

“I experimented with different lineups in both round robins,” Stadelman said. “I’m still trying to find our best lineup. In the playoff round, I stayed with the same lineup and we were able to win all three games.”

Shaler posted a 25-19 win against Ambridge in the quarterfinals, beat Norwin, 25-17, in the semifinals, and defeated host Hempfield, 2519, in the title game.

“The kids showed a lot of growth and confidence in the playoff round,” Stadelman said. “I hope that is a sign of things to come.”

Shaler’s top two players in the tournament were Dom Rossi, a 6-0 junior outside hitter, and Zach Miller, a 5-8 junior libero.

“Dom turned in his best performance of the season,” Stadelman said. “Zach played good defense from start to finish.”

Shaler begins the second half of section play Tuesday against top-ranked North Allegheny.

Hopewell

Rob Hall took over as Hopewell’s coach with the unenviable task of rebuilding a program that had compiled a 5-61 section record over the past seven seasons, including 30 consecutive losses in the past three years.

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy since many of those losses were 3-0,” said Hall, a 2012 Canon-McMillan graduate who served as the Big Macs’ junior high coach for seven years. “But after meeting with the kids, I could see that they had the talent required to be a competitive program.

“My goal coming into the season was to compete for a playoff spot.”

And that’s just what Hopewell has done in the first half of play in Class 2A Section 1. The Vikings finished the first half with a 3-2 record, which places them third in the section standings and fourth in the WPIAL rankings. The top four finishers in each section qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.

Hopewell capped the first half with Tuesday’s 3-2 comefrom-behind victory against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The Vikings rallied from a 2-0 deficit with three consecutive wins after making a lineup change.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish, especially since Section 1 is the strongest of the three sections in Class 2A,” Hall said. “The WPIAL champion has come from this section all but one year since the PIAA added a second classification in 2007.”

Hopewell also has non-section wins against Mars, Moon and Keystone Oaks.

“We are a very big team,” Hall said. “We have five players who are 6 feet 2 or taller.”

Hall is using a 6-2 offense with Justin Guerruccio and Jake Strnisa sharing the setting duties. Guerruccio is a 63 senior, while Strnisa is a 6-2 sophomore. Both are also outside hitters when they rotate to the front row.

“Justin was second-team all-section in 2019 as an outside hitter,” Hall said. “This year he’s playing both positions and sharing the setting duties with Jake. Both have good hands and both are good hitters.”

Hopewell’s other tall hitters are 6-4 senior middle hitter Conner Wayne, 6-6 senior middle hitter Jacob Forrest and 6-5 senior opposite Nate Given.