North Allegheny volleyball looks to finish job after unprecedented regular season dominance

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 22, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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North Allegheny’s girls volleyball team has won five consecutive state titles, but this year’s roster accomplished a feat none of those teams ever did. They played 16 matches this fall and didn’t lose single set — winning them all 3-0.

“We kind of congratulated them for that accomplishment,” NA coach Russ Hoburg said, “because it’s not all that common.”

Posting a string of 3-0 wins wasn’t necessarily a season-long goal, but it’s a sure sign of the girls’ determination, so their coach took a moment to acknowledge the feat after their section finale Oct. 18 at Seneca Valley.

Their average score this season was 25-15.

Never did they need more than 25 points to put away a best-of-five opponent. In fact, none came within three points. Their two closest sets were 25-22 wins. The Tigers weren’t always ahead but always found ways to win.

They overcame a 22-19 deficit against North Catholic to escape one of their more dire spots.

“Whether we’re up 20-5 or down 15-17, the attitude is the same,” Hoburg said. “Our kids don’t get rattled super easily. They’ve been in these moments before. When the going does get tough, they know they can respond.”

That comes from winning WPIAL and PIAA titles year after year. But North Allegheny also practices critical game situations, much like a football team running a 2-minute drill. At practice they’ll put their first team in a late-game disadvantage to simulate the pressure of facing an opponent who’s about to win.

“Sometimes we’ll actually do it where a player draws a playing card from a deck,” Hoburg said. “If they draw a three, that means they have to score three points to win. If the other side draws a five, they have to score five points to win.

“They draw their card and give it to the coach, so (the players) don’t know the score. It’s about getting them to play without focusing on the scoreboard and treating every point as its own.”

But largely Hoburg gives credit to a roster that’s ultra-competitive, saying the drills just help bring that out of them.

“We have a lot of girls that like to compete,” he said. “They don’t like to lose. In addition to not liking to lose a match or a set, they don’t like to lose a given point. We try our best to foster that in practice.”

Senior setter Mia Tuman, an Ohio State commit and the Pa. Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021, leads the team in assists (528), aces (58) and blocks (38). She’s also second in digs (193) and third in kills (98).

The team leaders in kills are seniors Carissa Treser (161) and Ella Deeter (154). Senior Caroline Curran leads in digs (303) and ranks second in aces (26). Senior Maddie Fickess is a close second to Tuman in blocks with 36.

North Allegheny now owns a combined regular-season record of 89-1 over the past six seasons. Yet, all five of those previous teams lost at least two regular-season sets along the way.

The Tigers lost six regular-season sets in 2021, five in ‘20, six in ‘19, two in ‘18 and four in ‘17. However, those teams did win five state championships and four WPIAL titles. So, if this year’s team doesn’t win gold in the postseason, no one will remember the regular season quite the same.

“It’s like when you watch SportsCenter Top 10, and they have a basketball player with a nasty crossover that makes the defender go to the ground,” Hoburg said. “You only see that (on the highlights) if they finish the play with a dunk or a layup.

“Part of the conversation for us is, we’ve had the nasty crossover. We’ve had a good start to the season. But if we don’t finish the deal at this point, it’s not as meaningful.

“So, the game is not over.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny