Girls volleyball fans will find new faces coaching some of the top teams in the WPIAL when the 2021 season begins Sept. 3.

Four of the eight teams that played in last year’s WPIAL championship matches have a new coach.

Three of the four WPIAL defending champions — North Allegheny, Franklin Regional and Bishop Canevin — and one WPIAL runner-up — Greensburg Central Catholic — have a new coach. And all four are making their head coaching debuts.

Heidi Miller stepped down after leading North Allegheny to four WPIAL Class 4A titles and four PIAA crowns in nine years as head coach to watch her daughters play in college.

“Abby is in her sophomore year at Cleveland State and Paige will be starting her college career at Mercyhurst,” said Miller, who had been a part of North Allegheny’s coaching staff for 23 years. “I plan on doing a lot of traveling over the next few years.”

The same scenario took place at Franklin Regional, as Mike Feorene stepped down after leading the Panthers to their first WPIAL title. It was his eighth year at Franklin Regional and 13th overall.

“Alexa is playing at Kutztown as a libero and Ashley is playing at UPJ as a setter,” said Feorene of his twin daughters. “I’m not sure if I’m done coaching, but for the next four years, I’m a fan.”

The coaching change at Bishop Canevin was made for a much different reason, as Kevin Walters lost his long battle with cancer. Walters passed away Nov. 6, one day before Bishop Canevin faced Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 1A title game. It was his 14th season at Bishop Canevin and 21st overall.

Bishop Canevin’s new coach is Angela Wyman, who served as an assistant to Walters the past two years.

Wyman enters the season with the unenviable task of replacing Walters, who was the most successful coach in the WPIAL over the past 11 years. He led the Crusaders to the WPIAL finals 10 times during that stretch and claimed six titles, including the past four years.

“I am coming in with some very big shoes to fill with the passing of Kevin Walters, who was been the cornerstone of this program,” Wyman said. “I am confident that he has prepared me for this task and I am more than honored to follow in his footsteps while making the program my own.”

Bishop Canevin has five starters returning from last year’s squad which won its fourth consecutive WPIAL title and advanced to the PIAA semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Clarion, including four who were voted first-team all-WPIAL Class 1A: 5-10 senior middle hitter Abbie Maziarz, 5-5 senior setter Sani Jones, 5-4 senior libero Erin LaQuatra and 5-8 junior outside hitter Keira Rose Kozlowski.

“We are excited to pick up where we left off last year and add to our WPIAL championships,” Wyman said. “We look forward to going for five WPIAL championships in a row and pushing beyond our loss in the PIAA semifinals.”

Greensburg Central Catholic also had a coaching change, as Courtney Stynchula stepped down after three years as the Centurions coach. She has been replaced by Angela Komoroski, who served as Stynchula’s assistant the past two years.

Greensburg Central’s lineup features three WPIAL all-stars in 5-10 senior outside hitter Rebecca Hess, 5-6 senior middle hitter Grace Petnuch and 5-11 senior outside hitter Julia Kratzenburg. Hess and Petnuch were voted to the first team, while Kratzenburg was a second-team selection.

Class 4A

North Allegheny didn’t have to look far to find its replacement, as Russ Hoburg, Miller’s assistant the past nine year, has taken the reigns.

“We certainly respect the recent past success of the program, but we recognize that this is a new group that must write its own chapter,” said Hoburg of the Tigers. “We hope to compete once again, but we are aware of and again respect the high-level volleyball being played both locally as well as across the state.”

Hoburg is not fazed by the added pressure of being a four-time defending PIAA champion.

“We are proud to be in a position to go for five straight state titles,” Hoburg said. “Our girls and the coaching staff are looking forward to the challenge.”

North Allegheny has six starters returning, including three WPIAL Class 4A all-stars. Mia Tuman, a 6-0 junior setter/opposite who recently committed to Ohio State, was a first-team selection. Jadyn Perkins, a 6-2 senior middle hitter, and Caroline Curran, a 5-7 junior defensive specialist, were voted to the second team.

Shaler, last year’s WPIAL runner-up, has six starters returning, including a pair of first-team WPIAL all-stars: 5-5 senior setter Tia Bozzo and 5-9 senior outside hitter Mia Schubert.

“We are planning on being very competitive in a very difficult section,” Shaler coach Paul Stadleman said. “We hope to make a deep run in the playoffs and push for a PIAA playoff berth.”

