End of the line
McCANDLESS TWP — Losing to North Allegheny Monday night in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals didn't ruin Butler girls volleyball team's goal of raising the bar.
Few teams have challenged the defending PIAA champion Tigers, who won their 37th straight match with a 25-14, 25-16, 25-21 decision over the Golden Tornado. Only two teams this season — Shaler and Seneca Valley — have taken sets off North Allegheny (13-0).
Reaching the second round of the playoffs was a step forward for the ninth-seeded Golden Tornado (11-7). Progressing far enough to challenge the North Allegheny's of the world is something Butler has a chance to work on moving forward.
Senior Maria Lucas remembers where Butler was three years ago.
“We went 0-14,” Lucas said. “We started from a program with no wins where we made it to the quarterfinals. It sets the bar high for the incoming class. We want them to see what they have and chase after it.”
What made things especially difficult against the Tigers is Butler was working in a new lineup. Senior Hope Fiorina missed the match with a concussion.
“We practiced Saturday with a whole new lineup,” Lucas said. “This is all new to us. It was a hard adjustment, but we made it smooth.”
The Golden Tornado made North Allegheny sweat in the third set. Butler held a seven-point lead, 17-10, following a Maria Lucas ace.
The Tigers had to adjust to playing a more defensive-minded team.
“We don't see a team like them in practice every day,” North Allegheny coach Heidi Miller said. “A small, scrappy team that hits a lot of shots. We are who we are. When you see a team that's not like you, it's hard to prepare for that.”
What allowed the Tigers to rally was their balance. Anna Sprys (15 kills), Paige Miller (nine) and Maddie Curran (nine) all had strong nights hitting.
North Allegheny took the lead in the final set, 21-20, following a kill by Curran. It was part of a 5-0 run that would put the Tigers ahead 24-20.
“It's tough,” Butler coach Meghan Lucas said. “Every team has their weaknesses and we tried to exploit that tonight. It's hard to do that when you have a bench as deep as North Allegheny does.”
Butler opened the match strong, scoring the first two points on a kill by Julia Gibson — who led the Golden Tornado with six kills — and attack error by North Allegheny.Consecutive kills by Curran helped North Allegheny gain a stranglehold on the first set. With the Tigers holding a 9-7 edge, Curran knocked down two straight points, spurring on an 8-2 run. Butler, which committed six attack errors and two service errors in the set, couldn't cut the deficit closer than five following the run.The Golden Tornado briefly led in the second set as well. Sophia Lucas followed a Gibson kill with a service ace, putting Butler ahead 2-1.Strong serving from Paige Morningstar would ultimately give North Allegheny the edge. Morningstar, who finished with four aces, landed three consecutive aces to put the Tigers ahead 7-4.Butler climbed back into it following a kill by Taylor Welter that sliced the score to 12-10. North Allegheny then ran off five straight points to pull away.The Golden Tornado never quite solved North Allegheny. But it didn't make the journey any less rewarding.“This group of seven seniors is really special,” Meghan Lucas said. “They set the bar and I watched them all from when they were really young. When the kids in the younger grades see what they did, they don't want to disappoint.”
