It was the Nathan Zini Show in the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball title match Wednesday at Fox Chapel.
Zini, a 6-7 senior outside hitter, recorded 43 kills and two aces to lead Seton LaSalle to its first WPIAL title with a 3-1 win over North Catholic.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” said North Catholic coach Stacie Ball of Zini. “They go to him 95 percent of the time. We changed our defense a couple times and still couldn’t stop him.”
Seton LaSalle was making its second title appearance in three years. The Rebels lost to Ambridge in the 2019 final and were considered the team to beat last year, but the season was cancelled by COVID-19.
“This title is even more meaningful when you consider the cancellation of last season,” said Zini, a Saint Francis recruit. “We knew this was the last shot for our seniors so we had to give it everything.”
Seton LaSalle dominated the first two sets with Zini leading the way. He recorded 11 kills and an ace in a 25-16 win in game one. Zini’s dominance continued in the second set as he recorded 12 kills in a 25-18 victory.
“We were a little jittery when we came out,” Ball said. “This was our first time in a match of this importance and it showed.”
North Catholic finally put it together in the third set. The Trojans jumped out to a 6-2 lead and held on for a 25-21 victory. They had a similar start in the fourth set and built a 22-17 lead. Zini took charge from that point, recording his last four kills to rally the Rebels to a 25-23 victory.
“Nathan is the best player in the state,” Seton LaSalle coach John Lawrence said. “He’s carried us all year. This was his best match of the year.”
Class 3A
North Allegheny recorded its fourth consecutive title and 21st overall with a 3-1 win over Seneca Valley. It was the third time the Tigers beat the Raiders this season, as the two met twice in Section 2, and marked the 58th consecutive win for coach Dan Schall’s squad.
“Seneca Valley is so good,” Schall said. “They played a fantastic match. The atmosphere here at Fox Chapel [with a packed crowd] was absolutely electric. It’s exactly what you would want from a WPIAL or state final. It’s never easy to beat a team three times.We were fortunate to beat them again.”
Seneca Valley jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the first set and held on for a 25-22 victory. North Allegheny evened the match with a 25-23 victory in set two.
The Tigers built a 15-10 lead in set three and held off a late surge by the Raiders to record a 25-23 victory. The fourth set was also close, but North Allegheny pulled out a 25-21 victory.
David Sanfillippo led North Allegheny with 15 kills and Michael Mosbacher added 12 kills and three aces. Michael Devlin led Seneca Valley with 18 kills.
The top three finishers in each class qualify for the PIAA tournament, which starts Tuesday.
First Published: May 27, 2021, 3:44 a.m.