North Journal notebook: North Allegheny’s Morningstar named Gatorade Player of the Year

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, May 8, 2021 | 9:01 AM

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North Allegheny senior Paige Morningstar was named the state’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year after leading the Tigers to a fourth consecutive PIAA title last fall.

Morningstar is the third North Allegheny player to win the award, joining sister Meg Morningstar (2014-15) and Abby Miller (2018-19).

The award was announced May 6.

A 6-foot setter and Louisville recruit, Paige Morningstar had 715 assists, 97 digs, 91 kills, 41 blocks and 30 aces for North Allegheny, which finished 18-0. She earned first-team all-state honors for the third year in a row.

North Hills softball stays atop Section 3

The North Hills softball team remains in contention for the Section 3-5A title in the final stretch of the regular season.

Wins over Mars and Fox Chapel helped the Indians improve to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in section play.

Games against Hampton, Oakland Catholic and Shaler were postponed.

Against Fox Chapel, Brenna Westwood’s three-run homer sparked a 6-0 win. Sophia Roncone tossed a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Tigers volleyball keeps winning

The top-ranked North Allegheny boys volleyball team kept its unbeaten record intact last week with a 3-0 win (25-8, 25-17, 25-18) over Butler on May 4.

Michael Mosbacher had 10 kills, and Garrett Hvoich had nine. Caleb Schall had 22 assists as the Tigers moved to 9-0.

They will cap the regular season Saturday at the Shaler tournament before the playoffs begin May 18.

NA boys tennis falls in quarterfinals

No. 4-seeded North Allegheny boys tennis opened the WPIAL playoffs May 5 with a 5-0 win over Central Catholic.

Chase Davidson, Shomik Telang and Raj Ginde won singles matches, and Srivatsa Bellamkonda/Krishna Naik and Greg Phillips/Arnav Ranade won doubles matches as the Tigers improved to 12-1.

They then dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 5 Mt. Lebanon in the quarterfinals May 6.

NA basbeball locks up section title

Spencer Barnett’s second home run of the game broke a 7-7 tie in the sixth inning, leading North Allegheny to an 8-7 win over Pine-Richland in a Section 1-6A baseball game May 5.

Danny Gallon also homered, and Joe Lang earned the victory for the Tigers (14-2, 8-1), who clinched the section championship.

It was the fourth straight win for North Allegheny.

North Hills claims JV hockey title

The North Hills junior varsity hockey team captured the PIHL Bracket C title after defeating Butler, 2-1, in a shootout.

Joey Spivak and Bram James scored in the shootout.

Evan Hunt scored in regulation, and AJ Urbanek made 33 saves in regulation and stopped four shots in the shootout.

North Hills finished 7-8-1 in the regular season and beat Ringgold and Peters Township in the playoffs.

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, North Hills