Bethel Park third in WPIAL volleyball
Jake Dixon soars about his teammates to spike the ball against North Allegheny. Despite 22 kills by the sophomore, Bethel Park fell to the Tigers, 3-1. NA won its eighth WPIAL volleyball title in a row but the Hawks qualified for the PIAA tournament as the No. 3 seed out of District 7. They face Central Dauphin May 27 at Altoona in the opener of state playoff action.
Brandon Thorsen spikes the ball during WPIAL semifinal action against North Allegheny.
By reaching the Final Four in the WPIAL Class AAA boys’ volleyball tournament, Bethel Park qualified for the PIAA championships. The Black Hawks open state action against Central Dauphin today (May 28) at 5:30 p.m. at Altoona.
BP drew the No. 3 seed out of District 7 by virtue of North Allegheny’s sweep against Norwin, 3-0, in the WPIAL finals. The title marked the Tigers’ eighth in a row.
In the semifinals, NA dispatched the Hawks, 3-1. The Tigers won the first two games, 27-25 and 25-27, before the Hawks won the third, 25-23. NA clinched the win with a 25-16 win in game four. The Tigers led by as many as 10 points in the last game.
According to Tom Allman, the first game proved pivotal for BP. “We didn’t finish the first game well or it may have been a different match,” said the Hawks’ head coach. “When we lost the first game we had too high of a hill to climb against such a good team.”
Slow starts and falling behind proved fatal for the Hawks during the competition as well.
“NA controlled the play with their blocking and their defense,” Allman continued. “Conversely we did not block or track their hitters very well. They ran a quicker offence than what we were use to. We fought well but ran out of energy in the end.”
Jake Dixon had plenty of energy on the front line. The sophomore led with 22 kills on 52 swings. The outside hitter also had two service aces but no blocks.
Middle hitter Brandon Hanson posted 26 kills and an ace. He had three blocks and four digs. Lenny Chorney, hitting right side, finished with nine kills and three digs.
From the libero position, Danny Burke collected 38 digs.
Bethel Park defeated Seneca Valley, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.
After pouncing on the Raiders, 25-17, leading by as much as 12-4 and 21-11, the Hawks dropped the second and third games, 25-18 and 25-23.
“We started with a lot of fire and confidence in the first game,” said Allman. “In the second game it was just the opposite. We missed serves and made unforced errors, both hitting and passing the ball. The third game was a dogfight. Both teams battled back and forth with no big momentum swings.”
Though Seneca Valley carried the momentum of a service ace and a block for the two-point win in the third game, BP altered its service rotation and that proved a difference. The Hawks won game four, 25-19, and then their spot in the Final Four with a 15-10 win in the short, fifth game.
While Burke recorded 23 digs and “passed the ball well,” Dixon led with 25 kills and four aces. Chorney racked up eight kills and two “big” solo blocks. Hanson submitted 10 kills and seven blocks.
“The team as a whole played well under pressure,” explained Allman of the Seneca Valley match.
The Hawks felt the pressure in the first round of the tournament. They needed four games to dispatch Plum in the opener.
The Mustangs won the first game, 25-17, before BP swept the next three sets, 25-15, 25-20, 25-19.
“Plum came out hot and we started out sluggish and nervous,” Allman said. “We made too many mistakes in all aspects of the game, passing, serving, hitting and blocking.”
According to Allman, Game 3 was the turning point. BP had four service aces and four blocked kills. Even though the Hawks won by five points, “frustration” set in for the Mustangs. BP controlled the action in Game 4 and clinched the match with a service run of four points by Thorsen and Burke.
While Dixon had 23 kills and three aces, Chorney recorded 12 kills and two blocks. Hanson had three solo blocks and 12 kills to go along with three aces.
Noah Blanc was a personnel change in the middle and, according to Allman, did a great job, collecting two solo blocks and two kills on four swings. Burke again passed well and had a “great game defensively.”
“We changed our blocking scheme to try and funnel the attacks into the middle as much as we could,” Allman said. “That seemed to make a difference.”