What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 31, 2021: Volleyball heavyweights meet

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 | 11:11 PM

Purchase Photo Options

The final day of March looks like it might be a wet one, so our focus on this Wednesday moves from the outdoors to the indoors and boys volleyball.

While there are a handful of nonsection matches set, one that stands out is a battle between top 5 teams in Class AAA.

In the 2019 WPIAL boys volleyball playoffs, Bethel Park reached the title match only to lose in three games to North Allegheny.

Seneca Valley lost to Latrobe in the quarterfinals.

On Wednesday, Bethel Park hosts Seneca Valley.

The visiting Raiders are ranked No. 2 behind North Allegheny in the preseason coaches rankings while the Black Hawks are No. 5.

Section softball

Two of the top pitchers in WPIAL Class 2A square off Wednesday in a Section 1 opener.

Bella Hess of Chartiers-Houston and Aubry Krivak of Burgettstown are juniors.

The Buccaneers were the top seed in the 2019 WPIAL 2A playoffs but lost to eventual PIAA champion Frazier in both the district and state playoffs.

Chartiers-Houston is ranked No. 2 preseason in 2A by HSSN.

The Blue Devils reached the 2019 playoffs but made history when they were the last team to lose a softball game to Vincentian Academy. That school closed its doors after the 2019-2020 school year.

Rivals collide

Nine years after they met in the WPIAL Class AA baseball championship game, neighbors Ellwood City and Riverside will meet in a nonsection game on Wednesday.

The Wolverines knocked off the defending champion Panthers in the 2012 finals, 9-7, for the school’s fifth and most recent district diamond crown.

The rivals will meet at Lincoln HS in Ellwood City on Wednesday in a nonsection contest.

Ellwood City is in Section 1-3A while Riverside plays in Section 2-2A.