WPIAL Gives Out Girls’ Volleyball Titles at UPMC Events Center

Monday, November 8, 2021

Moon Township, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) tabbed champions in girls’ volleyball this past Saturday, as it hosted its annual WPIAL Girls’ Volleyball Championships at the UPMC Events Center on the campus of Robert Morris University.

The WPIAL crowned repeat champions in 1A (Bishop Canevin), 2A (North Catholic), and 4A (North Catholic), while Freeport earned the 3A title. In all, 12 teams qualified for the PIAA Championships, which begin Tuesday, Nov. 9.

4A RECAP [Bracket]

Top-seeded North Allegheny came back from two sets down to win its third WPIAL championship in four seasons with a 3-2 triumph (19-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-13) over second-seeded Shaler on Saturday night.

The Tigers now have eight WPIAL girls’ volleyball titles to their name, previously winning in 1993, 1996, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2020. They were playing in their fifth consecutive WPIAL championship game.

In a rematch of last year’s title tilt, North Allegheny faced a 2-0 deficit for the match before winning the third and fourth frames by identical 25-18 scores. The Tigers then went down 9-7 in the deciding set before rallying to tie at 12-12. North Allegheny then netted two of the next three points to force match point at 14-13, and a Shaler attack error allowed the Tigers to complete the comeback and claim the championship.

The Titans were in their second WPIAL championship game as a program, and had only qualified for one other WPIAL Final Four (2013) prior to this season.

Both North Allegheny and Shaler have qualified for the PIAA Championships.

3A RECAP [Bracket]

After dropping the first set, top-seeded Freeport battled back to claim the WPIAL 3A title with a four-set victory (24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 27-25) over third-seeded Hampton on Saturday evening.

The Yellow Jackets collected their sixth WPIAL girls’ volleyball championship, earning trophies in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019 in the 2A classification. The Talbots were making their second WPIAL championship game appearance, previously falling to West Allegheny in four sets in the 2016 3A final.

Neither team could build a lead above four points over the first two sets. In the third frame, Freeport stormed out to a 7-1 advantage and carried that momentum across the line for a 25-15 win.

Hampton went ahead in the fourth frame, 25-24, only to see a kill from Yellow Jackets sophomore middle blocker Josephine Russo bring it to a 25-25 stalemate. Two attack errors from the Talbots would seal the championship for Freeport.

Four teams qualified for the PIAA Championships in the 3A classification, as Freeport and Hampton will be joined by fifth-seeded Armstrong and seventh-seeded Plum.

2A RECAP [Bracket]

In the second North Catholic-Avonworth matchup of the day, the top-seeded Trojans got one back on the second-seeded Antelopes by capturing the WPIAL 2A crown with a four-set victory (24-26, 25-15, 25-16, 25-23) on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Avonworth earned a 2-1 double-overtime win over North Catholic in the WPIAL 2A Girls’ Soccer championship game at Highmark Stadium. The Trojans’ equalizer in volleyball gave them their second consecutive title and third in four years, as they knocked off Frazier in 2018 (3-0) and Ellwood City in 2020 (3-1).

The Antelopes were victorious in the first set, 26-24, but North Catholic answered with impressive 25-15 and 25-16 wins in the next two frames. Avonworth battled back by grabbing a 20-18 advantage in the fourth frame, only for the Trojans to answer with a kill from junior middle hitter Katie McNelly to retake the momentum and close out the win.

This is the Antelopes’ second WPIAL runner-up finish, previously doing so in the 2011 1A final.

North Catholic, Avonworth, and third-place Seton LaSalle all have advanced to the PIAA Championships. The fifth-seeded Rebels defeated third-seeded Laurel in three sets in Thursday’s third-place consolation match at Fox Chapel.

1A RECAP [Bracket]

Top-seeded Bishop Canevin became the first school since Farrell to win five consecutive WPIAL girls’ volleyball titles, as the Crusaders topped third-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic in four sets (15-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-20) on Saturday afternoon.

Bishop Canevin has now won seven WPIAL girls’ volleyball championships overall (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), and was playing in its 10th consecutive final. The Centurions were pursuing their fourth WPIAL trophy, previously winning in 2012, 2014, and 2016.

GCC took an early 1-0 lead in a rematch of the 2020 title tilt, winning the first set by a 25-15 scoreline. The Crusaders answered with a wire-to-wire triumph in the second set, 25-19, then scored six straight to win 25-21 in the third frame. A six-point advantage was Bishop Canevin’s largest in the deciding frame, ultimately securing the trophy, 25-20.

Farrell was the last school to win five straight WPIAL girls’ volleyball titles, rattling off six straight from 1999 to 2005.

Bishop Canevin, Greensburg Central Catholic, and third-place California all have qualified for the PIAA Championships. The seventh-seeded Trojans topped fourth-seeded Leechburg, 3-2, in Thursday’s third-place consolation match at Fox Chapel.

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