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North Allegheny's Mia Tuman (9) and Jadyn Perkins (23) go up for a block against Moon in Tuesday's WPIAL Class 4A semifinal match. The Tigers won to set up a championship rematch against Shaler.
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WPIAL volleyball championships: Familiar opponents meet again

J.J. LaBella/Tri-State Sports & News Service

WPIAL volleyball championships: Familiar opponents meet again

Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball coach Angela Komoroski has missed two of the Centurions’ three WPIAL Class 1A playoff games.

The first-year coach has a very good reason for missing such significant matches.

“I got married on Saturday and I’m now on my honeymoon,” replied Komoroski, when the Post-Gazette tried to get in touch with her on Sunday. “My assistant coach Erin Salas is running the team until I get back.”

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Komoroski missed last Thursday’s quarterfinal match against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Salas led the No. 3-seeded Centurions to a 3-1 victory.

Salas was also at the helm when Greensburg Central faced No. 7 seed California Tuesday in the semifinals.

“Angela was upset that she had to miss our playoff matches,” said Salas before the California match. “She’s hoping to be back for Saturday’s championship match.”

Greensburg Central almost didn’t make it to Saturday’s championship match at Robert Morris University. The Centurions lost the first two sets against California, but rallied to win the last three sets to pull out a 3-2 victory, thus setting up a rematch with top seed and four-time defending WPIAL champion Bishop Canevin in the 1:30 p.m. title match.

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“We faced Bishop Canevin [in a non-section match] during the season and they beat us in three sets,” Salas said. “We need to play better defense and improve our serve receive to beat them.”

Greensburg Central (14-3) qualified for the playoffs by tying Leechburg for the Section 4 title. It opened the playoffs with a 3-0 win against South Side Beaver.

Bishop Canevin (23-1) won the Section 3 title and earned its 10th consecutive trip to the finals with wins against Cornell, 3-0 in the first round, Fort Cherry, 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and Leechburg, 3-0 in the semifinals.

The Crusaders have won six WPIAL titles in the past eight years, including last year’s 3-0 win against Greensburg Central.

“We’ve beat all the top Class 1A teams in the WPIAL,” Bishop Canevin coach Angela Wyman said. “We’ve also beat Class 3A and 4A teams. The only way we can lose is if we beat ourselves. We can’t afford to become complacent and look past any opponent, even if we beat them before.”

Bishop Canevin’s lineup features five players who were voted to first-team all-Section 3: 5-5 senior setter Sani Jones, 5-8 junior outside hitter Keira Kozlowski, 5-0 senior libero Erin LaQuatra, 5-10 senior middle hitter Abbie Maziarz and senior middle hitter 5-10 Olivia Thomas.

Greensburg Central’s lineup has three all-Section 4 first-team selections: 5-10 senior outside hitter Rebecca Hess, 5-11 senior middle/outside hitter Julia Kraztenburg and 5-6 senior middle hitter Grace Petunuch.

Class 4A

The WPIAL Class 4A final is also a rematch of last year’s final. North Allegheny claimed its third title in four years with a 3-1 win against Shaler. The rematch will take place in the last of the four championship games at Robert Morris at 7:30 p.m.

It’s also a rubber match, as the two teams met twice during the regular season in Section 1. Shaler posted a 3-0 win on Sept. 23. North Allegheny rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the rematch to pull out a 3-2 victory. That left the two teams tied for first place in Section 1.

North Allegheny (15-1), the top seed, received a first-round bye, then posted playoff victories against Seneca Valley, 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and Moon, 3-0 in the semifinals, to earn its fifth consecutive trip to the finals.

“We tried a different strategy during our second match against Shaler and were able to beat them,” North Allegheny coach Russ Hoburg said. “We will have to explore that strategy again and see what worked and what didn’t work.”

Shaler (17-1) was seeded No. 2 and also received a bye in the first round. The Titans earned a return trip to the finals with wins against Latrobe, 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and Oakland Catholic, 3-0 in the semifinals.

“We got out of sync with our passing game in the third set,” said Shaler coach Paul Stadelman, referring to the Titans loss to the Tigers in the second half. “And they came out with more intensity. It showed in sets three and four and carried into the fifth set. We can’t let that happen again.”

