Twenty-five teams qualified for the WPIAL boys' volleyball tournament, which started yesterday, but seven have this week off.

Twelve teams are entered in the Class AAA bracket, which means the top four seeds received byes. The Class AA bracket has 13 entries, due to a tie in Section 3-AA, which means the top three seeds received byes.

Bethel Park has received a bye in the Class AAA bracket as the No. 2 seed. The Black Hawks claimed the Section 1-AAA title with a 10-0 record.

"This is the highest we've ever been seeded," Bethel Park coach Tom Allman said. "And we certainly earned it. We went unbeaten in a very strong section, and made it to the finals in all four tournaments we entered during the regular season."

North Allegheny is the top seed in the Class AAA bracket. The Tigers are defending WPIAL champions and have won four of the past five titles.

Bethel Park was one of the two teams that defeated North Allegheny in tournament play. The Black Hawks scored a 25-22 win against the Tigers in the semifinals of the Plum tournament.

"It's very important to be in the other half of the bracket when you have a dominant team like North Allegheny as the top seed," said Allman, who has led the Black Hawks to eight playoff appearances in his 18 years as coach.

"Being the No. 2 seed, however, doesn't guarantee us a trip to the title match. There are at least six teams that have a legitimate shot of making it to the finals."

Bethel Park may have an automatic berth in Monday's quarterfinals, but that doesn't mean the Black Hawks are taking the week off.

"We had a scrimmage with Hopewell on Monday and are hoping to schedule another against Ambridge at the end of the week," said Allman, referring to two of the top three seeds in Class AA. "And our practices are very hard, so we're not taking the week off.

"My biggest concern with the long layoff is the emotional part. We have to play with emotion. We can't sit back and expect to win just because we're the No. 2 seed."

Baldwin and Upper St. Clair also qualified for the Class AAA bracket. Baldwin placed third in Section 1-AAA with a 6-4 record, while Upper St. Clair finished fourth with a 4-6 mark.

"I'm glad to say that injuries are not a problem," Allman said. "We're the healthiest we've been all season."

In Class AA, Thomas Jefferson made its fourth WPIAL playoff appearance. The Jaguars, who tied Derry for second in Section 3-AA, played Seton-LaSalle last night at Baldwin.

"Ambridge, Latrobe and Hope-well are a step above the other teams in the Class AA bracket," said Thomas Jefferson coach Frank Staffen, referring to the top three seeds. "Ambridge and Latrobe were especially dominant

South Park and Steel Valley also qualified for the Class AA bracket, as the two teams tied for fourth place in Section 3-AA.