Class 3A

Class 3A is the only classification in which the defending champ is not the 2021 favorite. In fact, Franklin Regional is not among the top five teams in the Post-Gazette’s Class 3A preseason rankings after suffering significant graduation losses.

Four teams that have significant talent returning were considered for the top spot. Montour, a five-set loser to Franklin Regional in last year’s title match, received the nod. The Spartans have made two title match appearances in the past four years, but are still looking for their first championship.

“We were one point away from the title last year,” said Montour coach Mike Marchionda, referring to the title match. “We were serving for match point with a 14-13 lead in the fifth set and Franklin Regional came back to beat us 17-15. It was heartbreaking to see the girls come that close and lose that way.”

Marchionda has six of his top eight players returning, including a pair of junior setters — 5-8 Raegan Kadlecik and 5-9 Kylie Barto — who he feels are “the best setting combo in Class AAA.” Kadlecik was voted to the WPIAL third team last year.

Freeport moved to Class 3A last year after making eight appearances in the WPIAL Class 2A finals over an 11-year period. Coach Tom Phillips has all but one player back from a squad that started four freshmen. The Yellowjackets’ top returnee is Erica Lampus, a 5-6 senior outside hitter/defensive specialist who was voted WPIAL first team.

“Our section is one of the strongest sections in the WPIAL,” Phillips said. “Competing in a tough section prepares us for the playoffs. We are a young team looking to be a playoff contender.”

Class 2A

North Catholic has made three consecutive appearances in the WPIAL Class 2A title match. The Trojans beat Frazier in the 2018 final, lost to Freeport in the 2019 final, then beat Ellwood City in the 2020 final.

Trojans coach Amanda Fetter has seven starters returning, including Allison Feczko, a 5-10 junior outside hitter, and Sydnei Jones, a 5-9 junior setter. Both were first-team all-WPIAL selections last year.

“We have an incredible group of young women who have worked very hard to prepare for a tough season,” Fetter said. “We have both middles, both outsides, and our setter back. Our biggest concern is replacing our back row passers. We worked very hard during the offseason on our passing and ball control.”

Shenango has all but one player back from last year’s quad, which advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals before losing to North Catholic. The Wildcats feature two WPIAL all-stars — Kylee Rubin, a 5-11 junior outside hitter, was voted to the second team, and Emilee Fedrizzi, a 5-8 junior outside hitter, was a third-team pick.

“We had only one senior on last year’s team,” said Shenango coach Greg Dugan, who enters his 30th year. “This group of girls has the potential to be as good as our 2015 team, which made it to the Class 1A final.”

Preseason rankings

Class 4A

1. North Allegheny

2. Shaler

3. Moon

4. Pine-Richland

5. Oakland Catholic

Class 3A

1. Montour

2. Freeport

3. Armstrong

4. Thomas Jefferson

5. Mars

Class 2A

1. North Catholic

2. Shenango

3. Avonworth

4. South Park

5. Ellwood City

Class 1A

1. Bishop Canevin

2. Greensburg C.C.

3. Eden Christian

4. Fort Cherry

5. O.L. Sacred Heart

Players to watch

Class 4A

Tia Bozzo, Shaler (5-5, Sr., S)

Sophie Catalano, Pine-Richland (5-10, Sr., RH)

Mia Schubert, Shaler (5-9, Sr., OH)

Molly Simmons, Moon (5-11, Sr., OH)

Mia Tuman, North Allegheny (6-0, Jr., S/RH)

Class 3A

Ava Black, Mars (6-2, Sr., MH)

Delaney Concannon, Thomas Jefferson (5-9, Jr., OH)

Raegan Kadlecik, Montour (5-8, Jr., S)

Erica Lampus, Freeport (5-5, Sr., OH)

Payton List, Beaver (5-11, Sr., OH)

Class 2A

Allison Feczko, North Catholic (5-10, Jr., OH)

Faith Fetsko, South Park (5-10, Sr., OH)

Jensyn Hartman, Frazier (5-9, Jr., S/OH)

Abbi Holjes, Avonworth (5-4, Sr., S)

Kylee Rubin, Shenango (5-11, Jr., OH)

Class 1A

Elena Arnold, Eden Christian (6-0, Sr., OH)

Rebecca Hess, Greensburg C.C. (5-10, Sr., OH)

Sani Jones, Bishop Canevin (5-5, Sr., S)

Abbie Maziarz, Bishop Canevin (5-10, Sr., MH)

Grace Petnuch, Greensburg C.C. (5-6, Sr., MH)

First Published: August 25, 2021, 12:45 p.m.