North Allegheny’s lineup features three players who were voted first-team all-Section 1: 5-7 junior libero Caroline Curran, 6-2 senior middle hitter Jadyn Perkins and 6-0 junior Mia Tuman.

Shaler’s lineup also features three first-team all-Section 1 selections: 5-5 senior setter Tia Bozzo, 5-6 senior libero Sierra Ricci and 5-9 senior outside hitter Mia Schubert.

Class 3A

Another rematch will take place in the WPIAL Class 3A final. And don’t expect this one to end quickly. Freeport and Hampton will meet for the third time after splitting five-set marathons in Section 5. Hampton posted a 3-2 victory Sept. 16 at home. Freeport returned the favor with a 3-2 home win on Oct. 12.

Freeport (15-1) was seeded No. 1 since its win against Hampton came in the second half. The Yellowjackets advanced to the title match for the ninth time in 13 years with wins against Hopewell, 3-0 in the first round, Beaver, 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and Armstrong, 3-2 in the semifinals.

“We had two incredible matches with Hampton,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “They won, 18-16, in the fifth set at their place. We won, 19-17, in the fifth set when we played at home. It took extra time to complete both matches. You can’t get much closer than that.”

Hampton (14-2) was seeded No. 3 after tying for the section title. The Talbots earned their second title berth and first since 2016 with wins against Albert Gallatin, 3-0 in the first round, Montour, 3-1 in the quarterfinals, and Plum, 3-2 in the semifinals.

“I’m not surprised to see that three of the four semifinal teams were from our section,” said Hampton coach Annie Bozzo, also referring to an Armstrong squad that gave Freeport all it could handle in the semifinals. “After going to five sets with Freeport twice, I’m expecting another marathon in the championship match.”

Freeport’s lineup features four players who were voted first-team all-Section 5: 5-9 junior setter Cassidy Dell, 5-7 senior outside hitter Erica Lampus, 6-1 sophomore middle hitter Josie Russo and 5-6 junior libero Ava Solis.

Hampton has three players who were first-team all-Section 5 picks: 5-9 senior setter Claudia Braun, 6-0 senior middle hitter Kai Herchenroether and 6-0 sophomore outside hitter Emmy Schrom.

Class 2A

The WPIAL Class 2A final, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Robert Morris, is also a rematch. Top seed and defending WPIAL champion North Catholic and No. 2 seed Avonworth faced off twice in Section 2 matches. North Catholic posted victories in both matches: 3-1 on Sept. 28 and 3-0 on Oct. 21.

North Catholic (16-1) placed first in Section 2 and earned a fourth consecutive berth in the finals with wins against Ligonier Valley, 3-0 in the first round, Frazier, 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and Seton LaSalle, 3-0 in the semifinals.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season,” North Catholic coach Amanda Fetter said. “We both know each other so well. Avonworth has a very talented setter and great attackers. They are also coached very well.”

Avonworth (16-2) finished second in Section 2 and earned their second title berth and first since 2011 with wins against Ellwood City, 3-1 in the first round, Shenango, 3-2 in the quarterfinals, and Laurel, 3-1 in the semifinals.

“We need our block to be near perfect,” said Avonworth coach John Skarupa, when asked what it will take to beat them in Saturday’s title match, which is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. “Their hitters are super smart. We have the offensive weapons to stay with them, but if we can’t block them, they will run away with it.”

North Catholic’s lineup features four players who were voted first-team all-Section 2: 5-10 junior outside hitter Allison Feczko, 5-8 junior setter Sydnei Jones, 5-11 junior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch and 6-0 senior outside/right hitter Riley Warda.

Avonworth’s lineup has three all-Section 2 first-team selections: 5-9 senior outside hitter Maggie Colenbrader, 6-0 junior middle hitter Sophie Culley and 5-4 senior setter Abbi Holjes.

First Published: November 5, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

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North Allegheny's Mia Tuman (9) and Jadyn Perkins (23) go up for a block against Moon in Tuesday's WPIAL Class 4A semifinal match. The Tigers won to set up a championship rematch against Shaler.  (J.J. LaBella/Tri-State Sports & News Service)
J.J. LaBella/Tri-State Sports & News Service
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