Seneca tames Tigers in semis
WEST VIEW — The talent level of Seneca Valley and North Allegheny volleyball is so even, you'd need a coin toss to decide which was better.
In Thursday's WPIAL Class AAA semifinals, that might have made the difference.
After the Raiders tied the match at two games apiece by winning the fourth game, SV coach Karen Martini instructed sophomore setter Alex Karika to choose the side her team had just won on if SV called the coin toss correctly.
The side closest to the gym entrance at North Hills High was the winning side in each of the first four matches.
The Raiders won the toss, picked that side of the court and went on to defeat the Tigers 19-25, 25-12, 23-25, 25-20, 15-8 to advance to the WPIAL championships Saturday at Chartiers Valley.
By reaching the finals, the Raiders grabbed one of two state playoff berths, the team's first since 2004.
"Sometimes there's a hot side to the court and I told the kids that it should be on this side. I knew we'd win Game 4, so I told Alex if we win the toss, to call this side," Martini said.
The Raiders (17-3) dropped the first game and trailed 2-1 before coming back to win the match.
"Our passing was off tonight," Martini said. "NA couldn't stop our middle. That's the way we beat them.
"At the end of Game 4, I told the team if they pass the ball, you will be victorious," she added.
"Seneca Valley really blocked well," said Tigers coach Dan Schall. "(Raiders senior middle hitter) Kelly Treser really transformed the game with her blocks."
With the Raiders leading the fifth game 6-4, Megan Condit's kill, followed by a hitting error by the Tigers, consecutive kills by Catie Seman and a service ace, opened up an insurmountable 11-4 lead.
Trying to stave off elimination in Game 4, the Raiders trailed 2-0, but Meghan Drambel added two kills while Treser added a block, kill, drop shot and another kill — all in a five-point stretch — to help the Raiders take an 8-4 lead.
Seneca Valley built an 18-9 lead and held off the Tigers to force Game 5.
"Truthfully, they could have won in three games or we could have won in three games," Schall said. "We've played a lot of two-point games with them and a lot of 10-point games."
The Raiders will now prepare for the WPIAL Championship, although Martini wants her team to look at the bigger picture.
"Right now, the pressure's off. They get a state playoff berth," said Martini. "I don't even care about Saturday. The WPIAL's great, but states is much bigger."
